Gift Cards

Cashier Manager Admin

Use this page to sell or top up a gift card, check what's left on one, or take one as payment.

Quick steps

To sell a new card:

1. Tap Gift Cards under the cart. The Gift Card Manager opens on Activate New.
2. Pick an amount ($25, $50, $75, $100) or type a Custom Amount.
3. Under Payment Method, pick how the customer is paying: Cash, Card or E-Transfer.
4. Tap Activate Gift Card. Give the customer the Card Number shown (it starts with GC).

To reload or check a card: tap Gift Cards → Reload Existing, scan or type the code and tap Look Up. The Current Balance shows. To add money, pick a Reload Amount and Payment Method, then tap Reload Card.

To pay with a card:

1. Tap GIFT CARD, or just scan the card's barcode on the register screen.
2. Type the code and tap Look Up.
3. If the card covers the total, tap Complete Sale. If not, tap Cancel and use Split Payment to pay the rest another way.

Don't see these buttons?

Gift cards have to be switched on by an admin: Settings → Operations tab → Payment Types → Enable Gift Card Payments.

Common questions

I don't see the Gift Cards button. Your role needs the Manage Gift Cards permission. Managers and admins have it by default; clerks don't. Anyone can still take a gift card as payment.

Does a receipt print with the card number? No. Activating a card isn't a sale, so write the number down for the customer or put it on the physical card.

The card says it's expired or used up. Reload it. A Used or Expired card goes back to Active when you add money. A Voided card can't be used or reloaded.

The customer lost their card. A manager can void it in the admin panel. See Gift Cards (Admin Guide).

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More detail: activating a card

Gift cards must be turned on

Gift cards only show up when an admin turns them on: Settings → Operations tab → Payment Types → Enable Gift Card Payments. Two buttons then appear at the register: GIFT CARD (to pay with a card) and Gift Cards (to activate and reload cards).

Who can activate and reload cards

The Gift Cards button only appears for people whose role has the Manage Gift Cards permission. Admins always have it, managers have it by default, and clerks don't. An admin can change this on the Role Permissions page — see Roles & Permissions. Anyone can still take a gift card as payment with the GIFT CARD button.

Activating a Gift Card

1. Tap Gift Cards to open the Gift Card Manager.
2. Stay on the Activate New tab.
3. Pick an amount ($25, $50, $75 or $100) or type one under Custom Amount.
4. Optionally enter a Recipient Name.
5. Under Payment Method, choose how the customer is paying for the card: Cash, Card or E-Transfer.
6. Tap Activate Gift Card.
7. Card Activated! shows the new Card Number and its Balance. Tap the copy icon to copy the number.
8. Collect payment for the card and give the customer the card number.

Card numbers start with GC, followed by 12 characters made of the digits 0-9 and the letters A-F (for example GC1A2B3C4D5E6F).

note

Activating a gift card isn't a cart sale, and no receipt prints with the card number. Write the number down for the customer or put it on the physical card. To take cash for a card, the register needs an open cash drawer session.

Tap Activate Another Card to start a new one.

More detail: checking a balance

Checking a Gift Card Balance

There's no separate balance screen. Look the card up in either place:

• Gift Cards → Reload Existing → enter or scan the code → Look Up. This shows the Card Number, Current Balance, Status, and the customer or recipient name if there is one. You can close the window without reloading.
• GIFT CARD payment button → enter the code → Look Up. This shows the Available Balance.

More detail: reloading a card

Reloading a Gift Card

1. Tap Gift Cards and switch to the Reload Existing tab.
2. Scan the card or type its code, then tap Look Up.
3. Pick a Reload Amount ($10, $25, $50 or $100) or type one.
4. Choose the Payment Method: Cash, Card or E-Transfer.
5. Tap Reload Card. The new balance shows right away.

Which cards can be reloaded

Voided cards can't be reloaded. A card that's Used (spent down to $0) or Expired goes back to Active when you reload it. Reloading an expired card also clears its past expiry date, so the card can be spent again straight away.

Tap Different Card to look up another card.

More detail: paying with a gift card

Taking a Gift Card as Payment

1. Build the cart as usual.
2. Tap GIFT CARD.
3. Type the code and tap Look Up.
4. The window shows the Gift Card Code, the customer or recipient (if any), the Available Balance, and Credit Applied.
5. If the card covers the whole total, tap Complete Sale. The total comes off the card, and anything left stays on it.
6. If the card doesn't cover the whole total, the window shows Remaining Due and Complete Sale stays greyed out. Tap Cancel and use Split Payment instead (see below).

Scanning a gift card

Scanning a gift card barcode on the register screen opens the gift card payment window with the card already looked up. You don't need to click into the product search first.

If the card can't be used, the window tells you why: the card has expired, is no longer active, has no remaining balance, or wasn't found.

Example: The cart total is $25 and the gift card has $40. Tap Complete Sale. $25 comes off the card and $15 stays on it.

More detail: when the card doesn't cover the sale

Gift Card + Split Payment

When a card doesn't cover the whole sale:

1. Tap Split Payment.
2. Choose Gift Card as the method.
3. Enter the gift card code and tap Look Up.
4. Enter the amount to take from the card, up to its available balance, and add the payment.
5. Pay the rest with another method, such as Cash or Card.
6. Complete the sale.

You can use one gift card per split sale.

More detail: card statuses

Gift Card Statuses

Status	Meaning
Active	The card has a balance and can be used or reloaded.
Used	The balance is spent down to $0. Reloading makes it Active again.
Expired	The card had an expiry date that has passed. Reloading makes it Active again and clears the expiry date.
Voided	The card was voided in the admin panel. It can't be used or reloaded.

More detail: receipts and returns

What the Receipt Shows

A sale paid with a gift card shows Gift Card as the payment method, or Gift Card with its amount on a split payment. The card's remaining balance isn't printed. Look the card up again to tell the customer what's left.

Returns on Gift Card Sales

A sale paid entirely by gift card can't be refunded in cash or to a debit card. Choose Gift Card as the refund method to put the refund back on the gift card the sale was paid with — this works for a walk-in sale with no customer too. With a customer on the sale you can refund it as Store Credit instead. Voiding the whole sale also puts the amount back on the gift card. A single item on a gift card sale can't be voided — use a return. See Returns.

If the card the sale was paid with has since been voided — the customer lost it, say — you can still choose Gift Card (it reads New Gift Card). A new gift card is issued as part of the return with the refund as its balance, and the confirmation shows the new card's number so you can give it to the customer. The voided card stays voided.

More detail: best practices

Best Practices

• Read the card number back to the customer when you activate a card.
• Look the card up before you ring the sale if the customer isn't sure of the balance, so you know whether you'll need a split payment.
• Make sure the till is open before taking cash for a new card or a reload.

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What's Next?

• Completing Payment: all payment methods.
• Split Payments: combining gift cards with other payment methods.
• Gift Cards (Admin Guide): managing, voiding and exporting gift cards from the admin panel.