Prerequisites: Gift Cards must be enabled for your clinic. If Gift Cards does not appear under Settings, contact your account administrator to turn the module on. To sell gift cards online, the Shop module must also be enabled.
The amount on the card comes from the gift card price. A $100 gift card loads $100.If staff use Edit price at checkout or enter a custom Amount while issuing a card, that amount is what the recipient can redeem. Discounts lower what the buyer pays; they do not lower the card value.
What You Can Do
Set up gift card denominations
Create fixed values like “$50 Gift Card” or a flexible gift card staff can price at checkout.
Choose code rules
Let Decoda generate codes automatically, enter custom codes when needed, or require staff-entered codes.
Sell at checkout
Add a gift card to a regular checkout, set the amount, assign a recipient or code, and take payment.
Issue directly from settings
Create a one-off gift card for a patient without building a full cart.
Sell online
Let patients buy digital gift cards from your clinic’s shop page.
Redeem and manage cards
Use a gift card as payment, look up balances, print cards, resend notifications, and view history.
The Gift Cards Settings Page
Go to Settings → Gift Cards. The page has two main sections.Gift Card Denominations
Gift Card Denominations are the gift cards available for purchase. Each card shows the name, description, price, and a Custom badge when Allow custom pricing is on. Use Add Gift Card to create a new denomination. Use a card’s actions menu to:- Issue gift card — issue that denomination directly to a patient.
- Duplicate — copy the denomination so you can adjust the name or price.
- Edit — change the denomination details.
- Archive — stop selling that denomination. Already issued gift cards are not affected.
Issued Gift Cards
Issued Gift Cards lists every card that has been sold or issued. The table shows:- Code — the gift card code, masked in the list.
- Initial Value — the original amount loaded onto the card.
- Balance — how much is left to spend.
- Status — Pending, Active, or Disabled.
- Purchaser — the patient who bought the card.
- Date Issued — when the card was created.
Gift Card Statuses
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Pending | The card has been created but is not redeemable yet. Cards usually stay pending until the purchase is paid in full. |
| Active | The card can be used as payment. |
| Disabled | The card can no longer be redeemed because it was drained to zero, voided by a purchase refund, or disabled. |
Set Up a Gift Card Denomination
Create a denomination when you want staff or patients to pick a gift card from a list, such as “$50 Gift Card” or “Custom Gift Card.” Adding a denomination only creates the option to sell; it does not create a usable gift card until someone buys it or staff issue it.Fill in the details
- Name: The name staff and patients see, such as “$50 Gift Card.”
- Price: The default value for this denomination. In a normal sale, the patient pays this amount and the recipient can redeem this amount.
- Description: Optional details shown with the gift card.
- Allow custom pricing: Turn this on when staff should be able to change the amount at checkout.
- Allow commission on this gift card: Leave this on if gift card sales should count toward staff commission payouts. Turn it off if they should not.
Choose How Gift Card Codes Work
Every gift card needs a code before it can be redeemed. Decoda can generate the code automatically, or staff can enter a custom code first. Custom codes are useful when you have printed cards with codes already on them, or when your clinic wants codes to follow a specific format. Staff-entered codes must:- Use only letters, numbers, and hyphens.
- Be 64 characters or fewer.
- Be unique.
Find Gift card codes
In the Gift card codes card, turn on Require custom codes for staff-issued gift cards.
This setting applies to staff checkout and Issue gift card in Settings → Gift Cards. Online shop purchases still generate codes automatically.
Sell a Gift Card at Checkout
Use this when a patient is checking out with other items, or when staff want to sell a gift card from the regular checkout flow.Add the gift card to the cart
Open checkout, search for the gift card denomination, and add it to the cart.
Set the amount if needed
If Allow custom pricing is on for that denomination, click Edit price, enter the New Price, and click Save Price. For gift cards, New Price is the amount loaded onto the card.
