The Gift Cards app allows administrators to create digital gift cards, add funds directly to customer accounts, and generate gift card codes that customers can redeem.
In this article, you will learn about:
- Enabling the Gift Cards app
- Configuring manual activation
- Creating gift cards for existing customers
- Generating gift card codes
- Managing gift cards
- Managing customer gift card balances
Enabling the Gift Cards App
To get started, navigate to Apps from the left sidebar menu.
Locate the Gift Cards app and click Enable.
On the Gift Cards app page, click Enable again to activate the app for your store.
After the app is enabled, a new Gift Cards section will appear in the left sidebar menu.
Configuring Manual Activation
The Manual Activation setting determines whether customers can manually redeem gift card codes.
Manual activation is enabled by default.
When Manual Activation is enabled:
- Administrators can generate gift card codes.
- Gift cards can be assigned to existing customers for manual activation.
- Customers can enter gift card codes from their account or during checkout.
When Manual Activation is disabled:
- Customers cannot enter gift card codes.
- Gift cards can only be automatically added to customer account balances.
- The gift card code field will not appear during checkout.
Disabling manual activation can be useful when your store uses another integration that provides its own code field, such as a separate gift card or account-credit system. This prevents customers from seeing multiple code fields during checkout.
Creating a Gift Card
Navigate to Gift Cards from the left sidebar menu and click Add Gift Card.
Under Distribution Type, choose one of the following options:
- For Existing Customers
- Generate Gift Card Codes
Creating Gift Cards for Existing Customers
Select For Existing Customers when you want to add funds to one or more existing customer accounts.
Entering the Gift Card Amount
Enter the amount that each selected customer should receive.
A separate gift card is created for every selected customer.
For example, if you select five customers and enter an amount of $50, five separate $50 gift cards will be created.
Choosing an Activation Method
Choose one of the following activation methods:
Automatic Activation
The gift card amount is immediately added to each selected customer’s account balance.
The customer does not need to enter a code before using the funds.
Manual Activation By Customer
A unique gift card code is created for each selected customer.
The customer must activate the code while signed into the account to which the gift card was assigned. Customer-specific codes cannot be redeemed by another account.
When Manual Activation By Customer is selected, Enable Notifications must also be enabled so the customer receives the gift card code by email.
Selecting Customers
Use the customer list to select the customers who should receive the gift card.
You can search for customers or use the available filters to narrow the list.
Generating Gift Card Codes
Select Generate Gift Card Codes when you want to create codes that are not initially assigned to specific customer accounts.
This option is useful when distributing codes to customers who may not have registered yet, such as promotional recipients, employees, or members of an organization.
Configuring the Codes
Enter the following information:
- Amount: The value of each gift card.
- Codes Quantity: The number of individual codes to generate.
- Email: The address that should receive the generated codes.
Each generated code creates a separate gift card.
For example, entering a quantity of 50 creates 20 unique gift cards. Each remains Not Activated until a customer redeems it.
Generated codes are not tied to a specific customer. Any customer with a valid code can redeem it. Once redeemed, the full gift card value is added to that customer’s account balance, and the code cannot be used again.
After configuring either of the two types of gift cards, click Add Gift Card in the top right corner of the page.
Using Gift Cards During Checkout
When a customer has an available account balance, that balance appears as an available payment option during checkout.
When Manual Activation is enabled, customers can also enter another valid gift card code during checkout.
Customers may also activate gift card codes from their customer account.
After activation, the gift card value becomes part of the customer’s account balance.
Managing Gift Cards
The Gift Cards page displays all gift cards created for the store.
The table includes...
- Creation date
- Gift card code
- Status
- Customer name
- Customer email
- Amount
Use the tabs at the top of the page to filter gift cards by status:
- All Gift Cards
- Disabled
- Not Activated
- Activated
You can also use the search field to locate a specific gift card.
Gift Card Statuses
Not Activated
The code has been created but has not yet been redeemed.
Activated
The gift card value has been added to a customer’s account balance.
Disabled
The code was disabled before activation and is no longer valid.
Activated gift cards cannot be disabled because their value has already been transferred to a customer’s account balance.
Editing or Disabling a Gift Card Code
For an unactivated gift card, open the three-dot menu beside the code.
The available actions are:
- Edit Code
- Disable Gift Card Code
Editing allows you to replace the existing code before it is activated.
Disabling the code makes it invalid and prevents it from being redeemed.
Viewing the Customer
When a gift card is assigned to a customer, the customer’s name appears as a link.
Click the customer’s name to open their customer profile.
Exporting Gift Cards
Click the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner of the Gift Cards page and select Export.
The export includes all gift cards, regardless of the currently selected tab or filter.
Managing Customer Gift Card Balances
Administrators can also adjust customer balances directly from the Customers section.
Navigate to Customers, select one or more customers, and click Manage Gift Card Balance.
Choose one of the following actions:
Top Up
Adds the entered amount to the customer’s current balance.
Withdraw
Subtracts the entered amount from the customer’s current balance.
Set Amount
Replaces the customer’s current balance with the exact amount entered.
You can also enter a comment when making the adjustment.
Customer gift card balance data can also be included when importing customers.
Gift Card Email Templates
Gift card notification emails can be customized under Settings → Emails.
Available templates include notifications for automatically activated gift cards, manually activated gift cards, and generated gift card codes.
For more information, see the Email Settings article.
That’s everything you need to know about Gift Cards.