redeeming gift cards purchased before using Square

[Gourmet1]

I am having a difficult time figuring out how to handle gift card purchased before using Square! It should not be this hard for myself and my employees to redeem old cards. I have a retail business and used to sell paper gift cards then write the balance and customer info in a book. Very old fashion but at the time it worked. Purchased two Square POS registers and Square gift cards which I now use. However, I still have customers who come in with old cards that I will honor, of course. This has become a nightmare for my staff. Creating a discount called "Paper Gift Cards" with a $ variable only works if the card is less than the amount purchased. I have been told that I need to have the customer purchase an E card on the spot then use the code to redeem?? Does not make sense at all and is not great customer service. Can I swipe a new Square card for the customer in place of the paper one? We've had a line at the register trying to figure this out, even pulling out an old cash register to not mess up totals. Please help!

[HC_Charlie · Accepted solution]

Hello @Gourmet1 , I'm sorry you're having trouble with your older gift cards. As a fellow retail store owner who deals with gift cards I can think of a way to achieve what you're trying to do.

The first is that YES, you can create a new Square gift card for your customers, not charging them for it, and essentially swapping out their paper gift certificate for a new gift card. If you process a gift card like you usually do on the Square Register, you can create the exact amount to match the remaining paper certificate. Then when it comes to paying, select the gift card and either COMP the item or assign it a 100% discount so no payment needs to be made to load the card.

When the customer wants to use their balance, then just swipe the new gift card as payment, and if there is a remaining balance due, the Register will prompt you to first finish the sale amount covered on the gift card, and then will present you with the remaining balance to either pay with a credit card or cash.

Hopes this helps you! If so please consider marking this a "best answer" to help others find this later.

[HC_Charlie · Accepted solution]

Hello @Gourmet1 , I'm sorry you're having trouble with your older gift cards. As a fellow retail store owner who deals with gift cards I can think of a way to achieve what you're trying to do.

The first is that YES, you can create a new Square gift card for your customers, not charging them for it, and essentially swapping out their paper gift certificate for a new gift card. If you process a gift card like you usually do on the Square Register, you can create the exact amount to match the remaining paper certificate. Then when it comes to paying, select the gift card and either COMP the item or assign it a 100% discount so no payment needs to be made to load the card.

When the customer wants to use their balance, then just swipe the new gift card as payment, and if there is a remaining balance due, the Register will prompt you to first finish the sale amount covered on the gift card, and then will present you with the remaining balance to either pay with a credit card or cash.

Hopes this helps you! If so please consider marking this a "best answer" to help others find this later.

[Gourmet1]

Thank you for replying. Just so I'm clear, a customer comes up with a $20.00 paper gift card. I take a Square card and put $20.00 on it. The customer purchases $40.00 worth of merchandise, I ring up the products and hit charge button...then what? Swipe the square gift card? I don't see a comp option so at what point do I give the items a %100 discount?? This the point where I'm a little confused. 
Kimberly

[HC_Charlie · Accepted solution]

I think if the customer is purchasing MORE than the value of the paper gift certificate, you can make a customer discount amount and decrease the sale, correct? I think you said you were doing that. The fix I'm describing here may be best suited to the second scenario where you said you were having issues if the purchase amount was LESS than the value of their paper certificate. In the fix I'm discussing, you could exchange them a new gift card which could be used for a purchase, and then have a balance left on the card for use later. (Then you wouldn't have to keep making hand written notes for the remaining balance.)

In any case you'd have to do two different transactions. First take care of transferring the old paper certificate unto a new gift card:

• Do a gift card transaction and swipe and add $20 to the gift card. Now at this point, normally a person buying a new gift card would either pay you with a credit card of cash, and you would complete the sale (giving them a loaded gift card in exchange for the payment.)...but you won't be taking a cash payment, so...
  • Click on the gift card item on the right side of your register screen. This will bring up a discount screen where you can apply the discount (either a 100% discount that previously set up, or press the comp button at the bottom).
  • This will make the sale of this gift card zero. (Note: I would try this with a sample card to test how you want to implement this and explain this procedure for your employees. The test loaded card can be either erased, reused, or used as a promo card or saved for a real customer later)

So the above is for the new gift card and you'll take the customer paper certificate as "payment" for the new card.

• Now you can proceed with the actual merchandise sale. Scan their items and when the sale is totaled, the customer would swipe the gift card you just made for them as payment. If they have a balance due, they'd have to pay the remaining with a credit card/cash. But if they have money left on the new gift card, then they'd have that to take with them (instead of a paper certificate) to use later.

Does this make it more clear? I hope I didn't end up being more confusing. Please let me know if you have any more questions on this.

[Gourmet1]

Thank you! This works!!

Kimberly

[HC_Charlie]

Awesome! So glad it's working for you. Happy selling and have a great week!