Add a recipient or code
The recipient window opens automatically when you add a gift card to the cart. Fill in any details you need:
- Gift card code: Enter a custom code, or leave it blank for Decoda to generate one. If custom codes are required, this field must be filled in.
- Recipient: Optional. Search for an existing patient if the card should be sent to someone other than the purchaser.
- Note: Optional personal message for the recipient.
Issue a Gift Card from Settings
Use Issue gift card when you want to create a one-off gift card without building a full checkout cart. You can start from either place on Settings → Gift Cards:- In Gift Card Denominations, open a denomination’s actions menu and click Issue gift card. The Amount is prefilled with that denomination’s price.
- In Issued Gift Cards, click Issue gift card. Enter any Amount.
Enter the gift card details
- Amount: The amount the purchasing patient pays and the amount the recipient can redeem.
- Gift card code: Enter a custom code, or leave it blank for Decoda to generate one. If custom codes are required, this field must be filled in.
- Purchasing patient: Search for and select the patient buying the gift card.
- Location: Select the location for the sale, if your clinic has more than one location.
- Recipient: Optional. Search for the patient who should receive the gift card notification. If you leave this blank, the purchaser receives the card.
- Note from sender: Optional message included with the gift card.
- Scheduled send date: Optional date and time to send the recipient notification. Leave it blank to send as soon as payment clears.
Continue to payment
Click Continue to payment. The window shows Payment Details for the purchasing patient.
Sell Gift Cards Online
Patients can buy digital gift cards fromhttps://<your-clinic-domain>/shop when the Shop module is enabled. The gift card area is titled Buy a Digital Gift Card.
The buyer can:
- Pick a gift card denomination or choose Custom amount.
- Choose the Quantity.
- For each card, choose Keep for me or Send to someone else.
- If sending to someone else, enter First name, Last name, Email or Phone, an optional Note from sender, and an optional Send when date.
- Click Add to cart, verify their phone number, and pay.
Redeem a Gift Card
Gift cards can be used as a payment method during checkout.Check the balance
Enter the code in Gift Card Code, then click Check Balance. The Available Balance appears when the code is valid and active.
Look Up a Gift Card Balance
Recipients can check their own balance without signing in at/gift-cards/balance on your clinic’s URL. They enter the code and see the initial value and available balance.
Every gift card notification includes a balance lookup link. Staff can also check a balance from Issued Gift Cards or from the patient’s Billing tab.
Manage an Issued Gift Card
Open Settings → Gift Cards, then click a row in Issued Gift Cards to open Gift Card Details. From there you can:- Reveal or hide the code with Show gift card code and Hide gift card code.
- View Initial Value, Current Balance, Purchaser, Date Issued, recipient details, and scheduled send status.
- Click Print to print a physical copy.
- Click Activate on a Pending card when it should be made redeemable manually.
- Edit the Recipient and Note.
- Click Send to Recipient to resend the code to the recipient.
- Click Send next to the purchaser to send the code to the purchasing patient.
- Review Transaction History, including redemptions, refunds, balance changes, and related payments.
Print a Gift Card
Discounts and Promotions on Gift Card Purchases
Gift cards can be discounted like other checkout items. The important rule is that the card loads the full gift card value, even when the buyer pays less. For example, a $100 gift card with 10% off costs the buyer $90, and the recipient still gets $100 to redeem. This is useful for promotions like “buy a $100 gift card, get $20 off.” Apply discounts from the Discounts area at checkout or through a promotion.Refunds and Disabled Cards
Two refund situations can involve gift cards:- Refunding a charge that was paid with a gift card. The refund goes back onto the same gift card balance. If the card had been drained to zero, it becomes redeemable again.
- Refunding the purchase that created a gift card. The issued gift card is voided and can no longer be redeemed.
Permissions
- View Inventory — Required to view Gift Cards and the issued gift card list when the Gift Cards module is enabled.
- Manage Inventory — Required to create, edit, duplicate, or archive gift card denominations.
- Process Payments — Required to issue a gift card and collect payment for it.