Can I Refund Gift Certificates?

Overview

Gift Certificates cannot be refunded through the system as they are treated as currency in the system.  Because gift certificates are typically in circulation, refunding them does not guarantee that the gift certificate won't be used in the future. 

You do have options for manipulating gift certificates that exist in your system to ensure they are not used in the system if they have been refunded externally (for example). 

As you cannot refund a Gift Certificate within the system this article briefly covers options for manipulating gift certificates these include:

• How to expire the original gift certificate
• How to create a "Gift Certificate Credit Card Refund" using Database Maintenance
• How to remove Gift Certificate and Other Associated Transaction types using Database Maintenance
• Refunding a Gift Certificate Booking
• How to create a new Gift Certificate out of the original Gift Certificate

How to expire the original gift certificate

1. Search for the gift certificate using the search bar.
2. Select Edit/Modify/Delete.
   
    
3. Change the Expiry Date to the current date or a date in the past.
   
   
    
4. Update and Process.

Use Database Maintenance to Create a Gift Certificate Refund

This is for if you want to credit your customer for the gift certificate amount.

1. From the navigation bar, select Settings > Database Maintenance.
2. Select Create GC Credit Card Refund from the bottom of the panel on the left-hand side. 
   
   
   
   
3. Fill in all of the necessary information (which can be found if you search the gift certificate and bring up its receipt), press Commit, and you will have created a refund. 

   
   

Note that at this point, the gift certificate can still be used towards a sale.

How to Remove Gift Certificates and Other Associated Transaction Types Using Database Maintenance

1. To delete all transactions on a gift certificate you would go to Settings > Database Maintenance. 
2. From Gift Certificate Maintenance on the left select Remove All Trans.
   
   
   
   
3. Enter the Gift Certificate number and Commit.
4. Remove the Gift Certificate from the system by selecting Remove Gift Certificate and commit to the number to be removed.

Remember, any changes made in database maintenance are permanent.

Refunding a Gift Certificate Booking

When a Gift Certificate is purchased online a booking is created. 

If a guest purchases a gift certificate and the booking containing that gift certificate is cancelled and refunded, then the Gift Certificate is no longer valid.

For example:

1. The purchaser books a gift certificate for someone. The booking number is 54285
   
   
   
2. The Gift certificate ID number is 207997
   
   
   
3. If you search out this Gift Certificate it shows as unredeemed
   
   
   
4. The purchaser calls to cancel the Gift Certificate and you decide to cancel and refund booking 54285 for them
   
   
   
5. Once the booking is cancelled if you search for this Gift Certificate it will show as Not Valid
   

How to create a new Gift Certificate out of the original Gift Certificate

This is for if you wish to keep the old payment but create a new gift certificate.

1. Create a new gift certificate for the new amount with the same customer name and information.
2. Discount it 100% and make note of the new GC number.
   
3. Go to the original GC  and make a note to use the new GC number. You can also decide whether or not you want to e-mail the GC users and inform them of their new GC number.
   
4. When the customer comes in, if they are not aware of their changed GC number, when an associate tries to validate the old GC number, they will get a message that says it is not a valid GC. However, if they look up the GC to see why it is not valid, they will immediately see the new GC number and will be able to complete the transaction using the new number.