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Gift cards

A gift card in Avero is a stored balance with a private access code and a QR code. Cards are sold as products at the register and on your online store, or created by hand, and every card is listed at /admin/gift-cards (Gift Cards — "Manage stored-value gift cards"). This page covers the whole life of a card, from sale to refund.

Gift cards cannot be redeemed online

A gift card can only be spent at the register. Online checkout has a Promo code box for coupons, but no way to pay with a gift card. The email a recipient gets says the same: show the QR code or give the code "when you pay at" the winery.

Who can use it​

  • View the list and a card's ledger — gift_cards.read: Manager, Admin.
  • Create a card, freeze it, replace its code — gift_cards.manage: Manager, Admin.
  • Balance Correction and Reconcile — gift_cards.adjust: Manager, Admin.
  • Refund unspent balance — orders.refund: Manager, Admin.
  • Redeem a card at the register — checks.update, the same permission as settling a check.

Set up a gift card product​

A gift card is a product of type Gift card in the catalogue. Its Gift Card Details card holds the settings:

  • Amount Mode — Fixed Amount ("Uses the product price as the gift card amount. Set the price on the Pricing tab.") or Variable Amount (customer chooses), with a Minimum Amount ($), Maximum Amount ($) and Default Amount ($).
  • Delivery Mode — Digital (Email), Physical, or Both (Digital + Physical). A card set to Physical only is not sold online.
  • Allow personal message, with a Max message length.
  • Terms (Short) — shown to the shopper on the product page.

See Products & inventory for creating products.

Sell a gift card at the register​

Add the gift card product to a check and take payment as usual. Each unit sold becomes its own card, so two $50 cards are two cards and not one $100 card. The receipt carries a QR code for each card, which is what the guest hands over or scans later. The register does not email the card.

Sell a gift card online​

On your online store the gift card's product page asks:

  • Amount — only for a variable card. The shopper picks a preset or uses Or enter an amount.
  • Who is it for? — For me or Send it to someone. Sending it asks for Recipient's name, Recipient's email and, if the product allows it, a Message (optional).
  • How many. More than one shows "separate cards, each with its own code."

An order of gift cards alone has nothing to ship. Checkout says "Gift cards are delivered by email as soon as your payment goes through — there is nothing to ship or pick up." and asks for no address.

How the recipient receives a card​

Cards bought online are emailed as soon as the payment goes through:

Who it is forWhat is sent
The buyerOne email to the buyer with each card's value and code, and the QR code attached as an image.
Someone elseThat email goes to the recipient, with the buyer's message. The buyer gets a copy with the last four characters of each code only.

The buyer's copy says "Only" the recipient "received the codes", so only one inbox ever holds a code that can be spent. A card that was refunded or whose order was cancelled before the email went out is not sent.

Create a card by hand​

  1. On Gift Cards choose Create Gift Card.
  2. Pick the Owner Guest by name or email.
  3. Enter the Initial Amount ($).
  4. Optionally set Valid through (optional).
  5. Choose Create Gift Card. The message reads "Gift card created".

The dialog then shows the access code once: "Save this access code now. It will not be shown again." A card created by hand was not bought on an order, so it has no payment to refund later.

Redeem a card​

At the register, choose the Gift Card tile ("Redeem gift card balance"). Find the card by scanning its QR code, typing its code, or searching for the customer. You can apply all or part of the balance and pay the rest another way. The full steps are in Settle a check & take payment.

A card is refused when it is frozen ("This stored-value card is currently frozen."), closed ("This stored-value card has been revoked.") or past its date ("This stored-value card has expired.").

Expiry​

Only a card created by hand can be given an expiry, using Valid through (optional). The card works through the end of that day and is refused afterwards. The date must be in the future. The form warns: "Leave blank for a card that never expires. Several US states restrict or prohibit gift card expiry — check yours before setting one."

Cards sold at the register or online have no expiry.

Refund an unspent balance​

A card that was bought on an order can have what is left on it returned to the payment that bought it. This closes the card for good.

  1. Open the card from Gift Cards, or open the order and find its Gift cards card.
  2. Choose Refund unspent balance.
  3. Check the amount, Held by and Refunded to. If the card was a gift, a warning names the person who holds it and the person who paid.
  4. Add a Reason (optional) and confirm with the button that names the amount and ends "and close card".

The result tells you how far the money got: "The money is back on the original payment, and the card is closed.", "The card processor is completing it. The card is closed.", or a refund that "needs finishing by hand" because no processor can return the payment automatically.

The order's own Issue Refund does not cover gift card value. Refund each card here instead. See Payments & refunds.

The admin list and a card's page​

The list shows Owner, Access Code (last four only), Balance, Status and Created. Search by access code, guest name or email, and filter by All Statuses, Active or Frozen.

A card opens to Gift Card Detail, with Current Balance, Initial Balance, Issued, and a Ledger of every transaction and the Balance After each one.

Reference​

ControlWhereWhat it does
Create Gift CardGift CardsIssues a card to a guest, with an optional expiry.
Show QRGift Card DetailShows the card's QR code.
Freeze / UnfreezeGift Card DetailStops the card being used, or allows it again. Asks for a reason.
Replace Access CodeGift Card DetailIssues a new code. The new code is shown once.
Balance CorrectionGift Card DetailAdds or subtracts an amount, with a Reason Code and Notes.
Refund unspent balanceDetail and orderReturns what is left to the original payment and closes the card.
ReconcileGift Card DetailChecks the balance against the ledger.

Reconcile answers with "Reconciliation OK" and the verified balance, or "Mismatch detected" with the stored and computed figures side by side. A mismatch is one to raise with Avero support before you correct anything.

Troubleshooting​

  • "This card wasn't bought on an order, so there is no payment to refund it to." — the card was created by hand. Use Balance Correction.
  • "This card has been spent in full, so there is nothing left to refund." — nothing to do.
  • "This card is closed. Its balance was already refunded, or the order was cancelled." — the card cannot be used or refunded again.
  • "A refund of this card is pending…" — the card stays closed until the refund goes through. If it cannot, withdraw it under Refund History on the order and the card reopens.
  • A guest lost the code — codes cannot be looked up. Use Replace Access Code and give them the new one.
  • "This gift card isn't available online right now." — the product's gift card settings are incomplete. Check its Gift Card Details.