Helpful Links for Setting Up Online Gift Cards

How To Set-Up Digital Gift Cards

It is our hope that by providing resources for businesses and restaurants who are offering gift cards and other special services during the Coronavirus outbreak, that we’ll be able to mobilize loyal customers to provide much-needed support for their favorite places across Sonoma County.

 

How to Offer Digital Gift Cards:

  1. The first step is to check with your current POS (point of sale) provider.  Many of them offer their own gift card features which can integrate completely with your current system.   Here are set-up links if your current POS system is:  Square, Toast, or ShopKeep.  If you are with another POS system, contact them directly to see if you have an option for selling digital gift cards.
  1. If you don’t have a POS provider or they don’t offer gift cards or integrate with third-party providers, here are some great stand-alone options.   Simply go to the link and click the Get started button to set up your account.  You’ll need to enter in your bank information so they have a place to deposit the purchases. :
  1. Venmo/Paypal:  Some businesses are going the route of simpler set-ups using Paypal or Venmo – where customers can send a donation or buy a gift certificate by sending you a paypal/venmo payment.  If you decide to go that route, make sure you get their address and mail them a physical gift certificate that they can present when they go to redeem it down the road.  Do not email a generic receipt/certificate which could later be printed in duplicate and potentially redeemed more than once.   This is why we recommend a gift card service that includes a barcode or code of some kind that can be scanned in, marked as redeemed, and not able to be used more than once.

Other Things To Keep in Mind

  • If you’re considering other options, make sure that your business receives the fee for the gift card as soon as the customer purchases the card (otherwise that won’t help you during the crisis). 
  • Also, some services may also ask customers to pay an additional fee when they buy a gift card – so make sure that amount or percentage is as small as possible.

 

Finally – once your gift card purchase page is set up (with whatever service you use) – take the link they give you for where people can buy your gift cards – and add it to your listing here on our website, so we can start directing people to your gift card page!