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Sell and use gift cards

In this how-to, you will find the information on how to manage gift cards with GEM-CAR. Gift cards must first be sold as products and then they can either be used as a negative product that will reduce the total of invoices. Alternatively, you can also create a gift card payment method and use it when paying invoices. We recommend that you keep a tracking system independent from GEM-CAR such as an Excel file, for example, to manage sold gift cards and their usage by customers, especially if you chose to use the gift card payment method. In fact, this method may be practical, but it does not permit you to keep track of used gift cards.

Configuration

Gift cards ledger

Create a ledger for gift cards following the guidelines below.

  • Ledger number: Any unused number
  • Suggested description: GIFT CARD
  • Check the Bank box.

Example

Gift cards category in the inventory

Configure a category in the inventory for gift cards following the guidelines below.

  • Suggested category number: any unused number in the 2XX range.
  • Category type: PARTS.
  • Suggested description: GIFT CARD.
  • Sales GL: Your gift cards ledger
  • Option: Non taxable.

Example

Gift card product in the inventory

Configure a product in the inventory for gift cards following the guidelines below.

Example

Sell the gift cards

To sell gift cards, follow the instructions below.

  1. From the Point of sale, add the gift card product to an estimate.
  2. Add the estimate number at the end of the product description to keep track of the gift card for accounting purposes and to manage the usage of gift cards by customers.
  3. Enter the quantity and the amounts for the gift cards.
  4. Collect the customer’s payment.

We suggest that you add the invoice number on the gift cards before giving them to customers. This makes it easier for you to retrieve them when the cards are used to make a payment.

Use gift cards when collecting payments

Use gift cards to reduce invoice totals

To use gift cards to reduce the total of invoices, follow the instructions below.

  1. Add the gift card product to the estimate.
  2. Add the estimate number at the end of the product description to keep track of the gift card for accounting purposes and to manage the usage of gift cards by customers.
  3. Enter a -1 (negative one) quantity.
  4. Enter the amount for the gift card.
  5. Collect the customer’s payment.

If you use this method, the customer will see the details on the invoices, including the amounts corresponding to the gift cards used to reduce the total of the invoices. You will also have a trace of the invoice numbers for the transactions which will be useful for accounting purposes.

Use gift cards as a payment method

To use gift cards as payment methods, first configure a payment method using the guidelines below.

Then, use the gift card payment method to partly or fully pay invoices.

We recommend that you keep a tracking system independent from GEM-CAR such as an Excel file, for example, to manage sold gift cards and their usage by customers. In fact, this method may be practical, but it does not permit you to keep track of used gift cards for accounting purposes.

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