Gift Cards

🎁 Gift Card Module

The Gift Card module allows you to sell prepaid credit for your customers to give as gifts or use for future purchases of products and services. Each card is issued with a unique code, may have an expiration, and maintains an available balance that is deducted as it is used.

It is ideal for salons, hairdressers, barbershops, spas, and beauty centers that want to increase sales, retain customers, and offer a simple and elegant gift option.

✅ What can you do with this module?

• Configure the available values for sale (fixed and/or custom amounts).
• Define expiration (for example: 3 months, 6 months, 1 year) or leave it without expiration (according to configuration).
• Sell cards from the sales flow, registering the operation as a purchase.
• Generate a code for the card for the customer to use or give as a gift.
• Validate and redeem a card in a purchase, applying the balance as credit.
• Control the balance (used and available) and the usage history.
• View reports with totals sold, redeemed, and pending balance (credit in favor of the customer).

⚙️ Gift Card Configuration

Before you start selling cards, configure the main rules. This defines what amounts can be sold and how they behave over time.

1) Activate / deactivate the module

• Activated: enables the sale and redemption of gift cards.
• Deactivated: cards cannot be sold or applied (even if cards have already been issued).

2) Available values for sale

You can define a list of suggested amounts to sell as gift cards. For example: $500, $1000, $2000 (or the currency configured in your business).

• These values appear as quick options in the sales flow.
• They help standardize and speed up the sale at the register.

3) Custom amount (optional)

If you want to allow the customer to purchase a card for an amount different from the suggested amounts, you can enable a custom value. To maintain order and avoid errors, it is recommended to define a: minimum amount.

• Minimum: prevents sales for very low or inconsistent amounts.
• Recommendation: keep 3 to 6 suggested amounts + (optional) a custom amount with a minimum.

4) Expiration

You can configure a validity period for the cards (for example: 365 days). The system will automatically manage the expiration dates for each issued card.

• With expiration: the card can only be used within the defined period.
• Without expiration: the card remains available until the balance is exhausted (if your policy allows it).

🛒 Selling a Gift Card

Gift cards are sold as an item within the sales flow. This allows the operation to be recorded in an orderly manner and associated with a receipt.

How to sell a card

1. Start a new sale.
2. Select the option for Gift Card.
3. Choose a suggested amount or enter a custom amount (if enabled).
4. Complete the payment with the corresponding payment method.
5. The system generates the card with a unique code and its initial balance.

Tip: if the customer is occasional, they can still purchase the card; they can then give the code or use it later.

🔎 Code, validity, and balance

Each issued card has a unique code that serves as an identifier. This code is used to validate the card at the time of redemption.

What the system validates when using a card

• That the code exists and corresponds to a valid gift card.
• That it is active (available for use).
• That it is valid (if the card has an expiration date).
• That it has an available balance to apply to the purchase.

How the balance is applied

When redeeming the card, the system applies the credit against the total purchase:

• If the balance covers the entire purchase, the total to pay is $0 (and the used amount is deducted).
• If the balance is partial, the available amount is deducted and the customer pays the difference.
• The system records each use so that the available balance is always updated.

Example

• $2000 card
• Purchase #1: $700 ⇒ balance remains $1300
• Purchase #2: $1500 ⇒ $1300 is applied ⇒ balance remains $0 and the customer pays $200

🧾 Redemption (use) of a Gift Card in a purchase

When the customer presents their card code, you can enter it during the payment to apply it as credit.

Steps to redeem

1. Prepare the sale with products and/or services.
2. In the payment, select the option to use Gift Card.
3. Enter the code of the card.
4. The system validates validity and available balance.
5. The credit is applied and the total to pay is recalculated.
6. Complete the sale and the use of the card is recorded.

Important: a gift card functions as credit in favor of the customer. It is not a “random” promotion: it is always deducted from the total and usage is recorded.

📊 Gift Card Reports

The module includes reports so you can understand the impact of gift cards on your business: how much was sold, how much was redeemed, and how much balance remains pending.

Summary

• Total sold: sum of cards sold in the period.
• Total redeemed: amount of credit used by customers.
• Pending balance: credit still available (commitment/liability of the business).

List / detail

• Card by card: date, buyer (if applicable), initial amount, amount used, and available balance.
• States and validity to detect cards about to expire or unused.

✅ Best Practices

• Offer suggested amounts (3 to 6 options) to facilitate the customer's decision.
• If you enable a custom amount, define a minimum to avoid inconsistent sales.
• Define a clear expiration policy and communicate it to the customer.
• Review the pending balance report: it helps you understand the credit committed by the business.
• Promote cards on key dates (birthdays, holidays, Mother's/Father's Day, etc.).

🧩 Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't a card be used?

• The code is incorrect or does not exist.
• The card is expired (if expiration applies).
• The card is not active.
• It has no available balance.

Can a card be used for multiple purchases?

Yes. The card retains the balance and is deducted with each use until exhausted (or until its expiration, if applicable).

Can I sell cards even if the customer is not registered?

Yes. The code is sufficient for the customer to use or give it as a gift.

Gift Cards: more sales today, more visits tomorrow.