A gift card is a code that holds a balance in rupees. Shoppers buy one in your store and send it to someone by email or text message; whoever holds the code spends it at checkout, all at once or a bit at a time. You can also give cards yourself, as a contest prize, a thank-you to a loyal customer or an apology for a late parcel. This screen shows "Cards shoppers bought and cards you gave: what the store still owes, and every card's balance." It is Products › Gift Cards in the side menu; on a phone, open More and choose Gift Cards.
Gift cards have their own rights: seeing them, and issuing, adjusting and cancelling them. The owner and admins have both. None of the preset roles includes them; give them to a custom role in Staff and Roles if someone else should look after gift cards. Without the right to see them, the screen says "You do not have access to gift cards."
Switching Gift Cards On
Gift cards are off for a new store. While they are off, this screen says "Gift Cards Are Switched Off": "Shoppers cannot buy or spend gift cards right now. Cards already issued keep their balance." with OPEN SETTINGS.
Turn them on in Settings › Rewards and Credit, card Gift Cards:
| Setting | What It Does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Gift Cards | "Sell gift cards in the store. Whoever holds the code can spend the balance at checkout." | Off |
| Amounts to Choose From | The rupee amounts shoppers pick, with commas: 500,1000,2000 | 500, 1000, 2000, 5000 |
| Let Shoppers Type Their Own Amount | Shoppers can type any whole amount between the smallest and the largest | On |
| Smallest Gift Card | The least a card can be sold for | ₹100 |
| Largest Gift Card | The most a card can be sold for | ₹25,000 |
| Months Until a Gift Card Expires | Counted from the day it is issued. 0: never. Never shorter than the minimum Mercayo sets (12 months by default) | 12 |
| Shoppers Can Ask for More Time | A card about to expire, or expired, shows a link to ask for an extension | On |
| Days Before Expiry to Ask | How early shoppers can ask | 30 |
| Days After Expiry to Ask | How late shoppers can still ask; 0: only before it expires | 365 |
| Approve Extension Requests at Once | On: a request extends the card straight away. Off: you approve or decline each | Off |
| Months an Extension Adds | How much longer a card lasts when extended, at least 12 | 12 |
Every setting can be locked or limited by Mercayo for your store. Mercayo also sets how many times one card can be extended (once, by default).
What You See
Totals
| Number | What It Counts |
|---|---|
| Outstanding | "What the store still owes in goods: the balance left on every active card." With the number of active cards. |
| Sold | "The value of the gift cards shoppers bought, all time." |
| Redeemed | "Gift card money spent on orders, all time, less what came back from cancelled orders." |
| Given Free | "The value of the cards the store gave away, all time: prizes, apologies and thank-yous." |
A note also shows what has lapsed on expired cards.
Tabs, Search, Filter and Sort
- Tabs: All, Active, Used Up, Expired, Disabled.
- Search by last 4 characters, name, email or phone. Staff never see a full code after it is issued, only its last four characters.
- Source: Sold (bought in the store) or Given (issued by staff).
- Sort: Newest first, Oldest first, Highest balance, Expiring soonest.
Columns
Each row is "Card ending 7KQ2" with who it is for, then Status (with Request waiting when the holder asked for more time), Balance ("₹1,500 of ₹2,000"), Spent, Expires (or Never), Issued On and Order (the order that bought it, a link). A row's ⋯ menu has Open card, Adjust balance, Extend expiry and Disable card, as the card allows.
Export CSV saves the cards the list shows. Recipients' email and phone are included only for people allowed to export customers.
How to Issue a Gift Card
- Press ISSUE GIFT CARD. "The code is made for you. Send it now, or copy it and pass it on yourself."
- Fill in:
| Field | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Amount (₹) | A whole-rupee amount from ₹1 to ₹1,00,000 |
| Reason | Why you are giving it, for the card's history: "e.g. Contest prize". 3 to 300 characters. Required. |
| Recipient's Name (Optional) | Who it is for |
| Send the Code | Do not send (I will show the code), Email or Text message |
| Recipient's Email / Recipient's Mobile Number | Where to send it, for email or text |
- Press ISSUE GIFT CARD. The window shows "Gift Card Issued" and the code.
- Press COPY if you will pass it on yourself. "This is the only time the full code is shown. Copy it now."
- Press ISSUE ANOTHER or DONE.
