Introduction
Gift Cards let you sell digital gift cards to clients and their friends and family. Recipients receive an email with their unique gift card code, which staff can then apply at checkout to pay for appointments — fully or partially. Gift cards can be sold two ways:- From the business dashboard — staff sell a gift card from the Gift Cards screen, enter the recipient’s name and email, and settle through any in-shop payment method (cash, manual card, other). No Stripe required.
- From the online booking portal — clients buy gift cards themselves and pay through Stripe.
Gift Card Types
Bella Booking supports two types of gift cards:| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Amount | A dollar-value gift card. The purchaser selects a preset denomination or enters a custom amount. The recipient can use it toward any appointment. |
| Service | A gift card for a specific service (e.g., a haircut or facial). The card’s value is set to that service’s price at the time of purchase, and the service name is shown in the delivery email. |
Key Features
- Sell from the business dashboard: Staff sell a gift card from the Gift Cards screen and settle through cash, manual card, or other — no Stripe Checkout needed
- Online purchase: Clients buy gift cards through your online booking portal (Stripe required)
- Two gift card types: Dollar-value amounts or specific service
- Gift card designs: Six built-in designs (Classic, Birthday, Thank You, Congratulations, Holiday, Floral) plus custom uploads
- Email delivery: Recipients automatically receive their gift card code by email
- Partial redemption: Gift cards can be used across multiple appointments until the balance runs out
- Balance tracking: Full redemption history shows how and when a gift card was used
- Voiding: Cancel an active gift card if needed
- Preset denominations: Set common amounts (e.g., 50, $100) for easy selection
- Custom amounts: Optionally allow clients to enter any amount within a range you define
- Online redemption at booking: Clients can apply gift cards when booking online to cover the deposit or full payment
- My Gift Cards portal: Clients can view their gift cards and balances from the online booking portal
How Gift Cards Work
- A gift card is sold — either by staff from the business dashboard or by a client purchasing online via Stripe
- The recipient receives an email with their unique gift card code (e.g.,
BELLA-A2K9-M7L3) - When the recipient visits, staff enter the gift card code at checkout
- The gift card balance is applied to the appointment total
- If the balance doesn’t cover the full amount, the remainder is charged via another payment method
- The gift card can be used across multiple appointments until the balance is exhausted
My Gift Cards (Client Portal)
Clients can view all their gift cards — purchased for them or by them — from the My Gift Cards page in the online booking portal. This page is accessible from the user menu after logging in. For each gift card, clients can see:- Gift card code and design
- Original amount and remaining balance
- Status (Active, Redeemed, Expired)
- Expiry date (if applicable)
- Sender and personal message
Selling a Gift Card from the Business Dashboard
Staff can sell a gift card directly from the Gift Cards screen. The card is activated immediately and the recipient receives the code by email.Sell steps
- Go to Sales → Gift Cards
- Click Sell Gift Card (top-right)
- In the dialog:
- Amount or Service — choose a preset denomination, enter a custom amount, or pick an eligible service
- Recipient name: Who the gift card is for (free text — they don’t need to be a Bella client)
- Recipient email: The gift card code is delivered to this email address
- Personal message (optional)
- Payment method: Cash, Card (Manual), or Other — how staff settled the sale
- Click Sell gift card
- The new gift card opens — the code is displayed prominently for reference
Purchasing a Gift Card Online
Gift cards can also be purchased through your public online booking portal by clients or anyone wanting to give a gift.Purchase steps
- Go to the gift cards section of your online booking portal
- Choose a design — pick from built-in designs or any custom designs your business has uploaded
- Select the gift card type:
- Amount: Select a preset denomination or enter a custom amount (if enabled)
- Service: Select a service to gift
- Fill in the details:
- Recipient name: Who the gift card is for
- Recipient email: Where the gift card code will be sent
- Your name: Displayed to the recipient as the sender
- Personal message (optional): A message included in the delivery email
- Complete payment via Stripe
