How to send a birthday card online

Step by step

1. Pick the occasion and the animation: a candle they blow out, an envelope they open, a button that runs away.
2. Type their first name, who you are to them and two or three details only you know.
3. Read the three versions of the words, pick one, and change the colours or the lettering if you like. The preview is free.
4. Pay once. You get the link on screen and by email.
5. Send the link wherever you usually talk to them. They tap it, the card plays, and you get an email when it has been opened.

Where to send the link

• WhatsApp, iMessage and Messenger show a preview with a picture and their name, so the link looks like a card, not like spam.
• Email works for people who do not use chat apps; put their name in the subject line.
• For a paper card, Premium and Extra give you a QR code to print or write in; they scan it and the card opens.
• For a surprise at midnight, Extra lets you set the opening time. Send the link early; until then they see a countdown.

What they see when they open it

The card opens with their name and waits for them to do something: blow into the microphone to put out the candle, pull the envelope open, chase the No button. Then your words appear, followed by any photos, voice message, song or friends’ wishes you added. It works in any modern phone or computer browser. Personal cards are not indexed by search engines, and the recipient can ask for the card to be taken down from the card itself.

Timing and small details that help

• Send it when they have a quiet minute: first thing in the morning or on their lunch break, not in the middle of a party.
• Add a short line before the link in your message, so they know it is from you and worth opening.
• If they are travelling, the link works abroad; it only needs mobile data or wifi.
• You get an email the first time they open it, so you do not have to ask whether it arrived.