whether you’re writing to congratulate someone on the other side of the world on their new
baby; or whether you’re simply trying not to use paper and thus conserve the planet’s
resources, the e-card is becoming ever-more popular. In lockdown, the trend only gained
momentum as they became a brilliant way to quickly and inexpensively tell loved ones that
we missed them – crucially without leaving the house. Now, though the world has opened up
once more, we rather like our new habit of communication and intend to stick with it. These
are the best ecards in the UK – and beyond.
Paperless Post
One of our all-time favourites. What event hasn't been enhanced by the addition of a beautiful
Paperless Post invite winging its way into your inbox? The templates are to die for, the first
batch of invites (12 at last glance) are free and the effort is minimal – need we say more? Explore the full range here.
Moonpig
Who, at some point in their life, has not had the Moonpig advertisement theme well and truly
stuck in their head? Thankfully, the memorable jingle is more than lived up to by the
excellent quality of the content available on the site. Christmas cards, birthday cards, general
greetings: all are available in a mix of styles, from the touching to the humorous. We
especially like this personalisable Paddington Bear card, which is as sweet as it is touching. If
you buy more than one at a time, there are discounts of as much as 50 per cent to be had. Explore the full range here.
Tribute
Where Tribute really scores highly is in its offer of video cards. What could be lovelier than
receiving a message inside your card recorded by your loved ones – especially if you live a
distance away? For those who want to send a more traditional card however, there is also a
plethora of those available for all occasions – and you can even send a free coffee or Amazon
voucher along with your missive, making Tribute a great option for gifting too. Explore the full range here.
Wave
Evite
Evite’s excellent greetings card platform offers thousands of fully customisable card and
invitation templates. You can add co-hosts, you can upload your own pictures – and you can
even send text message invitations. There is a dedicated Disney section to the site, so you can
delight any Elsa fans (amongst other characters) at the click of a button, plus there is a whole
host of more grown up and elegant options in a variety of colourways available too. Explore the full range here.
Greenvelope
Greenvelope’s laudable mission is to help save time, money and trees. It achieves this aim in
part by offering a wealth of e-card options that are not only elegant to behold but also offer
the same joyful experience as opening a paper card. But saving paper is not the only length it
goes to for the environment. It also actively does good by donating a percentage of each card
sale to Mountains to Sound, a non-profit organisation dedicated to maintaining forests. Since
its launch, the team has planted some 26,000 trees, saved 990k pounds of paper and, each
month, saves an average of 962 pounds of CO2. Pretty worthy, no? Explore the full range here.
Postable
Do you still want to send cards the traditional way but don’t quite have it in you to write,
address, stamp and send tens or even hundreds of Christmas missives? That’s where Postable
comes in. Choose one of this unique company’s designs – or even upload your own – and
they will do the writing, addressing, stamp affixing and sending off for you. It’s absolutely
ideal for mass mailing and, as they say, it makes posting off stylish snail mail as easy as
sending an email. Explore the full range here.
Culture Greetings
African American Atlanta-based greetings card company Culture Greetings exists to provide
a platform for inclusiveness when it comes to sending your missives. They say, ‘It is
our vision to connect people to those that matter in their lives with thoughtful imagery and
messaging across all holidays, occasions and sentiments. We further aim to also make our
platform a voice for change by engaging in social awareness and justice campaigns. Our
commitment to social responsibility is carried out through philanthropy in our local
community and our environmentally-friendly manufacturing process.’ Customers are enabled
to pick culturally relevant cards to send to loved ones – all of which it does the traditional
way, printing them up and sending them off on your behalf. Seamless and stylish. Explore the full range here.
Dayspring
Dayspring is a card-sending platform aimed at Christians who wish their greetings to be
religiously focused. They say, ‘Our goal is to bring you resources that are biblically true,
spiritually relevant, and life-giving.’ It all began in 1971 when two pastors decided that they
wanted to found a business that would sell everything from cards, books, and Bibles to
calendars, articles, and coffee cups – each of which would ‘help people know and share God's
love in fresh, true, and inspiring ways.’ Explore the full range here.
