4. Add eGift Cards

Create a Giftnote-compatible gift card product and template, check it shows as Active, and set expiry, fulfilment and code format.

Written By Giftnote Team

Last updated 29 minutes ago

Shopify's built-in gift cards don't work with Giftnote. As the app puts it: "Shopify's own native gift card products are detected too, but can't be turned into Giftnote gift cards — Giftnote gift cards need to be created as regular products first." Here's how to set up a compatible version, using a regular product and a dedicated theme template.

Settings → Gift Cards, where you add the gift card widgets to your theme.

1. Create a new product page template

If your store uses Online Store 2.0:

  1. Open the theme editor. Go to Online Store > Themes > Customize.
  2. Create the template. Use the template picker at the top to create a new product template called gift-card.
  3. Add the Giftnote block. In that template, select Add block, search for "giftnote", open the Apps tab and choose Gift Card Message. This is the name shown under Storefront widgets in Settings → Overview.
  4. Style it. Colours, font and light or dark mode are set in the Style settings of the Giftnote Control Panel app embed.
  5. Optional: add Check balance. Add the Check balance block so customers can check their gift card balance.
  6. Check the app embed. Make sure the Giftnote Control Panel app embed is turned on.

If you're not using Online Store 2.0, or your theme doesn't support templates, chat with us using the chat button in the app or in the help centre and we'll help you add the gift card option to your theme.

2. Create the gift card product

  1. Add a product. Go to Shopify > Products > Add product. Create it from scratch rather than converting an existing product.
  2. Describe it. Name it (for example "Digital Gift Card") and add an image and description.
  3. Assign the template. Assign the new gift-card template to the product (Online Store 2.0).
  4. Make it digital. Untick This is a physical product.
  5. Turn off inventory tracking. Disable Track inventory.
  6. Add variants. Under Variants, add option name Amount with values such as 25, 50, 100. Make sure the prices match the values. The selected variant price is the amount the gift card is issued for.
  7. Save and activate. Click Save and set the product to Active.

Settings don't inherit from the parent product. Check the physical-product and inventory settings on every variant.

Selling in more than one currency?
Gift cards are issued in the currency the customer checks out in. Set fixed gift card prices for each market in Shopify Markets, not in Giftnote. Otherwise Shopify converts the price and the issued amount can be an uneven exchange-rate value.

3. Confirm it's working in Giftnote

  1. Open your gift card products. In the Giftnote app, go to Settings → Gift Cards and click Manage gift card products.
  2. Check the status. Your new gift card product should be listed as Active. Giftnote uses the products configured on this page. It doesn't need a particular vendor name.

What if it's not Active?

  • Inactive: "Inactive products will not process new gift cards correctly." The page doesn't show the reason. Click Open in Shopify and check the product against step 2. If it still shows Inactive, chat with us.
  • Shopify gift card — not supported: this is a native Shopify gift card product. Create a regular product instead, as in step 2.
  • Not listed at all? Check Detected products further down the page: "Products in your store that look like Giftnote gift cards but haven't been added yet." Click Refresh to scan again. If your product shows under Detected products but not in your gift card products list, chat with us and we'll help you add it.

4. Configure gift card settings

In the Giftnote app, go to Settings → Gift Cards → Advanced Settings to configure how your gift cards behave:

  • Expiry: how long a gift card is valid after it's issued. Off by default.
  • Auto Fulfill: Giftnote marks gift card orders fulfilled in Shopify as soon as they finish processing. Recommended for ERP or 3PL setups. Turn it off if someone needs to check orders first, for example for fraud review.
  • Allow Discounts: with this off, a discounted gift card purchase issues the card only for what the customer actually paid after the discount (when that is more than $0).
  • Code Format: maximum code length (8–20 characters), plus an optional prefix and suffix, with a live preview.

You no longer need to attach the recipient to the gift card in Shopify. Giftnote does it automatically.

Need help?

Chat with us using the chat button in the app or in the help centre, or email support@giftnote.com. Not sure if your theme supports templates? We'll help you set it up.