E-commerce
March 25, 2026
Gift cards are used to collect payment for a purchase today and let the recipient choose later. On the store side, they also raise operational questions: tracking balances, processing refunds, exporting for accounting, and securing codes. This guide is a complete overview of the Shopify admin for gift cards: not just creation, but day-to-day management, pitfalls (expiration, deactivation), and the personal data framework. For first steps and a step-by-step creation process, also see our article Gift cards in the Shopify admin: create and manage.
“Gift cards created from your Shopify admin can be used for a future purchase in your store, at no cost to the recipient. […] You can create a gift card directly from your admin with an amount greater than zero and up to a maximum of 2,000 USD (or the equivalent in your local currency).”
The rules below reflect the official documentation at the time of the update. For any tax or consumer rule specific to your country, local legal advice remains essential: Shopify notably reminds you to comply with gift card expiration laws when you set an expiration date. If in doubt about a sensitive operation, also check the terms of your payment solution and the accounting guides applicable to your business.
Estimated reading time: 14 min.
Summary
Admin role: beyond the gift card product
In Shopify, two approaches complement each other. First, you can sell gift cards through a dedicated product with denominations. Then, you can issue a card without immediate payment from the admin: promotion, reward, credit after a refund, or an amount corresponding to a draft order invoice once payment has been received. The Gift cards page centralizes the history: cards purchased, issued, or generated via an app, with filters for status, balance, or date.
This centralization is useful as soon as the volume increases: support needs to find a card from the last four visible characters in the admin, marketing wants to isolate inactive cards, and finance is preparing an export. Hence the value of treating the admin as a management tool, not just a simple list.
The Gift Cards page: search, filters, sorting
Shopify documentation describes a search by code or by customer, as well as filters (active, disabled, or expired status; full, partial, or empty balance; value; creation date; issuance method). Sorting options include, in particular, balance, creation or edit date, and expiration date. You can save views to quickly find a recurring scenario, for example cards close to expiration if your policy provides for one.
Important point for support: the full code is not displayed as a simple line of text in the list for reasons related to the fact that the card represents a monetary value; the interface shows only the last four characters. The customer retains the use of the full code via their email or purchase journey. This requires clear procedures when a customer claims to have lost the message: resend from the card record, identity verification according to your policy.
Manual issuance: promotions, amounts, sending
Manual issuance is used when no payment is captured at the time of creation. Common cases: marketing campaign, loyalty program, refund in the form of store credit, or an amount that does not exist in your product denominations after a payment outside the standard flow (often via a billed draft order). The limit indicated by Shopify for a card created this way is 2,000 USD or equivalent in your currency, with a strictly positive amount.
When you associate a customer, you can send them the card by e-mail or by SMS depending on the contact details provided: the documentation states that an e-mail address or a number is required for automated sending. You can preview the e-mail, add an internal note visible only in the admin and, if your policy and the law allow it, set an expiration date. Shopify notes that, instead of a promotional card, a discount code can sometimes better control amount, restrictions, and end date.
Gift card product and denominations
The gift card product is used for online sales (and, depending on your configuration, at the point of sale). The denominations, which are adjustable, cover amounts greater than zero up to a documented upper limit equivalent to about 10,000 USD in your currency for gift card products, separate from the manual issuance limit. A product must include at least one denomination; you can add or remove them to match your pricing strategy.
On the merchandising side, clearly separate “occasion” product pages (birthday, holidays) from a generic one: this makes campaigns and reporting easier to track. For SEO, align the title, excerpt, and content around the same purchase intent, as for any product (add a product).
Table: issuance, purchase, application to payment
The following table summarizes the flows useful to define internally. The labels may vary depending on your theme and your apps.
Flow | Where it lives in Shopify | Key consideration |
|---|---|---|
Issuance without immediate payment | Products > Gift cards > creation | Manual issuance limit; promo or customer support traceability |
Purchase of a card by a customer | Gift card product, standard order | Message to the recipient, scheduled send time if applicable |
Payment for a cart with a card | Checkout, as a payment method | Partial balance, remainder by another method if needed |
Refund to an existing card | Order > refund | Rules if the card is expired or deactivated |
Balances, refunds, and expired cards
Refunds deserve a written procedure. If the customer paid with a gift card, the refund can be applied to that card and the balance is updated. In the case of a partial refund of an order paid with a gift card and another payment method, you can split the refunded amounts between the payment methods. If the card is expired, the documentation indicates that you often need to move the expiration date into the future to complete the transaction, then restore the original due date if necessary. If the card is deactivated, it cannot be reactivated or reloaded: you must issue a new card for the refund amount.
For returns with Shopify Payments, some scenarios allow a card to be reloaded as part of an exchange and return, depending on the conditions of the original transaction; otherwise, a new issuance may be necessary. Check with your payment provider about edge cases outside Shopify Payments.
Permanent deactivation and codes
Deactivating a card is definitive. The associated code cannot be reused for another card. Before deactivating, make sure that no pending refund should point to this card, and communicate according to your policy if a customer still eligible for the balance should be compensated another way.
Refunding a purchased gift card automatically deactivates it according to the documentation; however, cards issued free from the admin or from the POS without associated payment do not follow the same logic of « product refund » as standard sales.
