Gift Cards
Use this page to issue gift cards from the admin, check a card's balance and history, void a lost card, and export your list.
Quick steps
To issue a card:
- Turn gift cards on once: Settings > Edit Settings > Operations, tick Enable Gift Card Payments in Payment Types, click Update Settings.
- Click Gift Cards in the admin navigation, then New Gift Card.
- Enter the Amount. Optionally pick a Customer, add a recipient or an expiry date.
- Choose the Payment Method the customer paid with (or None / bookkeeping only for a free promo card).
- Click Create Gift Card. The card number starts with GC.
To check or void a card:
- On the Gift Cards list, type the card number or customer name in Search and click Filter.
- Click View to see the balance and every transaction.
- For a lost or stolen card, click Void Gift Card and confirm. This can't be undone.
Common questions
Can I top up a card from the admin? No. Reloading is done at the register. See Gift Cards (POS Guide).
Cash gift card says there's no open cash drawer. A Cash payment needs an open drawer so the cash is counted. Open a till first, or pick another payment method.
Does the recipient get an email? No. The recipient email is only saved on the card.
I can't see New Gift Card. Your role needs the Manage Gift Cards permission. Managers have it by default.
More detail: turning it on and the gift card list
Gift cards hold a dollar balance that customers spend on future purchases. From the admin panel you can issue gift cards, check balances and transaction history, void cards, and export your gift card list.
Gift cards appear once Enable Gift Card Payments is turned on under Settings → Edit Settings → Operations tab, in the Payment Types section (click Update Settings to save). This adds the Gift Cards link to the admin navigation and the gift card payment option on the POS. See Operations Settings.
Accessing Gift Card Management
- Log in to the Admin Panel.
- Click Gift Cards in the top navigation bar.
- The gift card list opens, newest cards first.
The list shows each card's Card Number, Customer, Original Amount, Balance, Status, Issued date, Expires date (or Never), and a View link.
More detail: every field when issuing a card, and selling at the register
Issuing a Gift Card
- Click New Gift Card.
- Fill in the form:
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Amount | Yes | The starting balance on the card. |
| Customer (Optional) | No | Link the card to a customer, or leave it as an anonymous card. |
| Recipient Name (Optional) | No | Who the card is for. |
| Recipient Email (Optional) | No | Saved on the card. No email is sent. |
| Expiration Date (Optional) | No | Leave blank for no expiry. |
| Notes (Optional) | No | Internal notes. |
| Payment Method | No | How the customer paid: Cash, Debit / Card, E-Transfer, Square Terminal, Helcim Terminal, Stripe, or Payfirma. Choose None / bookkeeping only for promotional or comp cards. This only records the payment — it doesn't charge a card terminal. |
| Cash Drawer (for cash activations) | For cash | Appears when a cash drawer is open. Pick the drawer the cash went into. |
- Click Create Gift Card.
- Brother POS creates the card with a unique card number (
GCfollowed by 12 letters and numbers) and opens its details page.
If you choose Cash, a cash drawer must be open — otherwise you'll see "No open cash drawer session for cash gift card — open a till first". The cash is added to that drawer's expected cash.
Cards are created one at a time. There is no bulk creation in the admin panel.
Selling and Reloading at the Register
Staff can also activate new cards and reload existing cards at the POS. Reloading is done at the register only — there's no reload option in the admin panel. See Gift Cards (POS Guide).
Admins can always issue, void, activate and reload gift cards. Managers can too, through the Manage Gift Cards permission, which is on for managers by default. If a store turns it off for managers, they can still view cards but can't issue or void them in the admin panel, or activate or reload them at the register. The New Gift Card buttons don't appear on the Gift Cards page for a role without it. See Roles and Permissions.
More detail: statuses, card details and transaction history
Gift Card Statuses
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Active | The card can be used. |
| Used | The balance has been spent down to $0.00. Reloading the card at the register makes it Active again. |
| Expired | The card is past its expiration date. Reloading makes it Active again and clears the expiration date, so it can be spent straight away. |
| Voided | The card was voided in the admin panel. This is permanent. |
Viewing Gift Card Details
Click View on a card. The details page shows:
- Card Information — status, Card Number, Customer (or the recipient's name and email), Original Amount, Balance, Issued, Expires, Issued By, and Notes
- Summary — Spent (what's been redeemed from the card) and the number of Transactions. A card that has been reloaded also shows Loaded in total: the original amount plus every reload.
Transaction History
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Date | When it happened. |
| Type | Activated, Redeemed, or Reloaded. |
| Amount | The amount of the transaction. |
| Balance After | The card balance afterwards. |
| Notes | For example "Initial activation" or the sale the card was used on. |
More detail: voiding and expiry
Voiding a Gift Card
Use voiding for lost, stolen, or fraudulent cards.
- Open the card's details page.
- In the Actions card, click Void Gift Card.
- Confirm the prompt.
The card's status changes to Voided and it can no longer be used. There's no field for a reason — the card's notes record "Voided: No reason provided". The void is also recorded in your activity log for review.
The Actions card, with its Void Gift Card button, only appears on cards that are active, have a balance, and haven't expired.
A voided card can't be reactivated or reloaded, and its remaining balance can't be spent.
Expiring Gift Cards
- A card past its expiration date can't be used for purchases.
- Its status changes to Expired automatically each day, so expired cards show up under the Expired filter even if nobody has tried to use them.
- Cards without an expiration date never expire.
- Reloading an expired card at the register clears its expiration date, so the card never expires after that.
- A sale paid entirely by gift card is refunded back onto the gift card, or as store credit when there's a customer on the sale — not in cash or to a debit card. If the card has since been voided, the refund goes onto a new gift card. See Returns.
More detail: filtering and CSV export
Filtering and Searching
| Filter | Options |
|---|---|
| Search | Full or partial card number, or the name of the customer or recipient |
| Status | All, Active, Used, Expired, Voided |
| From / To | Issue date range |
Click Filter to apply. Once a filter is on, a Clear button appears to reset it.
CSV Export
- On the gift card list, apply any filters you want.
- Click Export CSV.
- A CSV file downloads with the matching cards and these columns: Card Number, Issued Date, Customer, Recipient, Original Amount, Balance, Status, Expires (shows Never when there's no expiry).
More detail: good habits
Best Practices
- Set expiration dates only where allowed. Some provinces and states restrict gift card expiry.
- Void lost or stolen cards right away to stop anyone else using them.
- Link cards to customers when you can — it makes balance questions easier to answer.
- Use Notes consistently (e.g., "Holiday 2026 Promo") so you can tell promotional cards apart.
- Pick the right payment method when issuing a card, so cash lands in the right drawer and comp cards stay out of your takings.
What's Next?
- Gift Cards (POS Guide) — How cashiers sell, reload, and redeem gift cards.
- Operations Settings — Turn gift card payments on or off.
- Activity Logs — Review gift card voids and other actions.