Shopify Gift Cards Online and In Store: Setup, Selling and Redeeming

Shopify gift cards online and in store share one balance, so a card sold at the counter can be spent online. Each card carries a unique code that customers enter at online checkout and staff scan or type at the POS.

Online, you sell a gift card product published to your website. In POS, you sell from the Add gift card tile once gift cards are on at checkout.

This guide is for a single store that sells at a counter and online. It answers the questions and concerns owners raise most, so read the section you need.

What you get on every plan

Gift cards are included on every Shopify plan, with no app or add-on to activate before you process redemption. Customers in any market redeem on channels that use Shopify checkout, including the online store and POS.

A card works only at the issuing store, which answers most customer concerns. A gift card product can go up to $10,000 USD in value. A card created by hand is capped at $2,000 USD.

One fee applies: for stores created on or after May 12, 2025, third-party transaction fees apply to the amount paid by gift card.

Set the gift card expiry rule first

Shopify gift cards never expire by default, unless local law or your setting says otherwise. To change it, go to Settings > Payments, click Gift card expiration, adjust the time and click Save.

Ontario and other provinces

Ontario’s Consumer Protection Act bans expiry dates and most fees on retail gift cards. Understanding your own province matters, since rules differ.

United States

The Credit CARD Act of 2009 set the federal rule: gift card funds must stay valid for at least five years (12 CFR 1005.20). Many states go further.

In that case, keep the never-expire default in both countries.

Create a gift card product for the website

Go to Products > Gift cards and click Add a gift card product.
Enter a product title, a description and an image, then upload it.
Decide Cross-currency redemption now; it cannot be changed later.
Click Add denomination for each value.
Under Sales channels and apps, publish to Online store.
Click Save gift card product.

Add a note to the product page section explaining when the recipient will receive the email.

Custom amounts and CAD or USD

Shoppers cannot adjust the amount in the form. If a customer wants $137.50, create a draft order and email the payment link.

Store-currency cards work in any market, so customers can purchase in one market and spend in another. A Canadian shop selling into the US market should keep one store-currency card.

Digital gift cards vs physical gift cards

Digital gift cards

Digital gift cards are sent by email or printed on your receipt printer. They suit last-minute gifts, with no shipping. The recipient will receive an email with the code and a link.

Physical gift cards

Physical gift cards are plastic cards from the Shopify Hardware Store, with pre-assigned codes and your store’s branding. Activate the setting for issuing physical gift cards first.

If you print your own physical gift cards, codes must be unique and 8 to 20 characters. In our accounts, physical gift cards outsell digital gift cards at the counter in December. People like physical gift cards to hand over.

Sell gift cards at the counter in Shopify POS

Turn on gift cards as a payment method

In the POS, open Settings > Checkout > Payments and tap Gift cards. Without this, you cannot sell or accept them on that device.

Sell a card

Tap Add gift card, then pick digital or physical.
Choose a preset value, or tap Custom gift card and enter the amount.
For a physical card, activate it by scanning its QR code or barcode, or tap Enter gift card code.
Tap Add to put it in the cart, then Checkout to complete the purchase.

QR codes need the front camera or a 2D barcode scanner. Making the tile the first action on the grid helps.

Issue a gift card by hand

You can also create and issue a gift card from the Shopify admin, for a raffle prize, say. Go to Products > Gift cards and click Create gift card. Enter the Initial value and the Customer, who needs an email or phone number.

Click Save, then send it by email or SMS. The recipient will receive it at once.

For a refund to a known customer, use store credit instead.

Redeem Shopify gift cards at checkout and the counter

Can I buy a gift card online and use it in store?

Yes. Users purchase on your website; other users spend at the counter. Each redemption updates the balance automatically across the online store and POS.

Online redemption

The recipient types the code in the gift card form at checkout. Any remaining balance stays on the card for later purchases.

At the counter

Add items to the cart and tap Checkout.
Tap Gift card, then Enter manually or scan the QR code.
Tap Redeem.
If money is owed, tap Add payment, or Mark as partial, and send the cart to checkout.

Online or at the till, a gift card can be combined with other payment methods. The receipt shows the recipient the remaining value. To view a balance, open the order or scan the physical card.

Cash out small balances

Find the card, tap Cash out balance, then Confirm, and hand over the cash.

The balance must be under $15 USD or equivalent, and the card active. Staff need the Cash out gift cards permission.

Gift card limits at the till

Note these things before you train staff.

A gift card product must be paid in full, so a cart with one cannot be marked partially paid or use store credit.

Refunds can go back to a gift card from POS, and lost cards can be replaced.

Making gift cards pay off

Reach new customers

Every card sold brings a recipient who may never have visited, often from your local community or a new market, making questions likely. In our accounts, a recipient often spends more than the card value. Making gift cards visible, and making them easy to buy, reaches new customers.

Customer loyalty and budget

Gift cards build customer loyalty with regulars. Add a home page section, a social post and an email. Open with a personal post; the effort is small.

Discounts on gift cards

Some stores run a promotion: purchase $100, get a $20 card. Issue the bonus card by hand.

Taxes and the books

Shopify says to ask a local tax expert whether to charge tax on gift cards. In our accounts, the bookkeeper treats a gift card sale as a liability until the card is spent.

Understanding the books matters. Note that our bookkeepers agree: never post gift card sales as revenue on the day sold.

When an app is the better fit

Use a gift card app for scheduled send dates or cards across two stores.

Common gift card questions from the community

Where can I buy a Shopify gift card?

From the store that issued it, on its website or at its counter. No card works at every Shopify store.

What stores accept Shopify gift cards?

Only the store that sold it, which surprises people and prompts questions.

Can I cancel a gift card?

Yes. Open it in Products > Gift cards and deactivate it, so it cannot be spent.

Gift card checklist

Check these before you sell.

Expiry rule set in Settings > Payments, checked against your province or state.
Gift card product published to Online store, with a clear product title.
Gift cards turned on under POS Settings > Checkout > Payments on every device.
Add gift card tile on the smart grid. Share this information with staff so they learn the process and can view any card in the admin.
A 2D barcode scanner or front camera ready for QR codes.
Bookkeeper confirms gift card sales post as a liability.