Gift Cards and Certificates FAQs

This topic contains a list of questions frequently asked by STORIS users about gift cards and gift certificates. If you click on a question, the answer appears. Please note that more than one solution may exist for a given situation. Read the answers completely to determine which method best suits your company's needs.

To redeem a gift certificate, follow these steps:

On the Payment tab of Enter a Sales Order, click the Action button next to the Payments field. The Payment Summary window displays.
At the Pay Method field of the Payment Summary screen, use the Search button to select the type gift certificate or gift card.
The Gift Certificate Entry window displays. Enter the gift certificate number and amount to be redeemed. Click Save and the Gift Certificate Entry window closes.
Click Save to close the Payment Summary window and return to the Payment screen.

To view information on a specific gift card/certificate, use the View a Gift Certificate routine and simply enter either the gift certificate number or search for the customer code.

To "zero out" gift card amounts, use the Enter a Customer Payment/Refund/Gift Certificate routine.
After specifying the customer who purchased the gift card, select the Gift Cards and Certificates tab.
Check the box at the Refund Gift Balance field and select the Gift Certificate #.
Remove the check from the Refund Check box. The Payment Summary Window appears.
At the Pay Method field, indicate a Miscellaneous Payment. In the Miscellaneous Entry window, enter the amount being removed from the gift card/certificate as a negative amount.
Be sure to save out of each window, and finally click Save on the Enter a Customer Payment/Refund/Gift Certificate screen to update your "refund".
By using these instructions to zero out the gift card, you can bypass your actual cash accounts but still track the transaction through the General Ledger.

If the gift cards/certificates were earned via customer rewards: Gift cards/certificates earned via the customer rewards feature (established using the Number of Days Gift Certificate Valid field in the Customer Rewards Control Settings) have an expiration date, in which case, once the gift certificate/card has expired, it is purged during the End of Day processing.
If the gift cards/certificates were purchased: Gift certificates/cards purchased via the Enter a Customer Payment/Refund/Gift Certificate routine do not expire. To purge them from the system:

The gift cards/certificates must have a zero balance.
Once gift cards/certificates reach a zero balance, the Zero Balance Retention Days field on the Gift Cards and Certificates tab in Accounts Receivable Control Settings determines how long they are retained on the system.
When the number of days specified in the Zero Balance Retention Days field has been surpassed, the zero balance gift cards/certificates are purged during End of Month processing.