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Introduction to gift certificates

Offer flexibility and attract new Customers with Checkfront's Gift Certificates feature. Gift Certificates let you sell prepaid value that Customers can redeem toward future bookings — increasing revenue, improving cash flow, and bringing in new business year-round.

Read this introduction to the Gift Certificate integration, which includes information about gift certificates, how they work, and how to manage them, including answers to frequently asked questions.

 

 

Accessing the features mentioned in this article


Where can I find this feature using the top menu?

  • Manage > Integrations > Popular > Gift Certificates
     

What more do I need to use this feature?

  • Admin or restricted permissions to Manage Gift Certificates, Manage Gift Certificate Templates, and Issue Gift Certificates as needed.
     

Which Checkfront version supports this feature - classic items, classic products, or both?

  • This feature is available in both our classic items version, which uses classic items (Inventory > Items), and our classic products version, which uses classic products (Inventory > Products).  → Learn more about products

 

What are gift certificates?

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A Gift Certificate is a prepaid balance that Customers can buy and redeem for bookings within your Checkfront account.

Each certificate is assigned a unique code that Customers can apply as a payment method during checkout.

Gift Certificates can be:

  • Purchased by Customers online or by staff in the backend.
  • Sent to recipients by email as digital vouchers.
  • Used partially or fully across multiple bookings.
  • Tracked and managed directly in Checkfront.

 

How gift certificates work

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Gift certificate purchase form with fields for amount, recipient details, email, and message, showing a $200 value and no expiration date.

Gift Certificates function much like store credit:

  1. Customers purchase a certificate for a specific value (e.g., $50, $100, or a custom amount).
  2. Recipients receive the certificate (via email or PDF) containing a unique redemption code.
  3. Recipients redeem it during booking checkout by entering the code in the payment section.
  4. The remaining balance stays available for future use until the certificate expires (if you have set an expiry date).

Each transaction is recorded in your Checkfront account, ensuring you always have visibility into issued, redeemed, and remaining balances.

 

Callout icon of a cap and certificate, indicating additional learning resources.

Learn more about refunding

Are you looking for information on refunding gift certificates? Check out this article:

 

Managing gift certificates

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Once the Gift Certificates add-on is activated, you can:

  • Create certificate templates with custom designs and values.
  • View and manage issued certificates under Inventory > Gift Certificates.
  • Track redemptions, balances, and expiry dates.
  • Manually adjust balances if necessary (for refunds or promotions).

 

Frequently Asked Questions

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  • Can I reload a gift certificate's value?

    Checkfront doesn't support reloading a gift certificate at this time, where you add value to an existing gift certificate and want to charge your Customer the difference.

 

Next Steps

Once you’re comfortable with the basics above, check out these deeper-dive articles:

 

Setting up Gift Certificates

Offering and purchasing gift certificates

Issuing complimentary gift certificates

Paying or canceling bookings with gift certificates

Other

The following article explains how to activate gift certificates.

 

Activating Gift Certificates within Checkfront >

 

 

 

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