Creating free gift cards

You can create a free gift card with a set value to an existing customer as an incentive, promotion, store credit, or reward.

Create a gift card

When you create a free gift card, you generate a gift card code, and then email it to a customer without receiving any payment in return. You decide how much the gift card is worth, and the customer who receives it can use its value toward other products in your store.

After you send a gift card, the full gift card code is visible only to the customer because gift cards are considered currency. If you need to know the gift card code, then record it when you create the card. You can only view the last four digits of the gift card code later.

Steps:

  1. From your Shopify admin, go to Products > Gift cards.

  2. Click Create gift card.

  3. In the Initial value field, enter the value of the card.

  4. In the Customer field, enter a customer's name, phone number, or email address to create or search for a customer. The customer must have either an email address or phone number in order to be sent the gift card code by email or SMS. If the customer provides both, then the gift card will be sent by email.

  5. Optional: If you want the gift card to expire, then in the Expiration date section, select Set expiration date, and then select a date. Learn more about gift card expiration and settings, and ensure that you follow the laws for your country about gift cards.

  6. Optional: Enter an Internal note for your reference. The note is visible when viewing the gift card in your Shopify admin, but isn't visible to the customer.

  7. Optional: Click Preview email to preview how the gift card email displays to your customer.

  8. Click Save.

  9. Click Send gift card.

  10. Do either of the following:

    • If an email address is provided for the customer, then click Send email.
    • If only a phone number is provided for the customer, then click Send SMS.

View created gift card information

You can view the details for your created gift cards in Shopify.

Steps:

  1. From your Shopify admin, go to Products > Gift cards.

  2. Click the code for the created gift card. You'll be able to review only the last four characters of the code.

  3. On the created gift card's page, you can view its details:

    • the balance on the gift card
    • the date it was created
    • the expiration date
    • the customer it was issued to
    • notes you added to the gift card
    • its history

Add customer to a gift card

If no customer information was added to a previously created gift card, then you can add customer information and send the gift card.

Steps:

  1. From your Shopify admin, go to Products > Gift cards.

  2. Click the code for the created gift card. You'll be able to view only the last four characters of the code.

  3. On the created gift card's page in the Customer field, enter a customer's name, phone number, or email address to search for or create a customer.

  4. Click Save.

  5. Click Send gift card.

  6. Optional: Edit the email that your customer will receive with their gift card.

  7. Click Send email.

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