Gift Card Issuance and Setup

AccuArk's gift card system lets you issue, sell, and manage gift cards and store credits from a single interface. Gift cards can be physical cards sold in-store, digital codes sent electronically, or store credits issued as part of a refund. This guide covers everything you need to know about creating and configuring gift cards.

Creating a New Gift Card

To create a gift card, navigate to Marketing > Gift Cards > New. The gift card creation form walks you through all the configuration options described in the sections below.

Card Types

AccuArk supports three types of gift cards, each designed for a different use case:

Physical Gift Cards

Physical gift cards are printed cards with a code, intended to be sold in-store at the register. They are the traditional gift card experience:

• The card number is printed on the card (and optionally encoded in a barcode or magnetic stripe).
• Customers purchase the card at the POS and give it to someone as a gift.
• The recipient brings the physical card to any valid location and presents it as payment.
• Physical cards are ideal for retail environments where customers want a tangible product to give as a gift.

Digital Gift Cards

Digital gift cards are electronic codes that exist only in the system. They do not require a physical card:

• The card number (code) is sent to the recipient via email or displayed on screen at the time of purchase.
• The recipient can use the code at the POS by typing it in or presenting it on their phone for scanning.
• Digital cards are ideal for online promotions, email campaigns, or situations where the customer is not physically present to pick up a card.
• They eliminate the cost of printing and stocking physical card inventory.

Store Credit

Store credit cards are issued as part of a refund workflow rather than purchased directly:

• When a customer returns an item and the refund is issued as store credit, AccuArk automatically creates a new gift card with the refund amount loaded as the balance.
• Store credit cards function identically to regular gift cards at the Point of Sale — the cashier enters the code and it is accepted as a payment method.
• The store credit type is a tag that distinguishes refund-issued cards from purchased gift cards in reports, making it easy to track the source of each card.

Setting the Initial Balance

Every gift card requires an initial dollar amount loaded onto it at creation time. This is the balance available for the recipient to spend:

• Enter the dollar amount in the Initial Balance field (e.g., 25.00, 50.00, 100.00).
• The initial balance must be greater than zero.
• There is no system-imposed maximum for the initial balance on a new card, but your business may enforce its own policies on maximum gift card values.
• For store credit cards created through the refund process, the initial balance is automatically set to the refund amount.

Expiration Date

Gift cards can optionally have an expiration date after which they cannot be used for purchases:

• To set an expiration, enable the Has Expiration toggle and select a date.
• After the expiration date, the card will be rejected at the POS with a message indicating the card has expired.
• If no expiration date is set, the card remains valid indefinitely (or until its balance reaches zero or it is manually deactivated).
• Be aware of local regulations regarding gift card expiration. Some jurisdictions prohibit or restrict expiration dates on gift cards and store credits. AccuArk provides the feature but compliance with local law is the responsibility of the business owner.

PIN Protection

For added security, gift cards can be protected with a PIN:

• Enable the Require PIN toggle on the gift card creation form.
• Enter a numeric PIN (typically 4 to 6 digits) that the cardholder must provide when redeeming the card.
• When a PIN-protected card is used at the POS, the system prompts the cashier (or the customer on a customer-facing display) to enter the PIN before the payment is processed.
• If the entered PIN does not match, the transaction is rejected with a message indicating an incorrect PIN.
• PIN protection is optional. If no PIN is set, the card can be redeemed by anyone who has the card number.
• PINs are especially recommended for high-value gift cards and digital cards where the code might be intercepted or shared.

Card Number

Every gift card has a unique card number that serves as its identifier across the system. You have two options for assigning the number:

• Custom number — Enter your own card number. This is useful if you have pre-printed physical cards with numbers already assigned. Custom numbers must be unique across all gift cards in the system.
• Auto-generate — Click the Generate button and AccuArk will create a unique card number using secure random generation. Auto-generated numbers are alphanumeric, designed to be easy to read and type, and guaranteed to be unique. This is the recommended option for digital cards and store credits where you do not have pre-printed card stock.

Location Restrictions

By default, a gift card is valid at all locations in your business. To restrict a gift card to specific locations:

1. Enable the Restrict to locations toggle on the creation form.
2. Select one or more locations from the list.

When location restrictions are active, the gift card can only be redeemed at the selected locations. Attempts to use it at other locations will be rejected with a message indicating the card is not valid at the current location.

Location restrictions are useful for franchise operations or businesses where gift cards from one branch should not be redeemable at another.

Activation

Gift cards in AccuArk are active immediately upon creation. There is no separate activation step required:

• As soon as you save a new gift card, it is ready to be used at any valid POS terminal.
• For physical cards, this means the card is live the moment you create it in the system — even before the customer purchases it. The purchase transaction at the POS records the sale of the gift card as a line item, but the card itself is already active.
• If you want to create cards in advance but prevent them from being used, you can deactivate them after creation and reactivate them when they are sold.

Selling Gift Cards at the POS

Gift cards can be sold as regular items at the Point of Sale:

• Gift cards appear in the POS item catalog like any other product.
• The cashier adds the gift card to the sale, and the customer pays for it using any standard payment method (cash, credit card, etc.).
• The sale amount matches the gift card's loaded balance — a $50 gift card is sold for $50.
• After the sale is completed, the gift card is fully funded and ready for the recipient to use.
• The gift card sale appears in sales reports as a regular transaction, and the card itself is tracked separately in the gift card management system.

What to Read Next

• Gift Card Reload and Balance Management — Learn how to add funds, check balances, view transaction history, and deactivate or adjust gift cards.
• Gift Card and Store Credit at the POS — Step-by-step guide for cashiers on accepting gift cards and store credits as payment.