- Once payment is confirmed, the recipient receives their gift card by email
Redeeming a Gift Card at Checkout
Staff apply a gift card code when checking out an appointment.How to redeem
- Open an appointment and click Check Out
- In the payment section, enter the client’s gift card code
- The system verifies the code and shows the available balance
- Enter the amount to redeem (up to the remaining balance or the appointment total, whichever is lower)
- The gift card amount is deducted from the total
- If a remaining balance is owed, select another payment method (cash, card, etc.) to cover it
- Complete the checkout
Partial redemption
Gift cards support partial redemption. If a client has a 60, the gift card balance reduces to $40 and can be used again at their next visit.Fully redeemed
When the balance reaches $0, the gift card status automatically changes to Redeemed and can no longer be used.Managing Gift Cards
The Gift Cards section in the dashboard lets you search, view, and manage all gift cards for your location.Searching and filtering
- Go to Gift Cards in the sidebar
- Use the search bar to find by code, recipient name, or recipient email
- Filter by one or more statuses: Active, Redeemed, Expired, or Voided
- Filter by type: All, Amount, or Service
| Statistic | Description |
|---|---|
| Total Sold | Number of gift cards successfully issued |
| Total Revenue | Combined purchase value of all issued gift cards |
| Redeemed | Total amount that has been redeemed across all gift cards |
| Outstanding Balance | Total remaining balance across all active gift cards |
Viewing a gift card
Click any gift card in the list to open its detail view, which shows:- Gift card code and type
- Original amount and remaining balance
- Recipient and sender details
- Personal message (if provided)
- Purchase date and expiry date
- Status
- Full redemption history — date, amount redeemed, and appointment reference for each use
Voiding a gift card
If you need to cancel a gift card — for example, if it was purchased in error — you can void it.- Open the gift card detail page
- Click Void
- Confirm the action
Gift Card Statuses
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Active | Valid and ready to redeem — has a remaining balance |
| Redeemed | Fully used — balance has reached $0 |
| Expired | Expiry date has passed — can no longer be redeemed |
| Voided | Cancelled by staff — remaining balance forfeited |
Gift Card Summary Report
The Gift Card Summary report gives you a day-by-day breakdown of gift card activity over any date range, including cards sold, amounts redeemed, and outstanding balances. It also supports comparison mode to measure performance against a previous period or the same period last year. To access it, go to Reports > Gift Card Summary.FAQs
Q: What is the difference between an Amount and a Service gift card? A: An Amount gift card is a dollar-value card the recipient can use toward any appointment. A Service gift card gifts a specific service — its value is set to that service’s price at the time of purchase and the service name appears in the delivery email. Q: Can a gift card be used across multiple appointments? A: Yes. Gift cards support partial redemption and can be used until the balance is exhausted. Q: What if the gift card balance is more than the appointment total? A: Only the amount needed is deducted. The remaining balance stays on the gift card for future use. Q: What if the gift card balance is less than the appointment total? A: The gift card amount is applied and the remaining total is charged via another payment method (cash, card, etc.). Q: What happens when a gift card expires? A: Expired gift cards cannot be redeemed. The expiry date is shown to the recipient in their delivery email. Q: Who can void a gift card? A: Staff with the appropriate permission can void gift cards. By default, Owners and Admins have this permission. Q: Can clients see their gift card balances online? A: Yes. Clients can view all their gift cards and remaining balances from the My Gift Cards page in the online booking portal (accessible from the user menu after logging in). Q: Can clients use gift cards when booking online? A: Yes. When booking online, clients can apply a gift card at the payment step to cover the deposit or the full booking amount. If the gift card balance doesn’t cover the total, the remainder is charged via card. Q: How do I enable gift cards? A: Go to Settings > Gift Cards to enable the feature and configure your options. See Gift Card Settings.To enable and configure gift cards, see Gift Card Settings. To configure the automated delivery email sent to recipients, see Automated Messages.