Purchasing and Redeeming Gift Certificates

How a Customer Can Purchase a Gift Certificate

A certificate is purchased in your store in the same way a normal product is purchased. The customer simply adds this product to their cart and proceeds through the checkout.

Once the certificate is purchased, the customer is provided with both the coupon code for redeeming in your checkout and a printable PDF gift coupon which is customisable by the merchant. (see Certificate Designer). The customer can then use the certifcate as a gift to others. The code and PDF are provided from both your checkout and email confirmation.

How to redeem a gift certificate

Once the customer has the gift certificate with the code they can use this to purchase products from your shopping cart by redeeming the same value or less during the checkout. If the purchase value is greater than the gift certificate value then the remaining amount will be paid for by your available payment methods.

Here is a small section of the checkout to display how a gift certificate is redeemed by the customer.

Once the certificate is redeemed, the purchase price will be adjusted or waived according to the total value of the order.

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Gift certificates can only be sold using real-time credit card payment methods. Direct deposit, phone orders etc will not sell a certificate code as the customer would then be able to buy products for free.

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If you wish to provide a gift certificate to a customer of yours as a present (they will not buy it from your store) Please follow these steps. Alternatively you can provide them a currency value discount coupon which gives the same result. e.g. $50 discount on next order.
1. In your admin panel go to settings/payment methods. Create the payment method called Ashop Payment Simulator and save.
2. Go to your storefront and add the gift certificate to your shopping basket and proceed through your checkout.
3. On the last page where you enter credit card details, select the Ashop Payment Simulator and enter fake details as follows
First and last name, 16 digits for the card number, a date in the future and 013 as the CVC numbers.

This will allow you to complete a fake purchase for no charge and provides you with the gift certificate code on the successful payment result page. Either print the PDF provided or give the code to your customer.
Note: Please be aware this will not create a tax invoice for the value of your gift certificate and may cause tax problems.