Gift Card

A Gift Card is a method of payment; like other online retail stores, gift card functionality allows a customer to buy what is essentially "credit" that can be used later. Each gift card has a unique alpha-numeric value; this code is entered on the checkout screen to pay for some or all of an order.

This page discusses a configuration page from the Admin Area. This feature or functionality was introduced in version 8.51. This article discusses configuration or usage of a payment method.

Configuration

For a gift card to be sold, the following configuration steps must be performed:

1. Create a product that will be sold as the gift card. As an example, this product may have a name like "Holiday Gift Card".
2. Create a Gift Card Type.
3. Enable the option [Allow Gift Card Payments] in Checkout Preferences. Also, Checkout Preferences must be set to Single-Page Checkout.

In addition, the following Order Notification Preferences settings should be configured:

• The [Gift Card Sold Text] field, on the Thank-You Page Format tab. This should be configured to show the customer a relevant message on the Thank You Page after checkout.
• The [Gift Card Sold Message] field, on the Email Format tab. This configuration will be shown to the customer in the Order Confirmation Email.

Customer Usage and Redemption

Purchasing a Gift Card

It is possible to order gift cards via the Cart API, however the API does not allow for an email address to be entered. This value would need to be entered on the checkout Page.

A customer purchases a gift card in the same way as they purchase any other product. The only difference is that the Product Detail Page may include extra fields for the customer who makes the purchase:

• The Gift Card Amount field, if the Gift Card Type allows variable pricing, must be completed with a valid numeric value.
• The Customer Email field, if the Gift Card Type requires that the card is linked to a specific email address.

When the customer pays for the order, the gift card is generated and the card information will be included in the Thank-You Email. If the customer pays with PayPal, the card is created when the IPN is received. Note that a gift card cannot be used to purchase other gift cards. Also note that only the purchaser of the card will receive the card information; if the purchaser entered a customer email address, no notification is sent to that email address. In this case, it is the purchaser's responsibility to send the card information.

Redeeming a Gift Card

When a customer pays partially with a Gift Card and then goes to PayPal to complete the order, PayPal will display the total of gift cards redeemed as a discount. If coupons are on the order also, the discount total displayed at PayPal will be the sum of gift cards and coupons.

For a customer to make a purchase with a gift card, he/she will enter the gift card code on the checkout screen. There is no way to enter an amount:

• If the balance on the card is greater than or equal to the order total, the order total will be reduced to zero and the card balance will be decreased by the amount of the order.
• If the balance on the card is less than the order total, the remaining balance on the order must be paid with another payment method.

Other notes about redemption:

• Discounts must be added to the order prior to a gift card being added to the order.
• Multiple gift cards can be used on the same order.
• If the gift card(s) of the order were created with an email address requirement, the email address used on the order must match the email address of each card being used.

Administrative Creation and Adjustments

A store administrator can create new cards or adjust balances on existing cards by using the standard administration functions.

Issuing a Card

When issuing a new card, four configurable fields are available:

The Gift Card Type

Every card must have a Gift Card Type to determine certain behaviors of the card.

Initial Balance

The initial balance of the card. If the card type allows only fixed-value cards, the entry in this field is ignored.

Customer Email Address

This is used when the gift card type requires that the email address of the card matches the email address used during the order.

Customer Name

This field is not currently used or displayed anywhere; a store administrator can enter a name as a note to remember who received the card.

Adjusting a Card

When editing a gift card, it is possible to use the "Create Adjustment" function on the page to increase or reduce the balance of the card; this process will also allow for a reason for the adjustment to be entered. The page also shows a list of all the transactions that have occurred with the card.

See also

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