Home>Customer engagement

Accept gift cards

Who is this article for?
Sellers with the items permission to accept gift cards. Set permissions in the Square Dashboard.

About accepting gift cards

Accepting gift cards enhances the customer experience by offering a convenient payment option. You can accept physical and eGift cards for in-person, over the phone, and online transactions. Customer eGift cards can be easily redeemed for in-store purchases, on Square Online, or with select Square partners.

Before you begin

  • To use your gift cards, make sure you're using the most recent version of the Square POS app on a compatible device.

  • eGift cards are redeemable at all of your locations. All eGift card sales will be processed by the selected reporting location.

  • After a sale, any remaining physical gift card balance will display on the receipt screen and on your customer's receipt.

  • If there are insufficient funds on the physical gift card, you can Process split payments to complete the sale or cancel the payment, and accept a different method of payment entirely.

Here are some limitations:

  • eGift cards cannot be redeemed from third-party eCommerce integrations.

  • Redeeming physical gift card balances via QR code or a barcode scanner is only available on iOS devices at this time.

Accept physical gift cards

  1. From your Square app, go to Checkout, then add the items your customer wishes to purchase from your library or enter a custom amount.

  2. Tap Charge > Swipe the gift card through your magstripe reader or the front of Square Stand, take a photo of the gift card QR code or barcode with your device's camera, or scan the gift card barcode with a barcode scanner.

Alternatively, if the customer has an eGift Card, utilize one of the methods below to complete the transaction.

Accept eGift cards

Charge eGift card with 16-digit code

  1. Add items to your cart or enter a custom amount.

  2. Tap Review sale and add a customer, if needed.

  3. Tap Charge > Gift Card.

  4. Enter the 16-digit code and tap Charge.

Charge eGift card on file

If you have linked a customer's eGift card to their Customer Directory profile, you can quickly look it up and charge it at the point of sale and from Square Invoices.

  1. Add items to your cart or enter a custom amount.

  2. Tap Review sale and add a customer, if needed.

  3. Tap Charge > Card on File.

  4. Select a customer with a gift card on file or search by email or phone number.

  5. Tap Charge.

Charge eGift card with QR or barcode

  1. Add items to your cart or enter a custom amount.

  2. Tap Review sale and add a customer, if needed.

  3. Tap Charge > Gift Card.

  4. Use your device's front-facing camera to scan the QR code or barcode from your customer's original eGift card email and link in the text. You can also use a compatible and connected barcode scanner.

  5. Tap Charge.

Update recipient email

You can edit the recipient email address of a scheduled eGift card before it delivers. Updating the email of a scheduled eGift card will not change the scheduled delivery date.

  1. Sign in to Square Dashboard, then click Payments > Gift Cards.

  2. From the Overview screen, search for the sale of the eGift card by entering the gift card number in the search bar or by selecting a timeframe from the date range selector.

  3. Select the transaction and click Update Email.

  4. Enter the recipient's email address and click Update Email.

You will see a notification banner at the top of your screen confirming the eGift card email address was updated successfully.

Related articles