WWF
The WWF was founded in 1961 to protect places and species that were under threat from
human development. That undertaking has only increased in the intervening decades. Its
work since those nascent days has grown exponentially and, as we face an escalating climate
emergency, it has never been more vital. As they say, ‘Our vision is to build a future in which
people live in harmony with nature. To deliver this mission, we work to conserve and restore
biodiversity, the web that supports all life on Earth; to reduce humanity’s environmental
footprint; and to ensure the sustainable use of natural resources to support current and future
generations.’ One way in which it helps us all to do this is by offering free paperless ecards
that you can send to family and friends at the click of a button. There are options for holidays
and birthdays, as well as simply love and friendship cards. Perfect for animal lovers. Explore the full range here.
Smilebox
‘Your moments are our magic’, proclaims Smilebox, which allows its users to create
slideshows, greetings cards, invitations, flyers and more. If you want an all bells and whistles
greetings card experience, this is a great service to consider, thanks to the fact that you can
add your own personal pictures and even music. The site is clean, very easily navigable and
offers elegant and fresh designs. Perfect, whether you’re sending your first e-card or your
hundredth. Explore the full range here.
American Greetings
The American Greetings story begins in 1906 in Ohio when a young Polish immigrant named
Jacob Sapirstein started a business importing greeting cards from Germany. Though he had
just $50 in his pocket – on loan from the bank – he sold his wares to merchants from the
family horse and cart. Now, over a century later, it is the global leader in the marketplace.
Choose from its vast selection of e-cards, which span the classic to the fun; the elegant to the
all-singing, all-dancing. Explore the full range here.
Ojolie
Founded in 2005 by Danish artist, animator and designer Frederikke Tu, Ojolie’s founding
purpose was to create cards – both personal and corporate – that would be both contemporary
and classic, and free from any whiff of naffness that can pervade this sector. She says, ‘My
vision is to help you to reach out to those who are important to you. I use my watercolour
paintings and illustrations to create whimsical stories – you personalize the card with your
own sentiment.’ Hand-painted and expertly animated, the cards are stylish, clever and
excellent, not only at delivering a canvas upon which to send good wishes, but also an
atmosphere of joy. We like the Birthday Performers a lot. Explore the full range here.
Hallmark
Hallmark is a byword for greetings cards and probably the brand that is best known globally
via name recognition alone. Founded in 1910, the company was the brainchild of J.C. Hall,
who was then just a teenager. Today, the company employs 20,000 people around the world
and turns over $3.8 billion – some journey over the course of a century. It has also come a
long way in terms of its offering, which now naturally includes e-card options alongside more
traditional greetings. All are customisable, allowing users to upload their own pictures or
videos. Explore the full range here.
Greetings Island
At Greeting Island, users have three options: once they have selected their card, they can
download, print or send online. Thus it appeals to all preferences and tastes – all while taking
the work out of sending a card. Easy to navigate, there is a plethora of styles available for
every conceivable occasion. Explore the full range here.
Open Me
Find everything from new baby to graduation ecards all under one roof at Open Me. It is free
to register, and – rather brilliantly – completely free of charge when you send your greetings
via Facebook and email. There is no limit on numbers either, so friends and family should
brace themselves for a flurry of notes landing in their inbox. Explore the full range here.
123 Greetings
This service is completely free to its users and, while the site itself is somewhat busier and
less easy to navigate than some, you cannot deny the offering. There are general cards and
there are those specific to events, from birthdays right through to ‘ice cream day’. There are
categories for the inspirational and for the funny; those for lovers who wish to convey their
undying devotion, and others for simply saying ‘good morning.’ We defy you not to find
something to send your nearest and dearest amongst this comprehensive crop. Explore the full range here.
Cross Cards
Cross Cards is not, in fact, a forum from which to send angry missives. No. Rather it is the
world’s largest Christian greetings card website. As well as sending all types of digital
missives, you can also select wallpaper for your phone or computer too. There are scripture
cards, daily prayers and prayer guides all available on the site for those of faith. Explore the full range here.
Updated December 2022
