Redeeming gift cards at checkout

Customers pay with a gift card at checkout, in the same way on the classic shortcode checkout and the block-based Cart and Checkout. They don't need an account.

How the customer applies a card

1. On the cart or checkout page, find Have a gift card?
2. Enter the code in Gift card code and click Apply card. The amount available on the card appears.
3. To use more than one card, apply each one in turn. Remove takes a card off the order.
4. The panel shows Gift funds to apply and any Remaining payment. This is an estimate for the current total, including tax and shipping. The final split is checked again when the order is placed.
5. Place the order.

Signed-in customers who saved a card to their account see a Use saved … button instead of typing the code. See Saved cards and expiry.

How gift funds are applied

• Gift funds pay toward the final order total, after discounts and including tax, shipping and fees. They aren't a coupon. Products, taxes and shipping stay on the order as normal.
• A card can be spent in part. Whatever is left stays on the card for next time.
• When several cards are applied, each is used in turn until the order is covered.
• The card is only charged once the order is confirmed. Until then, the funds are held for that order so they can't be spent twice.

On the order, both you and the customer see the split. The customer sees Paid with gift cards and External payment in the order totals. In admin, the order shows a Gift-card payment box with Gross order, Gift funds and External remainder.

When the cards don't cover the whole order

This is called split tender: part of the order is paid by gift card and the rest by another method. In version 1, only these methods can pay the rest:

No other gateway can pay a remainder: PayPal, cash on delivery, cheque, or any other plugin. With those methods, a customer can still use gift cards that cover the whole order. If a remainder is due and none of the methods above is available, checkout shows: "A remaining payment is due… Your gift funds have not been debited."

Stripe and WooPayments remainders

• The main order keeps its full amount, with all its tax and shipping lines. The remainder is paid on a linked payment order, so your sales reports don't count the sale twice.
• Gift funds are held for 30 minutes while the customer pays. If the payment is declined or authentication fails, nothing is charged to the card, and the customer can try again within that time.
• If the hold expires or the order total changes, the old payment link stops working. The customer sees a message asking them to contact the store. Gift funds go back to the card.
• Webhooks: the plugin checks the actual captured amount and currency with the gateway before it charges the gift card. Keep your gateway's webhooks working as its own documentation describes.

Bank-transfer remainder

1. Go to Artbees → Gift Cards → General → Payment remainder.
2. Tick Allow a bank-transfer remainder and fill in Bank-transfer instructions.
3. Save.

The customer is asked to transfer exactly the remaining amount and quote the order number. Their gift funds stay held for up to 48 hours. Once the money arrives, change the order to Processing or Completed. That confirms the remainder and charges the gift card. If the hold expires first, the funds are released back to the card.

What can block redemption

• The cart contains a new gift card product. Gift cards can't buy gift cards, even in a mixed cart. The customer can buy the gift card in a separate order.
• The card has no available funds: it's spent, suspended, expired or not active yet.
• Too many attempts. Code checks are rate-limited to slow down guessing.
• The store currency changed since the card was issued. Cards work in the currency they were issued in.

Applying a card to an order you create

For phone or in-store orders that you create in WooCommerce:

1. Create the order and leave it unpaid.
2. Open the card in WooCommerce → Gift Cards.
3. Under Apply to a staff-created order, enter the Unpaid order number, the amount and a reason, then click Preview and reserve.
4. Check the before and after amounts and confirm.

This uses the same checks as checkout. If the card covers the whole order, the order completes. If something remains to be paid, confirm that payment before the order is completed, for example by moving the order to Processing or Completed once the money has arrived.

Related

• The balance-check shortcode
• Refunds