In this article, you will find everything you need to know about paying with a gift card: what it is, where it applies, and how it works for you and your guests.
Summary
- What is Pay with Gift Card and why use it?
- Where it applies and how to manage gift cards
- Troubleshooting & FAQs
- Support & Related Articles
💡What you need to know
Gift cards are now a payment method. When a guest books a service that requires a prepayment or a deposit, the value of their gift cards is deducted from the amount due instead of being added on top of it. A guest can combine several cards, and only the amount actually needed is used. Nothing changes in how you sell gift cards or how you receive your payouts.
1. What is Pay with Gift Card and why use it?
Your guests can settle a reservation with the gift cards they already hold, without paying twice.
Until now, a guest holding one of your gift cards still had to pay the full prepayment or deposit when booking, and use the card later at the restaurant. Guests whose value was spread across several cards had to call you or split their booking. Both problems are gone: gift card value is applied directly at the moment of booking (Pay with Gift Card), and up to 10 cards can be combined on the same reservation (Multiple Gift Cards).
Each code is validated on its own, and the booking summary lists every card applied with its value.
Three situations can occur:
- The cards cover the full amount — the payment step is skipped entirely and no card details are requested
- The cards cover part of the amount — the remaining balance is paid by card as usual
- The cards are worth more than the reservation — only what the reservation needs is used. Cards are consumed in the order they were added, so the last card added keeps the leftover balance for a future booking.
Your guests see the breakdown before confirming: the subtotal, each gift card applied, the amount still due, and the final total. The booking confirmation email itemizes every card used and the amount charged by card, if any.
In your back office, every gift card applied to a reservation appears as its own entry with its code and value.
2. Where it applies and how to manage gift cards
There is nothing to set up. The feature is active by default for every restaurant using gift cards.
It applies to services that require a prepayment or a deposit, both when a guest books through your booking page and when your team creates a reservation from the back office.
To review a gift card and its remaining balance, go to Pay > Shop > Gift Cards. Click the line of the gift card you want to open.
To extend a gift card’s validity, open it from that same list and click Extend validity, then enter the new dates you agreed with your guest.
3. Troubleshooting & FAQs
Common Issues
- The gift card field does not appear when booking — the field is displayed per service. Check that it is enabled on the service concerned.
- Less was deducted than the cards are worth — this is expected. Only the amount the reservation needs is used, and the last card added keeps the balance for a future booking.
- “This gift card has already been used” — the code was redeemed on an earlier booking. Any other cards the guest applied stay valid.
- “This gift card code doesn’t exist. Check the code and try again.” — the code was mistyped or belongs to another restaurant.
- “This gift card has expired.” — check the validity date in Pay > Shop > Gift Cards. You can extend it from that screen.
- “You’ve already applied this code.” — the same card was entered twice on the same reservation. Each card counts once.
- “We couldn’t validate this gift card right now. Please try again.” — a temporary validation problem. The guest can retry, and the booking is not blocked.
- A further gift card cannot be added — up to 10 gift cards can be used on one reservation.
FAQ
- How many gift cards can my guest combine? — Up to 10 on the same reservation.
- My guest cancels their reservation. What happens to the gift cards? — The gift cards become valid again and the amounts used are available for another booking.
- My guest did not show up. Are the gift cards lost? — The amounts are considered consumed, in the same way as a prepayment or deposit paid by card.
- A gift card expires before the date of the meal. What can I do? — Open it in Pay > Shop > Gift Cards and click Extend validity to set a new date agreed with your guest.
- Does my guest still need to enter card details if the gift cards cover everything? — No. The payment step disappears and no card is charged.
- Where do I see how a reservation was paid? — Each gift card used and the amount paid by card appear on the reservation’s invoice.
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