Sections: General Setup, Legacy, EMV-Shift4
STORIS supports gift card/certificate processing. You can use a hard-copy certificate system where you manually enter certificate numbers into the system, or you can use card-swiping or barcode scanning technology to automate your gift certificate processing by using gift cards. Card-swiping and barcode scanning are faster and more accurate ways to enter card numbers. This topic covers both Legacy and EMV-Shift4 gift card processing.
Important
If you are processing credit cards via EMV Tender Retail, you cannot swipe
gift cards. With the current Tender Retail processing in STORIS, gift
card numbers need to be either entered manually or scanned via bar code
scanners.
If you are processing with
EMV Shift4, you can swipe gift cards, provided your gift cards meet the
necessary requirements. (See the Shift4
section below.) Currently
there is no integration between Shift4 and STORIS when processing gift
cards.
Generally speaking, the term "gift certificate" is synonymous
with "gift card". The only difference is the card-swiping capability
of gift cards. In this documentation, the terms are interchangeable except
where card-swiping is involved, in which case the documentation refers
exclusively to "gift cards".
To set up your system for gift certificate processing, use the Gift Certificate tab on the Accounts Receivable Control Settings.
To set up a validation record for gift certificates, use the Credit Card Validation Settings. This step is for Legacy only, not Shift4.
To create one or more types of gift certificates, use the Gift Certificate Payment Settings. You can also use this routine to assign a gift certificate payment type to a specific GL account. This account overrides the GL account specified in the GL Control Settings.
To specify GL accounts for gift certificates, use the Accounts Receivable tab in the General Ledger Control Settings.
To apply user restrictions to gift certificate entry, use the User/User Group Receivables Security settings.
To issue and/or add funds to gift certificates, use the Gift Certificate tab in the Enter a Customer Payment/Refund/Gift Certificate routine.
To convert customer reward points into gift certificates, use the Issue Customer Rewards routine. Note: This is not applicable for Shift4 gift card swiping; however, reward points can still be accumulated if the gift card is entered manually.
To view purchased and/or redeemed gift certificates, use the View a Gift Certificate inquiry.
After you set up your system for Gift Card Processing, your next step is to choose the method of entering gift card numbers. STORIS uses gift card numbers to track gift card activity within the system. STORIS provides four ways to enter gift card numbers:
manually from a keyboard or keypad,
automatically assigning the next sequential number, established at the Next Number field in the Accounts Receivable Control Settings,
automatically via a card-swiping device (unless processing EMV Tender Retail – see note above),
automatically via a barcode scanning device.
If you have pre-purchased gift cards with bar codes, you can use a point-of-sale scanner to scan the gift card number into the system. The bar codes must be in the "3 of 9" format. Note that the card's number prefix must match the number entered at the Card Number Prefix field in the Accounts Receivable Control Settings.
To use the Gift Card Barcode Scanning feature, you must set up your system to use the Point of Sale Processing feature, in which you attach barcode scanners to your point-of-sale machines. Then, whenever a customer wants to purchase or redeem a gift card, the operator can scan the barcode on the card to display its information on the screen, including customer, card number, and value.
In order to use the Gift Card Barcode Scanning feature, you must leave the following fields empty in the Accounts Receivable Control Settings:
Next Number field
Require Swipe for Purchases field
Prefix for Gift Certificates field
If not using Signature Capture, you can still use a 'wedge' device to assign a number to a new gift card by swiping the card through the device when accessing the Gift Certificate Number Entry Window. Note that because Signature Capture is not active, the Swipe button is not active in that window, but if you have a wedge device properly connected to your system, you can swipe a new gift card to automatically assign the number.
Important:
The Wedge Device listed on our approved hardware list is NOT
PCI compliant. STORIS recommends that you use bar code scanning,
card-swiping, or other PCI compliant devices for gift card processing.
When you purchase blank gift cards, the cards include an assigned card number. The magnetic stripe on the gift card must contain the gift card number of up to 16 numeric characters, in track 1.
The card swipe device needs to be programmed with a prefix of @@%B (or @@%b) and a suffix of @@.
You must provide a numeric prefix for gift card swiping at the Card Number Prefix fields on the Gift Cards and Certificates tab of Accounts Receivable Control Settings. The card number on each gift card that you swipe must begin with this prefix.
Sample Format: @@%b1000016?@@
o The prefix @@%B or @@%b identifies the data as a swipe.
o The subsequent characters are used as the gift card number (1000016 in this example).
o The card reader identifies the end of the swipe by the @@.
The barcode must be generated in “3 of 9” format and contain the gift card number, numeric only.
A PIN is not applicable to STORIS.
The Card Swipe button is active in View a Gift Certificate and Enter a Customer Payment/Refund/Gift Certificate. A Terminal ID must be assigned when swiping a gift card. Use the Payment Terminal field to select a Terminal ID.
To use the card swiping feature, you must set up your system to use the Signature Capture feature, in which you attach signature capturing, card-swiping devices to your point-of-sale machines. Then, whenever a customer wants to purchase or redeem a gift card, your operators can swipe the card to display its information on the screen, including customer, card number, and value.
To swipe a gift card, click on the Card Swipe button on the pop-up entry window, wait for the OK message to appear on the STORIS screen, then swipe the card. If the swipe is successful, the card number appears on the STORIS screen and you can perform transactions on the card.
There are some cases where a merchant has some stores using the STORIS legacy credit card platform and some stores using the Shift4 platform. As with any Shift4 implementation, it is not possible to have both Legacy and Shift4 devices at the same store.
Due to PCI compliance, the number range of gift cards issued is important. If gift card numbers mimic credit/debit card numbers, the gift card swipe is rejected. The payment terminals come pre-configured with this information, but the basic patterns that the payment terminal looks for in determining a credit/debit card are:
Is the card number between 13 and 19 digits?
Do the first 6 digits of the card match a registered IIN (Issuer Identification Number)?
If both conditions are true, the gift card is rejected as a possible credit/debit card. Card numbers with a total character count of less than 13 or more than 19 are acceptable. Please contact Shift4 for further details.
The PIN pad manufacturer may provide a signed configuration file that
identities BIN ranges not processed by Shift4, such as specialty private
label and gift cards. Card swipes from the identified BIN ranges are returned
un-encrypted including the CardNumber, ExpirationDate, TrackInformation,
and CVV2Code (if entered) fields. As a fail-safe measure, the UTG has
logic that returns an error if the PIN pad attempts to pass data that
falls within a card brand BIN range un-encrypted.
The Card Swipe button can be activated in View a Gift Certificate and Enter a Customer Payment/Refund/Gift Certificate. A Terminal ID must be assigned when swiping a gift card. Use the Payment Terminal field to select a Terminal ID.
To swipe a gift card, indicate the Gift Card payment type on the payment summary screen, and then click on the Card Swipe button on the pop-up entry window. Wait for the OK message to appear on the STORIS screen, then swipe the card. If the swipe is successful, the card number appears on the STORIS screen and you can perform transactions on the card.