Gift cards are such a popular and practical solution—they're a step more personal than cash and they make gift-buying easy.
With Lightspeed, you can capitalize on the popularity of gift cards by making it easy for your customers buy and redeem them from your business—both in store and online. Where you decide to sell gift cards and allow customers to redeem them is entirely up to you and depends on two factors:
- Your gift card settings
- If you also have a physical store
You can find your gift cards settings by going to Customers > Gift Cards in either eCom or Retail (if you also have a physical store). By centralizing your gift card settings in this way, you can easily access and adjust them no matter where you are. You can also trust that any changes you make to your gift card settings will be applied both in store and online (if you have both sales channels enabled).
From Customers > Gift Cards, you can do more than configure your gift card settings. For example, you can quickly search for gift cards, filter them by status and get an overview of some key performance indicators (KPIs) around gift cards. This helps you track what's going on with the gift cards you've sold.
Once you select a specific gift card from the list, you can also view its current balance and other helpful details about it (e.g. customer associated with the gift card, history of purchases, etc.).
Want to start selling gift cards?
Get started by configuring your gift card settings.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Can I refund my customer for a gift card they purchased in store or online?
Not right now. However, you can give your customer a discount code if they purchased their gift card online.
If you Lightspeed Retail, you can refund a sale to a customer's gift card. But, like in Lightspeed eCom, you can't refund the purchase of a gift card.
Are Lightspeed gift cards considered to be "single-purpose vouchers" or "multi-purpose vouchers"?
If you sell gift cards in the European Union and United Kingdom, you're either selling "single-purpose vouchers" or "multi-purpose vouchers". It's important to know the difference as both types of vouchers need to be taxed differently.
A gift card is considered to be a single-purpose voucher when, at the time of purchase, it's clear that the gift card will be spent on products that belong to one tax rate. In this case, taxes should be applied when the gift card is purchased—not when it's redeemed.
A gift card is considered to be a multi-purpose voucher when, at the time of purchase, it's not clear that the gift card will be spent on products that belong to one tax rate. This is the case if you sell products that belong to multiple tax rates. In this case, taxes should be applied when the gift card is redeemed—not when it's purchased.
Right now, Lightspeed gift cards are considered to be multi-purpose vouchers. They're taxed when they're redeemed—not when they're purchased. Therefore, Lightspeed doesn't support single-purpose vouchers. If the gift cards you sell should be taxed like a single-purpose voucher, we recommend exporting the gift cards you've sold to calculate the taxes you need to submit to the tax authorities.
Can my customers redeem their gift cards both in store and online?
Yes—that's the best part about Lightspeed gift cards. If you also have Lightspeed Retail, you just need to enable the Point of sale switch when you configure your gift card settings. This will allow your customers to buy and redeem gift cards in both your online and physical store.
What are the barcode requirements if I sell physical gift cards?
Your gift card barcodes must be between 8-32 digits long. We also recommend using randomized numbers for each barcode. Sequential numbers (10001, 10002, for example) are easy to guess and can lead to fraudulent transactions. Randomized numbers also help prevent duplicate barcodes, which make your gift cards unusable.
Is it possible to set gift cards to a fixed amount?
No, not right now. However, you can configure common amounts in your gift card settings. This way, they're fast and easy to select during checkout.
Can I see the full gift card code of a customer's gift card?
No, for security reasons. However, you can resend a gift card to a customer.
Can I customize the text in the gift card email that Lightspeed sends to recipients?
No, not right now. However, if you sell gift cards online, a customer can choose which image to include in the gift card email that Lightspeed sends to the recipient. The image options that your customers can choose from are based on your gift card settings.
Which delivery method will customers see if they buy a gift card in my online store?
A free Delivered by email method will display, if your customer is only buying a gift card.
Can I sell a gift card via a quote with Lightspeed eCom?
No, a gift card can't be added to a quote because it's not considered a product in Lightspeed eCom.