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Sell and send gift cards

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Who is this article for?
Account owners or team members with the items permission to sell and send physical and eGift cards. Set permissions in the Square Dashboard.

About selling and sending gift cards

Many customers still prefer physical gift cards because they are tangible and can be easily carried or gifted. They are convenient for in-store purchases and can be a traditional option for gifts.

eGift cards offer instant delivery via email or text, making them a convenient last-minute gift option. They can be personalized with messages and are accessible anywhere with an internet connection.

Before you begin

  • You can sell eGift cards and physical gift cards from your point of sale app on all devices and from Square Dashboard. Make sure to update your app to get the latest functionality.

  • Only plastic gift cards ordered through eCard Systems can be loaded, sold or accepted from your point of sale app or Square Online.

  • eGift cards will not work with custom domains, nor will they with any eCommerce partners or API integrations.

There are a few limitations when selling gift cards:

  • The maximum value for a single gift card is $2,000.

  • You cannot issue more than $10,000 in gift cards to any single person in any one day.

Sell an eGift card

  1. Open your point of sale app.

  2. From the checkout screen, tap Library > Gift Cards > Sell an eGift Card.

  3. Ask your customer to pick a design, select an eGift card amount, and enter the recipient's email address.

  4. Tap Charge to complete the sale.

A gift card is activated once the sale is complete and does not expire.

The ability to automatically send eGift Cards to recipients via text message is not yet available from your point of sale app. To send eGift Cards via text message, share your unique online ordering page with the buyer.

From Square for Restaurants

From the Square POS app with full service, quick service, or bar mode, or from the Square Restaurants POS app:

  1. Open your point of sale app.
  2. From the New Sale screen, tap Actions > Gift Cards > Sell eGift Card.
  3. Ask your customer to pick a design, select an eGift card amount, and enter their email address.
    • On Square Stand, you’ll need to rotate your screen to face your customer.
    • On Square Register, your customer will use the customer display.
  4. Tap Return to Sale once you see the confirmation that the eGift Card was added add to the cart.
  5. Tap Pay to complete the transaction immediately, or tap Send/Save to add to a check.

A gift card is activated once the sale is complete.

From Square for Retail

From the Square POS app with retail mode enabled or from the Square Retail POS app:

  1. Open your point of sale app.
  2. Tap Checkout > Shortcuts > Add gift cards/Gift Card > Sell eGift Card.
  3. Ask your customer to pick a design, select an eGift card amount, and enter their email address.
    • On Square Stand, you’ll need to rotate your screen to face your customer.
    • On Square Register, your customer will use the customer display.
  4. Tap Return to Sale once you see the confirmation that the eGift Card was added add to the cart.
  5. Tap Charge to complete the sale.

A gift card is activated once the sale is complete.

Sell a physical gift card

Be sure to Set up and order gift cards prior to completing the following steps:

  1. Open your point of sale app.

  2. From the checkout screen, tap Library > Gift Cards > Sell a plastic gift card or scan the gift card barcode with a barcode scanner.

  3. Swipe the gift card, take a photo of the gift card QR code with your device's camera, or manually enter the 16-digit gift card number.

  4. Select a default load value or enter a custom load amount if you enabled that option.

  5. If you swipe the gift card or scan the gift card QR code or barcode, the amount will automatically load. If you manually enter the gift card number, tap Load.

  6. To add additional items to the sale, tap the arrow to return to your item library or tap the keypad icon.

  7. Tap Charge to complete the sale.

A gift card is activated once the sale is complete and does not expire.

Loading and redeeming gift card balances via QR codes or barcode scanners is only available on iOS devices at this time.

From Square for Restaurants

From the Square POS app with full service, quick service, or bar mode enabled or from the Square Restaurants POS app:

  1. Open point of sale app.
  2. From the New Sale screen, tap Actions > Gift cards > Sell physical gift card. You can also scan the gift card barcode with a barcode scanner.
  3. Swipe the gift card, take a photo of the gift card QR code with your device’s camera, or manually enter the 16-digit gift card number.
  4. Select a default load value or enter a custom load amount if you turned on that option.
  5. If you swipe the gift card or scan the gift card QR code or barcode, the amount will automatically load. If you manually enter the gift card number, tap Load.
  6. To add additional items to the sale, tap the arrow to return to your item library or tap the keypad icon.
  7. Tap Pay to complete the sale.

Loading and redeeming gift card balances via QR codes or barcode scanners is only available on iOS devices at this time.

A gift card is activated once the sale is complete.

From Square for Retail

From the Square POS app with retail mode enabled or from the Square Retail POS app:

  1. Open your point of sale app.
  2. Tap Checkout > Shortcuts > Add gift cards/Gift card > Sell physical gift card. You can also scan the gift card barcode with a barcode scanner.
  3. Swipe the gift card, take a photo of the gift card QR code with your device’s camera, or manually enter the 16-digit gift card number.
  4. Select a default load value or enter a custom load amount if you turned on that option.
  5. If you swipe the gift card or scan the gift card QR code or barcode, the amount will automatically load. If you manually enter the gift card number, tap Load.
  6. To add additional items to the sale, tap the arrow to return to your item library or tap the keypad icon.
  7. Tap Charge to complete the sale.

Loading and redeeming gift card balances via QR codes or barcode scanners is only available on iOS devices at this time.

A gift card is activated once the sale is complete.

Resend an eGift card

Square Dashboard

  1. Sign in to Square Dashboard and go to Items & services (or Items & menus or Items & inventory) > Gift cards.
  2. From the Overview screen, search for the eGift card sale by entering the gift card number or selecting a timeframe from the date range selector.
  3. Select the transaction and click Resend.
  4. Enter the recipient’s email address or phone number and click Resend.

Square POS app

  1. Tap More > Reports.
  2. Tap Gift Cards.
  3. Select the eGift card, then Resend eGift card.

Set gift card default amounts

eGift card

  1. Sign in to Square Dashboard and go to Items & services (or Items & menus or Items & inventory) > Gift cards > eGift cards > Configure.
  2. Select Settings.
  3. Under eGift Card Amounts, enter your preferred default values.
  4. Click Save.

Physical gift card

  1. Sign in to Square Dashboard and go to Items & services (or Items & menus or Items & inventory) > Gift cards.
  2. Select Settings.
  3. Under Plastic Gift Card Amounts, enter your preferred default values.
  4. Click Save.

Sell gift cards on your Square Online site

Step 1: Enable eGift Cards for online selling

  1. Sign in to Square Dashboard and go to Items & services (or Items & menus or Items & inventory) > Gift cards > eGift cards > Configure.
  2. Toggle on Sell eGift Cards Online.
  3. Click Save.

Step 2: Add your eGift Cards webpage to your Square Online site

There are two ways to add your eGift Cards webpage to your site.

From the Square Online Overview page:

  1. Sign in to Square Dashboard and go to Online.
  2. Click Items > Gift Cards or Shared Settings > Gift Cards.
  3. Check the Add eGift Card link to site navigation option.

From the Square Online site editor:

  1. Sign in to Square Dashboard and go to Online.
  2. Click Edit site.
  3. Click +Add > Page > Gift cards to add your eGift Cards page to your site.

Switch off your eGift card site when not in use

  1. Sign in to Square Dashboard and go to Items & services (or Items & menus or Items & inventory) > Gift cards.

  2. Click eGift Cards > Configure.

  3. Toggle off Sell eGift Cards Online.

  4. Click Save.

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