The card lasts the store's Months Until a Gift Card Expires from today.
How to Look After One Card
Click a card (or Open card) to see its details: Balance, Spent, Issued, Source, From, Recipient, Bought With (its order), Issued On, Expires, Extensions ("1 of 1 used") and, for a disabled card, Why Disabled, followed by its History: issued, spent on order #1042, returned from an order, changed by staff, expired, extended, and every request. From here, with the right to manage gift cards:
- Adjust balance: choose Add to the balance or Take off the balance, the amount and a reason, then SAVE CHANGE. You cannot take off more than is left ("Only ₹500 is left on this card to take off.").
- Extend expiry: "The card will last until 12 Nov 2027, 12 months more." with a reason. A card that already expired comes back with what it held: "It expired holding ₹800; that balance comes back."
- Reissue code: "The old code stops working. The balance moves to a new code, which you can send to the same person." Use it when a code has been shared by mistake or lost.
- Disable card: "The code stops working and its balance of ₹1,200 is lost. A shopper who paid for it is not refunded by this; refund the order too if that is right."
Every change needs a reason of at least 3 letters and is kept in the card's history.
Extension Requests
When a shopper asks for more time on a card, an Extension Requests card appears: "Shoppers asked for more time on these cards. Approving moves the date on by 12 months." Each request shows the card ("Card ending 7KQ2 · ₹1,500 · expires 2 Nov 2026"), how they asked (With the card's code or From their account) and their note.
- APPROVE: "Approved: the card now lasts until …"
- DECLINE: "The card keeps its date. Say why, for the card's history."
A card can be extended only so many times (once by default); after that the card says "This card has been extended the most times allowed. Mercayo can allow more." Cards that were disabled, never expire, or have nothing left cannot be extended.
Expiry Reminders
With Remind Before a Card Expires on (the default, in Settings › Rewards and Credit), the person who holds a card with money left gets one email, "Your Gift Card Expires Soon", Days Before Expiry to Remind before its expiry date (30 by default, 7 to 60), when Mercayo has their email. Cards that never expire get none.
What Shoppers See
- A Gift Cards page on your store at
/gift-cards: "Send a gift card by email or text message. They can spend it at checkout, all at once or a bit at a time." The shopper chooses an amount (or types one), who it is for, how to send it (email or text message), when (Right away or On a day I choose), an optional message and their own details, then pays online (PAY ₹2,000). The page also says "No GST on a gift card. GST is charged when it is spent on products." and how long it is valid. - The recipient gets the code. At checkout, they type it and the balance pays for all or part of the order; the rest stays on the card.
- Signed-in shoppers see cards sent to their phone or email in their account, and can ask for more time on one about to expire.
- If an order paid with a gift card is cancelled or returned, the gift card money goes back to the card.
Good to Know
- A code is 16 letters and digits, without 0, O, 1, I or L so it is easy to read out. Spaces, dashes and capitals do not matter when a shopper types it.
- Mercayo keeps only a fingerprint of each code and its last four characters; nobody can read a full code later, which is why it is shown only once.
- Wrong codes are counted: 10 wrong tries in 15 minutes lock that device out for 15 minutes.
- A gift card sale is an order with no delivery and no tax invoice; GST is charged when the card is spent on goods. This is how Mercayo treats gift cards; ask your CA how to account for them.
- Gift card balances are separate from Store Credit.
- Issuing a card is recorded in the Activity Log.
Questions
Can a shopper use part of a gift card?
Yes. They spend what the order needs and the rest stays on the card until it expires.
I lost the code of a card I issued. Can I see it again?
No, the full code is shown only once. Use Reissue code: the balance moves to a new code, which you can send again.
Do gift cards expire?
After Months Until a Gift Card Expires (12 by default), unless you set 0 for never, as far as Mercayo's minimum allows. Shoppers can ask for more time while Shoppers Can Ask for More Time is on.
Can my Customer Support team issue gift cards?
Not with the preset Customer Support role. Make a custom role with the gift card rights in Staff and Roles.
Why can't shoppers see the gift card page?
Gift cards are off. Turn on Gift Cards in Settings › Rewards and Credit.
Is GST charged when a shopper buys a gift card?
No. Mercayo charges GST when the card is spent on products, not when it is sold. Ask your CA if your situation differs.