Redeem a gift card
Checking a balance before you spend it, paying part of a bill with it, and what to do when the card is in a drawer at home.
2 min readUpdated August 14, 2026Front desk · Managers
The bill is $86 and the client puts a gift card on the counter. The only thing that matters is what's actually left on it, and you want to know that before you say a number out loud.
Paying with it
At the payment step of a checkout, choose Gift card. Enter the number and the card's balance is shown before any of it is spent.
That order is deliberate. Announcing a total and then discovering the card has $12 on it is a worse conversation than the one where you knew first.
Take what the card covers. If it doesn't cover everything, take the rest as cash or card — each payment is recorded separately and the sale closes itself the moment the balance hits zero.
If the card covers more than the bill, the remainder stays on the card for next time. Gift cards don't pay out in cash.
When they haven't got the card
They've lost it, or it's in a coat pocket at home, or their aunt bought it and they know nothing except their own name.
Go to Marketing → Gift cards and search — by number or by recipient. This is the moment the name field on issue earns itself. Open the card and you get its balance and every transaction against it.
That transaction list is also the answer to "I'm sure there was more on it". It shows what was spent and when, rather than two people remembering differently.
Saying it instead
At the till you can also describe the payment rather than typing it — "use $40 of her gift card". The assistant finds the card, works out the amount and shows you what will happen, including what is still to collect.
Nothing is applied until you accept it. It's a shortcut for the typing, not a decision made on your behalf.
Common questions
Can a gift card pay for part of a bill?
Yes. Take what's on the card, then cash or card for the rest. Each payment is recorded separately and the sale closes when the balance reaches zero.
The client doesn't have the card with them.
Search by recipient name as well as by number. That's why the name field on issue matters.
Can one bill use two gift cards?
Yes — take each as its own payment. There's no limit on how many payments settle one sale.
What if the card doesn't cover the bill and they've no other way to pay?
The sale stays open with a balance due. Nothing is lost and the money owed is visible rather than remembered.
Do I have to type the number?
You can also describe what you want in the gift-card assistant — "use $40 of her card" — and it finds the card and proposes the amount for you to confirm.
Related articles
- Sell a gift cardGift cards · Someone wants to buy credit for someone else — the amount, the recipient, and how the card gets to them.
- Balances, expiry and unspent creditGift cards · Finding a card, what the outstanding balances mean for your books, and what happens to money nobody ever spends.
- Take a paymentSales · From the chair to the till — starting a checkout, building the cart, adding a tip, and taking the money by cash, card or gift card.
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