How Online Gift Certificates Work

 

So how do online gift certificates from giftcertsonline.com fit into your business model?

aWe offer a completely configurable system which allows you to run your business the way you always have, or update it if you prefer.

Credit cards are automatically debited via authorize.net or PayPal. You can offer "Print-Your-Own-Gift-Certificate" functionality to your customers or use the traditional fulfillment model: you send out the gift certificate once you have received the customer's payment.

We don't force you into our business model, we adapt to yours.

Any way you want to offer your customers online gift certificates, giftcertsonline.com will work with you!

 

Answers to some common questions:

Q: What do your services cost?

A: GiftCertsOnline.com is $199 to set up and "skin" (we create graphics to match your current website as closely as possible). A transaction fee is charged and we also offer a flat-rate service based on your annual transaction volume. Please contact us for details). If you opt to offer printable gift certificates, a small additional setup fee may be required for setups beyond our standard printable gift certificate setup. Please call us at 800.309.7298 or contact us at info@giftcertsonline.com for full pricing details.

 

Q: Do your services include payment gateway fees?

A: No. GiftCertsOnline.com is a gift certificate sales system, but we do not operate our own payment gateway. We have integrated two of the most trusted and largest payment gateway systems into our own product: Authorize.net and PayPal's own Website Payments Pro. If you already use one of these payment gateways for your internet product sales, we can integrate them quickly. NEW: If you select the PayPal payment gateway, we can help get it set up for you remotely via a great application called TeamViewer.

 

Q: Where does my customer's money go when a gift certificate is purchased?

A: All your customer's money flows directly into your bank account; we do not "hold" it in our own account like PayPal Gift Certificates and some of our other competitors do. PayPal holds your customer's money until your customer redeems their gift certificate. You may not see that money for up to 18 months! (NOTE: PayPal's Gift Certificate program is not the same as the PayPal payment gateway that we offer below; they are two separate systems).

 

Q: How will I be billed for your services?

A: We bill transaction fees or your flat-rate fee monthly directly to your major credit card.

 

Q: Do I need to do anything to get ready to use GiftCertsOnline.com?

A: Simply sign up using our easy signup form. You should also already have (or sign up for) either:

  • A PayPal Website Payments Pro account (NOTE: this is NOT their "Payflow Pro" service) - many of our clients opt for the PayPal payment gateway as it is the fastest way to sign up and features very competitive rates. We recommend it for first-timers.

  • A similar "card-not-present" merchant banking account compatible with Authorize.net (your merchant bank will be able to tell you if your account is compatible with Authorize.net and get you set up.)

 

Q: How do we know when a printed gift certificate has been redeemed?

A: Your printable gift certificates are marked with a unique ID and barcode. When presented with the printed gift certificate at any of your locations, you need only log in to the GiftCertsOnline.com admin interface and mark the given gift certificate as REDEEMED. Multiple locations are no problem: once a gift certificate has been marked redeemed every one of your locations will see the update.

 

Q: What do GiftCertsOnline.com's printable gift certificates look like?

A: Printable gift certificates are customized for our clients, marked with a unique ID and barcode and can include optional promotional text. You can view a PDF sample gift certificate here (you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed).