Gift Card Reload and Balance Management

After a gift card has been issued, AccuArk provides a full set of management tools for reloading funds, checking balances, reviewing transaction history, and controlling card status. This guide covers every balance management operation available from the Gift Card management screen.

Reloading an Existing Card

Customers may want to add more funds to a gift card they already own. To reload a card:

1. Navigate to Marketing > Gift Cards and locate the card by searching for its card number.
2. Open the card detail view.
3. Click Reload to open the reload form.
4. Enter the dollar amount to add to the card.
5. Confirm the reload.

The reload amount is added to the card's existing balance immediately. A reload transaction record is created in the card's transaction history with the date, time, amount, and the user who performed the reload.

Reloads can also be performed at the POS if the gift card reload feature is accessible from the payment screen, allowing cashiers to add funds during a regular transaction.

Maximum Balance Limit

To prevent excessive loading (whether accidental or intentional), AccuArk enforces a configurable maximum card balance:

• The default maximum balance is $1,000. This means the total balance on a single gift card cannot exceed $1,000 at any point in time.
• If a reload would push the card's balance above the maximum, the reload is rejected with a message indicating the maximum balance limit and the current balance.
• The maximum balance limit is a system-wide setting that applies to all gift cards. Administrators can adjust this value under the gift card configuration settings.
• The limit applies to both manual reloads and any automatic balance additions (such as store credit issuance). If a refund amount would exceed the maximum balance on an existing store credit card, the system will flag the issue.

Viewing Transaction History

Every gift card maintains a complete transaction history that records every financial event on the card:

• Initial load — The original balance loaded when the card was created, showing the amount and creation date.
• Reloads — Each time funds are added to the card, with the reload amount, date, time, and user who performed it.
• Redemptions — Each time the card is used as payment at the POS, showing the amount deducted, the invoice number, the location, the date and time, and the cashier.
• Balance adjustments — Any manual adjustments made by an administrator, including the adjustment amount, reason, date, and the administrator who made the change.

To view the transaction history, open the card detail view and select the Transactions tab. Transactions are listed in reverse chronological order (most recent first). Each entry shows the transaction type, amount (positive for loads, negative for redemptions), running balance after the transaction, and relevant metadata.

The transaction history provides a complete audit trail for every dollar that flows into or out of the gift card.

Checking Balance

You can look up any gift card's current balance without opening its full detail view:

• Navigate to Marketing > Gift Cards.
• Enter the card number in the search field.
• The search results display the card number, current balance, status (active/inactive), and card type.

This quick lookup is useful for customer inquiries when a cardholder wants to know their remaining balance. Cashiers can also check a card's balance from the POS payment screen by entering the card number without completing a transaction.

Deactivating a Card

To prevent a gift card from being used without destroying its balance or history:

1. Open the card detail view.
2. Click Deactivate.
3. Confirm the deactivation.

A deactivated card:

• Cannot be used as a payment method at the POS. If a cashier attempts to enter the card number, the system will reject it with a message indicating the card is inactive.
• Retains its full balance. The funds are not removed or forfeited — they are simply frozen.
• Retains its complete transaction history for auditing purposes.
• Can be reactivated at any time (see below).

Deactivation is useful for suspected fraud, lost cards reported by customers, or temporary holds requested by management.

Reactivating a Card

To restore an inactive card to active status:

1. Open the card detail view (inactive cards are still searchable and visible in the management list).
2. Click Reactivate.
3. Confirm the reactivation.

Once reactivated, the card is immediately available for use at the POS. The full balance that was frozen during deactivation becomes spendable again. A record of the deactivation and reactivation events is logged in the card's transaction history for audit purposes.

Balance Adjustments

Administrators can manually adjust a gift card's balance when corrections are needed. Balance adjustments are separate from reloads and are intended for administrative corrections rather than customer-initiated top-ups.

To perform a balance adjustment:

1. Open the card detail view.
2. Click Adjust Balance.
3. Enter the adjustment amount. Positive values increase the balance; negative values decrease it.
4. Enter a reason for the adjustment in the required reason field.
5. Confirm the adjustment.

Every balance adjustment creates a full audit trail entry that records:

• The adjustment amount (positive or negative)
• The balance before and after the adjustment
• The reason provided by the administrator
• The date and time of the adjustment
• The administrator's user account

Balance adjustments are restricted to users with the appropriate administrative permissions. Regular cashiers and managers without the gift card adjustment permission cannot perform this operation.

Common reasons for balance adjustments include correcting a processing error, honoring a customer complaint, or reconciling a discrepancy found during auditing.

Best Practices

• Review the maximum balance limit — Make sure the default $1,000 limit is appropriate for your business. High-end retailers or B2B operations may need a higher limit, while small shops may want a lower one.
• Audit adjustments regularly — Since balance adjustments bypass the normal load/redeem workflow, review adjustment logs periodically to ensure they are legitimate and properly documented.
• Deactivate lost cards promptly — When a customer reports a lost or stolen card, deactivate it immediately to protect the remaining balance. Issue a replacement card with the same balance once the customer's identity is confirmed.
• Use transaction history for disputes — If a customer disputes a balance, the transaction history provides a complete record of every load and redemption, making it easy to resolve disagreements.