A gift card is a prepaid balance, identified by a card number, that anyone holding the card can spend toward future purchases. Unlike a store credit, a gift card isn’t tied to a specific customer — whoever has the number can redeem it.
Issuing a new gift card
- Go to Gift Cards → + New.
- Enter the card number (printed on the physical card or generated for digital).
- Enter the initial balance.
- Optionally pick the issuing customer (the buyer) and purchaser email for tracking.
- Save.
The gift card is now active and the balance is recorded as a liability on your books.
If you sell a gift card on an invoice, add a misc line item with the card amount, and create the gift card record at the same time so the liability is captured.
Redeeming a gift card on an invoice
When the holder uses the card:
- On the invoice, click + Payment.
- Pick Gift Card as the tender method.
- Enter the card number — the system pulls up the current balance and lets you apply up to that amount.
- Save the payment. The balance on the card decreases automatically.
If the invoice total exceeds the card balance, apply the full card balance and add a second payment for the remainder (cash, card, etc.).
Looking up a balance
From the Gift Cards list, search by card number to see:
- Original balance issued
- Total redeemed
- Current balance remaining
- Every transaction (issue, each redemption) with date and invoice link
Customers calling to ask “how much is left on my card?” — search the number and read them the balance. No invoice required.
Tips
- Gift cards are transferable by design. The system doesn’t enforce that the redeemer matches the original purchaser.
- If a card is lost, void the original and issue a replacement (you keep the audit trail).
- The Gift Card Ledger report shows total issued, total redeemed, and current outstanding liability for accounting.
- Refunding a gift card purchase is unusual but supported — void the gift card and refund the original payment as you would any other refund.
The Gift Card Ledger report
The Gift Card Ledger report (Reports module) is the accounting view of your outstanding gift-card liability. One row per card — Card #, Purchase Date, Expiry, Customer, Store, and the Amount issued / Used / Remaining plus Status (active, redeemed, expired). Filter by date range, status, and store. The sum of the Remaining column is your total gift-card liability — the dollars you still owe in merchandise — which is the figure your accountant wants at period close.