Gift cards
Sell a gift card for any value at the counter. The receipt carries its code and the date it is valid until. Whoever holds the code pays with it later, in one sale or several, until nothing is left. The money stays owed in the books until it is spent or written off.
PLANSScale only
The problem it solves
- Paper vouchers are copied, and nobody can tell which were already used.
- The value of vouchers sold is booked as income on the day of sale.
- Half-used vouchers are lost track of, along with what is still owed.
- Expired vouchers sit in the books for years.
How it works
- Set it up once: a product ticked Gift Card with no taxes, and a payment method of the kind Voucher / Gift Card. Then the gift card accounts on a register's Receipt tab.
- To sell, add the gift card product and type its value (Price in the browser, Card value in the app). Choosing a customer is optional.
- When the sale is paid, a card is issued. The receipt shows Gift card, its code, its value and "valid until".
- To pay, choose the gift card method, type or scan the code and click Check. The screen shows the status, what is left, the holder and the date.
- Take the whole bill or what is left on the card, and the rest by another method.
- A POS manager cancels a lost card and writes off what is left on a cancelled or expired card.
Everything it does
Cards
- Codes of 12 characters in three groups, such as 7KQM-2XHD-RT9A, without 0, O, 1 or I so they can be read out
- Gift Card Validity (Months): 12 to start with; 0 means cards never expire
- Statuses: Active, Used Up, Expired (checked every day), Cancelled
- A POS manager can change Valid Until on a card
- One card per line with a quantity of 1
- A card is spent in the store that sold it
Rules at the counter
- A card cannot be discounted, given on the house or earn points
- No change is given on a gift card payment
- An expired or cancelled card, or an amount above what is left, is refused with what is left
- A refund of a sale paid by card can go back on the card
- The sale of a card is refunded only while nothing was spent from it
- Two counters spending the same card at once are kept apart: the card is locked while it is spent
History and books
- Movements on each card: Sold, Spent, Paid Back to the Card, Card Sale Refunded, Written Off
- Cards sold go to Gift Card Liability, not income; spending takes it out
- Write Off moves what is left on a cancelled or expired card to Unused Gift Cards Income
- The total balance of active cards is what is owed to card holders
Who uses it
CashierSells cards and takes card payments by code.
POS managerCancels lost cards, changes dates and writes off what is left.
POS Administrator and accountsSet up the product, the method and the three accounts.
Where you use it
- Web: Point of Sale > Gift Cards; the gift card method on the payment screen of the selling screen and on back-office orders
- The SmartMy POS app: sell a card and pay with one (built and in testing, not in the app stores yet). A card sold without signal gets its code when the sale is sent; checking a code needs signal
- Not built: printed card designs, cards sold online, cards spent in another store, and messages to the holder
What you control
Settings
- Gift Card Validity (Months): 12 (0: no expiry), per store
- Gift Card Liability and Unused Gift Cards Income: per store, set on a register
Questions
Can a card be used in several sales?
Yes. Each payment takes its amount off the card until nothing is left. It then shows Used Up.What if the customer loses the code?
Find the card under Point of Sale > Gift Cards by its holder or the order that sold it. A POS manager can cancel it.Is a gift card taxed when sold?
No. The gift card product carries no tax, and the sale is booked as money owed, not income.Can a card be used in another branch?
No. A card is spent in the store that sold it.What happens to money left on an expired card?
It stays owed in the books until a POS manager writes it off to Unused Gift Cards Income.Related features
LOYALTY, PROMOTIONS AND DEPOSITSLoyalty points for paying customersEach store runs one points programme. Customers earn whole points on what they buy. They use them as a discount at the counter, in the browser, the app or the back office. Refunds take points back, and every movement is kept in a ledger that cannot be changed.LOYALTY, PROMOTIONS AND DEPOSITSAdvance deposits, used on a sale and paid backTake an advance from a customer at the counter, with a numbered slip. The deposit pays a later sale or a confirmed invoice of the same customer, in one go or in parts. What is left can be paid back, in part or in full, with a reason and a supervisor's approval.LOYALTY, PROMOTIONS AND DEPOSITSPromotions, happy hours and coupon codesSet up an offer once and the counter applies it by itself when the cart fits. It can be a % off, an amount off each unit, buy X get Y free, or another product free or cheaper. Or mix and match, a bundle price or a bill over an amount. Limit it to dates, weekdays, hours, registers, products, customer tags or a coupon code. A branch can have promotions approved through an approval chain first.PAYINGCash, card and UPI paymentsTake cash with change, card and bank or UPI with a typed reference, or any mix of them on one bill. Each payment is kept with its method and reference, and adds to the session's figures per method.STOCK AND ACCOUNTINGOne accounting entry per sessionWhen a session is closed, one balanced journal entry is posted for all its sales that have no invoice. It holds income per account, taxes with their tax report lines and money per payment method. It also holds rounding, cash moves and the cash difference. Your accountant gets one entry per till per shift instead of a pile of slips.
See a day at your counter, start to close.
Tell us what you sell and how many counters you run. We will show you the opening count, a sale without internet, a refund and the closing report.