Configuring description settings for gift certificates (custom amount to expiry date)

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Learn how to allow your Customers to specify a custom amount, discount gift certificates, price the gift certificate, and configure start and expiry dates.

New to Gift Certificates? Read the first article in this series for an introduction to the Gift Certificates feature.

 

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Where can I find this feature using the top menu?

Inventory > Gift Certificates > Create Gift Certificate (button) > Details

What prerequisites are there?

• A plan that includes Gift Certificates.
• The Gift Certificates feature is activated within your account (Manage > Integrations).
• Admin or restricted permissions to Manage Gift Certificates and Manage Gift Certificate Templates.
  
  

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

• The Gift Certificates feature is available to both those using items (Inventory > Items), a key feature of our classic version of Checkfront, and those using products (Inventory > Products), a key feature of our newest version of Checkfront.

 

New to Checkfront - Products ✨ Products (Inventory > Products) is the successor feature to (Inventory > Items) and is available in our newest version of Checkfront. Not yet on our newest version and interested in upgrading? Please contact our Technical Support team for more information. Discover more product-related help articles here: Products (New).

 

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The following configuration settings are available related to...

 

If you want the Customer to specify the gift certificate amount, turn ON the Custom Amount setting. This disables the single Price amount setting.

Next, determine the acceptable range for the Custom Amount, by specifying the Minimum amount of Gift Certificate and Maximum amount of Gift Certificate, for example, from $25 to $500.

This custom amount field appears as a single amount input field for the Booker. You can Preview what this looks like in the next step of the Gift Certificate Template Builder.

 

Would you like to offer gift certificates at discounted rates during the off-season or during select sales promotions throughout the year? The Gift Certificate Sales settings allow you to do just that. 

1. Start by entering the Sales Dates for your offering.
2. Specify the Percentage off, e.g. 10%. A preview of the amount displays next to your entry, e.g. $10.00 $9.00.
3. Repeat this process for every unique discount offer by clicking the +Add a Discount button.

 

Gift certificate discount date ranges are not allowed to overlap.

 

The discounted rate shows through the Booking pages and on the Booking Invoice to communicate the savings to your Guests.

 

You can report on the Paid Balance and Bonus Balance of issued Gift Certificates via the Gift Certificates page. Learn more here: Reporting on issued gift certificates

 

Gift certificates are redeemable for their given value, not for the amount of the purchase price.

 

Enter a Price for the gift certificate.  

This amount is then redeemable for bookings at a future date. For example, if the Customer is renting a boat for $200, a $100 gift certificate would cover half of that! The Customer can then pay the remaining balance with their credit card.  

This option is disabled if you have the Custom Amount setting enabled.

 

When determining the date the gift certificate is valid by default, you have two choices - either the Purchase Date or a Specific Date.

If you opt for the Specific Date, a small calendar picker opens, enabling you to select any Date in the future. The gift certificate is not redeemable until this date is reached. This is an excellent option if you want the gift certificates to only be redeemable during a certain period of the year, for example, during your off-season.

If you choose to enable the gift certificate as of the Purchase Date, this setting can be used in tandem with the Days after Purchase setting to specify the number of days after purchase before the gift certificate comes into effect.

 

If you choose to Allow customized delivery dates under Additional options, then the Purchase Date option is replaced with Delivery Date. See below under Additional Options for more information.

 

The Gift Certificate Expiry Date allows you to specify the date the gift certificate expires. Gift certificates can be used up until the end of the day for this date.

Selecting Never leaves the gift certificate expiry date completely open. You can also use the calendar date picker to select a Specific expiry Date.

If you selected the Purchase Date for the template's valid from setting in the previous step, then a third option becomes available for the expiry date. This option enables you to choose the number of Days after Purchase that the gift certificate expires.  

If you choose to Allow customized delivery dates under Additional options, then the Days after Purchase option is replaced with Days after Delivery. See below under Additional Options for more information.

 

Next, we look at configuring settings within the additional options settings of the Gift Certificate Builder.

 

 

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< Configuring description settings (category, name, and summary)     |   Configuring description settings (additional options) >

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