Creating and tracking gift cards

What does a gift card represent?

A gift card lets someone present a code in a compatible journey to cover all or part of a service. It has a type, a status and, depending on the case, a number of sessions, a balance in euros or a number of uses.

In the dashboard, open Sales → Gift Cards. This module must be enabled and your role must allow the actions you want to perform. Administrative creation and public purchasing are not equivalent: public purchasing involves payment before activation, whereas manual creation is not, in itself, a paid sale.

Gift cards are not the credit packs used for group classes. Packs use a different system, explained in Group scheduling.

Choosing the right type

The administrative form offers four types:

A €50 ‘fixed amount’ card and a €50 ‘reusable amount’ card therefore do not have the same effect. The first is a balance that is gradually spent. The second can provide up to €50 on each permitted use: check its limit before sharing it.

Reusable cards can be limited to a number of uses or have no usage limit. Having no usage limit does not remove a possible expiry date. Treat unlimited reusable codes in particular as sensitive access credentials.

Creating a card from the dashboard

1. Open the creation action in Gift Cards.
2. Choose the card type.
3. For a session card, select the service and number of sessions.
4. For an amount-based card, enter the amount; for a percentage, enter a positive value no higher than 100%.
5. For a reusable type, set a usage limit if you want one.
6. Leave the code empty to generate one automatically, or enter a custom code.
7. Optionally associate a customer and enter beneficiary details, expiry, a message, delivery address or useful notes.
8. Carefully review the type and quantity before creating the card.
9. Find the card in the list and check its status and balance.

Custom codes use letters, digits and hyphens and must be between 4 and 64 characters long. A code already in use cannot be used to create another card in the same organisation.

Associating a customer makes tracking easier. It must not be interpreted as automatically verifying the identity of everyone who presents the code in a public journey. Avoid publishing codes or putting them in documents that anyone can access.

Manual creation does not collect the card's price

The administrative form creates the card and its usage entitlements; it does not initiate a payment by the buyer. If you use it for a sale handled by your team, track collection through the appropriate financial workflow. Do not treat the initial balance as proof that you have received that sum.

Buying a card in the store

The public store offers the purchase of sessions for a service:

1. The visitor opens the Gift Cards page in your store.
2. They choose a service and the number of sessions.
3. They check the unit price and total; quantity-based pricing tiers may change the price according to the quantity.
4. They fill in their contact details and the additional information requested.
5. They confirm, then pay through the payment provider.
6. They return to the result page and wait for payment confirmation.

The purchased card is initially pending. It becomes usable after payment confirmation. The journey then provides a confirmation email with a PDF containing the card details. A purchase that has been started but not paid for is not an active card.

The reusable types available in the dashboard are not offered for purchase in this standard store. Do not promise a customer that they can buy any administrative card type themselves.

Using a card for a booking

In a compatible journey, the customer enters their code in the summary and validates it before confirming. Bookelio checks, among other things, the status, expiry, type and remaining entitlements.

For a session card, the service must match the card's service and there must be enough sessions remaining. Session cards are not interchangeable across all services.

For a monetary or reusable card, coverage depends on the type and amount to pay. The contribution does not exceed the relevant amount. If the card covers only part of the service, an additional payment may still be required. A validated code therefore does not automatically mean ‘no payment needed’.

The standard store hides card use for services with a people × hours matrix. If the customer cannot see a code field in that journey, do not advise them to change the service or duration arbitrarily to make it appear.

Example of a monetary card

A card has €50 available and the service to cover costs €35. After using €35, €15 remains for a later compatible use. If the service costs €70, the card can only cover its €50 balance, leaving an additional €20 to handle.

Example of a reusable card

A 10% card limited to three uses covers €8 of an €80 amount taken into account for that use. Two uses then remain; this is not a wallet from which €8 has been withdrawn. Always check the actual summary of the journey being used.

Reading statuses and history

• Pending: a purchase payment still needs to be confirmed; the code cannot be used.
• Active: the card can be used if the other conditions are met.
• Exhausted: the balance, sessions or limited uses have reached zero.
• Revoked: the team has deactivated the card.

Expiry is checked separately. A card displayed as active may be refused because its expiry date has passed.

From the list, open the details to view the type, available information, usage and links to associated payment requests. Copying the code lets you send it to the right recipient; avoid screenshots of lists containing several codes.

Revoking a card

1. Check the code, any associated customer and the balance of the intended card.
2. Open the revocation action.
3. Read the warning about remaining sessions, uses or amounts.
4. Confirm only if you genuinely intend to deactivate the card.

Revocation makes the remaining entitlements unusable. It is not a bank refund. The list does not offer a reactivation workflow: first discuss the need with your manager if you only want to correct a piece of information.

Why is a code refused?

Check the organisation, the exact code entered, its status, expiry and remaining entitlements. For a session card, also check the service and pricing compatibility.

If the card has already contributed to a booking, review the history before creating a replacement. Cancelling a booking must not be interpreted as automatically restoring the card: have the actual usage and payment records checked. See Payments to distinguish card usage, additional payment and refund.