Gift cards

Sell and redeem gift cards for bookings and shop purchases.

Gift cards let customers purchase a stored-value card that can be redeemed against future bookings and shop purchases. They work both online and through the point of sale.

How gift cards work

1. A customer purchases a gift card for a specified value.
2. They receive a unique gift card code by email.
3. The recipient enters the code at checkout to apply the balance toward their purchase.
4. If the order total is less than the card balance, the remaining value stays on the card for future use.

Selling gift cards

Gift cards can be sold through your online booking page or the point of sale:

1. Customer selects a gift card

   On your booking page or POS, the customer chooses to purchase a gift card and enters the desired value.

2. Payment is processed

   The payment is processed through Stripe, just like any other purchase.

3. Code is delivered

   A unique gift card code is generated and emailed to the buyer. If the buyer specifies a recipient, the code is sent directly to that person instead.

Gift cards make great last-minute presents — customers can purchase them instantly online and the recipient gets the code by email right away.

Linking gift cards to activities

You can restrict a gift card so it can only be redeemed against specific activities. This is useful when you want to sell gift cards for a particular experience — for example, a voucher for a kayaking lesson or a climbing session — rather than a general-purpose card.

How activity linking works

• A gift card with no linked activities is universal and can be redeemed against any booking or shop purchase.
• A gift card with one or more linked activities can only be redeemed against those specific activities. If a customer tries to use it on other items, only the matching items in their basket are covered.
• When a gift card is purchased from a specific activity page, it is automatically linked to that activity and any related sessions.

Add an activity to a gift card

1. Open the gift card

   Navigate to the gift card you want to edit.

2. Add an activity

   Click Add Activity, then select the activity from the dropdown. The activity is linked immediately.

3. Repeat as needed

   Add more activities to further restrict which bookings the gift card can be used for.

Remove linked activities

To remove a single activity, click the remove icon next to it. To remove all linked activities at once, click Clear All.

A gift card with no linked activities can be used on any purchase. Removing all activities makes the gift card universal again.

Gift cards from refunds

When you issue a refund as store credit, Sailia automatically creates a gift card for the refund amount and emails the code to the customer. These gift cards work the same way as purchased ones — the customer can redeem them at checkout on any future order.

Redeeming gift cards

Customers enter their gift card code at checkout. The card balance is applied to the order total:

• If the gift card covers the full amount, no additional payment is needed.
• If the card balance is less than the order total, the customer pays the remaining amount by card or cash.
• If the card balance exceeds the order total, the leftover stays on the card.
• If the gift card is linked to specific activities, only matching items in the basket are covered by the gift card balance.

Gift cards can be combined with discount codes. The discount is applied first, and the gift card covers the remaining balance.

Accounting

If you use Xero accounting sync, gift card redemptions are mapped to a dedicated Xero account code. This is configured separately from your standard product categories — see the gift card mapping in your accounting sync settings.

Related guides

Online bookings

How customers complete purchases with gift cards.

Accounting sync

How gift card redemptions are categorized in Xero.