Question:  People are requesting gift certificates to help support my farm/local food business.  How do I set that up? 

This is a great way to let people support you during this time. It depends on how you take payment now, but you have some options.  

• Square, a popular way to take credit card payments, has a streamlined way to take, create, and accept gift certificates.  Square has video instructions on setting up online gift cards here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLnWgxPaj5U&feature=youtu.be.  Square also allows you to set up an online store free-of-charge, including easy to fill templates.  Transactions incur their usual fees. 

• If you already have an independent online store or accept Paypal, consider including a couple of different gift card amounts as items in your shop. 

  • Make the amount appropriate to your products, such as $10, $25, or $50.

  • Keep a sheet with the name of the customer, amount, and date purchased so you can void them as they are redeemed later. 

• Other services, like Giftly or VoucherCart, specialize in gift card sales. 

  • Giftly doesn’t carry a monthly fee but does charge between 3% to 4% per transaction.  It is geared toward cell phone and social media interactions.

  • VoucherCart offers a 30-day free trial but is at least $40 per month afterward until you cancel.

Something to keep in mind:  Because gift cards are meant for a service you will provide later, they are a liability for the business.  If gift cards become a major portion of your business, pay close attention to how many you’ve sold, since that is an obligation the business has to meet if someone redeems that card. 

The retailers listed are for reference only and are not endorsed by KCARD.  If you want to talk through your options, feel free to give us a call at 859-550-3972 or email us at kcard@kcard.info.