CSV export and data processing
CSV export makes it possible to reconcile initial and remaining balances, issue dates, customer and recipient information when present, currency, expiration, activation status, notes, or messages associated with the gift journey. For a short export (up to one page, typically a limited number of rows per batch), the file downloads directly; beyond that, delivery may be sent by email, with a copy to the store owner if the user is not the owner. This behavior reduces the risk of sensitive files leaking to unauthorized accounts.
Use the export for internal checks, not as a substitute for a secure backup of the codes: full codes are not the subject of an open admin list. Fields must be treated as personal data when they identify individuals.
Reports, liabilities, and responsibility
Shopify notes that issued gift cards can represent a liability: an obligation to provide future sales. Issued cards are included in the liabilities report (liabilities), accessible depending on your plan and country. This accounting link explains why a clear policy on dormant balances and expirations is not just a marketing issue: it intersects with the store's financial view.
From a management perspective, cross these indicators with your Shopify analytics: average order value, repeat purchases, channels. An increase in issued cards without subsequent conversion can signal a problem with the post-purchase experience or with the clarity of the terms.
POS and channels: operational reminder
If you sell at the point of sale, gift card flows can complement the web: training teams on sales, top-ups according to the payment methods accepted, and consistency of messaging with the online store. The goal here is not to duplicate the POS manual, but to remind that the admin also centralizes cards from different channels, which simplifies support.
Marketing, loyalty and consistency with the catalog
Gift cards fit into seasonal campaigns and retention efforts. Avoid conflicting promises between the site banner, email, and FAQ: a discrepancy in shipping costs or collection exclusions creates support tickets. If you combine cards and promotions, check how discounts apply when a card is included in the cart calculation.
Product recommendations and upsell journeys remain relevant for helping the buyer choose a denomination aligned with your best sellers, without turning the article into a revenue promise: everything depends on your observed average order value.
Additional sections
Personal data and European framework
Gift cards handle identifiers (email, names, usage history) and sometimes personal messages. Processing must have a legal basis and clear purposes: performance of the contract, balanced legitimate interest, or consent when required for marketing. The CNIL describes the categories of applicable legal bases under the GDPR.
To place the European framework in context, the European Commission presents the theme of data protection and individuals' rights. In commercial practice: minimize access to CSV exports, log code re-sends, and explain in your privacy policy how gift card-related data are used.
Purpose: sales, promotional issuance, refunds, support.
Retention: align the duration with your legal and operational obligations, not with indefinite "just in case" retention.
Transfers: if you sync to an external tool, document the processor and the storage country.
Sources: CNIL, legal bases within the meaning of the GDPR; European Commission, data protection.
Team, roles, and governance
Define who can issue or deactivate a card, who can export the CSV, and how customer requests escalate from level 1 support to a manager. The Shopify user permissions reduce the risk of errors or internal fraud. A simple log of sensitive operations (large promotional issuance, deactivation) helps during an audit or dispute.
Best practices and common mistakes
Best practices
Align denomination amounts with your median basket rather than copying generic grids.
Test the full journey: purchase, receipt, application at checkout, remaining balance.
Document the expiration policy in line with applicable law and Shopify configuration.
Train support on refund and email re-send scenarios.
Common mistakes
Confusing the manual issuance cap with product denomination limits.
Deactivating a card without a compensation plan for a still-affected customer.
Underestimating the accounting liability of unused balances.
Multiplying CSV exports without a privacy framework.
Customer support and Qstomy
Gift cards reduce friction at purchase, but they do not eliminate questions about delivery times, return conditions, or balance usage. An AI chatbot like Qstomy can explain where to find the card in the email, remind customers of your policies, and direct them to the right product before the support queue becomes saturated. This is complementary to the admin processes described above: e-commerce chatbot and Shopify integration.
Summary
Shopify admin provides a unified view of gift cards: issuance up to the documented cap for manually created cards, sales by denominations on the gift card product, filters and sorting on the Gift Cards page, refunds with edge cases for expirations and deactivations, CSV export for management control. Handle data with legal bases and minimization, and align marketing, support, and finance to avoid inconsistent promises.
FAQ
What is the difference between the manual issuance cap and product denominations?
Issuance from the admin without checkout follows the cap indicated for cards created directly (see Shopify documentation). Gift card products have their own denomination and maximum rules for sales. Do not mix the two contexts when training teams.
Why don't I see the full code in the list?
The interface limits display to the last characters because a card represents a monetary value. The customer retains the usable code through their receipt channel. Use re-send procedures from the card record when permitted.
The refund fails because of an expiration: what should I do?
The documentation provides for temporarily adjusting the expiration date to a future date to complete the refund, then restoring the date if needed. Check compliance with your policy and local law.
Can a deactivated card be restored?
No. Deactivation is permanent and the code cannot be reassigned. Plan a new issuance if you need to compensate a customer.
Does the CSV export contain the full code?
The export describes the cards with identifiers and the last characters of the code, not a list of full codes to copy and paste in plain text like a password database. Use the export for analysis and control, with restricted access.
Should gift cards be mentioned in the privacy policy?
Yes, if you process personal data to issue or track them. Specify purposes, retention periods, and rights. Rely on the legal bases described by the CNIL and the European framework.
How do I track the liability?
Use the financial reports mentioned in the Shopify documentation for liabilities related to issued cards and cross-check with your accountant for local obligations.
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March 25, 2026
