A Gift Card is the size and shape of a common credit card, and has a standard magnetic strip on the back. Also, Gift Cards can be custom-designed to promote YOUR business, and provide valuable advertising whenever it is used.

A typical Gift Card program has the merchant offering full-color, plastic electronic gift cards instead of traditional paper gift certificates. Customers purchase these cards (using cash, check, or credit card), and the card is activated on the spot with a simple 'swipe' through the card reader. This activation records the starting dollar amount in a central, secure database. The card's magnetic strip also identifies the cardholder, card number, and merchant location for which the card has been issued.

When using the card to purchase goods or services, the Gift Card is used just like a credit or debit card, and is authorized using the same credit card system that is already in place (TheGiftCardService.com also offers an entire solution, including the authorization terminal and all equipment.) The dollar value of the purchase is subtracted from the account total in the database, the purchase is logged, and the new card value is recorded.

At any time, the card owner may "reload" the card with any dollar amount they wish... effectively transforming the "Gift" card into a "Stored Value" card. Often, a premium is offered on Gift Card value, such as a $50 reload purchase worth $60 in stored value. The card continues to function in the same way as before, with all purchases tracked by our state-of-the-art system. Users may also "reload" their cards online, using our secure website.

The stored value card system operates as real time as a closed loop debit network. Transactions, such as card activation, sales, voids and balance inquires from the point of sale, are transmitted to the Data Center. The transaction request is fulfilled or authorized, data is captured in the merchant/client database and an approval or requested information is transmitted via the POS terminal. The POS printer produces a paper receipt of each transaction, including the associated card balance, for the merchant and the customer.

Gift Card Acceptance

TheGiftCardService.com provides easy integration of gift card authorization into almost any existing system.

There's no need to change credit card companies or adjust the system already in place... our technology simply adds Gift Card functionality, instantly increasing your payment and promotion options substantially.


Detailed Reporting

All accounts include access to our custom reporting system. Reports are available 24 hours a day, and are accurate to within a few seconds. Merchants can select from a wide variety of reports, from store summaries to individual card usage within any date range. All web reports are formated using new technology to neatly print out on a standard printer for future reference.

Track and sort customer data to test the success of promotions and contests, control employee access, and help design more effective promotions. Light-years ahead of traditional paper gift certificates, Gift Cards work as an invaluable research and marketing tool, as well as creating value for your users and increasing customer loyalty.

Customers who own a Gift Card can access our consumer website to check up-to-the-minute balances on a card. Online theft reporting system allows users who have registered their card to instantly deactivate their card and apply to receive a new one when reporting a stolen card.

Most merchants can use their existing POS equipment

Equipment compatibility is an essential ingredient for gift card success. TheGiftCardService.com has helped drive the development of robust Gift and Loyalty card transaction processing software for the most popular and capable credit card terminal models with major manufacturers.

Terminals
Most popular terminal models from VeriFone (Tranz 330, 380, 460, Omni 3300, 3750), Ingenico (Elite 510, 720, 770), Hypercom (T7 First Data, ICE), Thales Talento T1 and Lipman (Nurit 2085, 3000).

Cash Register/POS Systems
Through an interface with Datacap, TheGiftCardService.com is compatible with a wide variety of POS cash register systems produced by Casio, Sharp, TEC, NCR, CRS / NEC, Samsung, Digital Dining, Maitre'D, Action Systems, DataSym, Comtrex, Pixlepoint, Vectron, Sanyo, Uniwell, and JDA.

TheGiftCardService.com is also compatible with the Micros 3700 and 8700 touch screen capable platforms.

Computer / Web Options
PC Charge Perks - From the developers of PCCharge and RiTA software. This product allows merchants to process transactions on a Pentium 20 or higher PC running Windows 98, NT, 2000, or XP, with 32 MB of RAM and a CD-ROM drive. Works as a standalone solution or alongside existing POS system.

Virtual Terminal - TheGiftCardService.com's web-based transaction interface turns any computer with an internet connection running MS Explorer into a transaction processor. Through the Virtual Terminal, demographic data can also be entered for each cardholder so that customer purchase activity can be stored, "mined" and used to target marketing offers to specific groups of customers. This capability is especially useful for Reward Card programs where tracking a customer's card use is a requirement.

POS compatibility is a continuous development priority at TheGiftCardService.com. Updates and new releases are posted to the website as they become available.