- Short answer
- Yes: discount the gift card product or variant; the card keeps its full value, but collection discounts skip gift cards.
- Free card with a purchase
- A buy X get Y discount can add a gift card product as the free item.
- Compare-at price
- Not for gift cards; Shopify points you to discount codes or automatic discounts.
- Minimum on amount off products
- Purchased gift cards count only if you selected the gift card product.
- Paying with a gift card
- Works with discount codes, but can't buy another gift card.
- In reports
- Net sales from gift cards: face value minus discounts.
Which discount works on a Shopify gift card?
A product-specific discount code or automatic discount can take an amount or a percentage off a gift card, and you apply it to specific gift card products or variants: choose Amount off products, then under Applies to select Specific products and add the card.
Shopify's Discount codes FAQ confirms: most discounts can't be applied to gift cards, except a product-specific discount on the gift card product.
Collection discounts don't apply to gift card products in the collection.
- Discounts
- Create discount
- Amount off products
The card keeps its full value: in Shopify's USD example, a customer pays $80 for a $100 gift card that can be redeemed for $100.
A buy X get Y discount can also add a gift card product as the free item.
Shopify advises against using compare-at price:
The Compare-at price field shouldn't be used to discount gift cards. Instead, use discount codes or automatic discounts to reduce the price of gift card products.
How do gift cards affect your other discounts?
Whether a gift card in the cart helps a customer reach a discount's minimum depends on the discount type:
| Discount type | Purchased gift cards in the minimum |
|---|---|
| Amount off products | Only if you selected the gift card product |
| Amount off order | Excluded from the total before product discounts, included in the subtotal after them; both must meet the minimum |
| Buy X get Y, Customer buys amount | Yes, if in the products or collections you selected |
| Free shipping | Yes |
A gift card used as payment doesn't change the minimum of amount off, buy X get Y or free shipping discounts, because it applies after discounts are calculated. Gift cards can be used together with discount codes, but can't buy another gift card.
What does a discounted gift card show in your reports?
In Shopify's sales reports, selling a gift card isn't counted as a sale, because it's a liability. Shopify's finance reports show Net sales from gift cards: the face value of sold gift cards minus any discounts applied at the time of the sale; what the customer paid sits in the Payments report.
Shopify notes that liabilities such as gift cards “often require special treatment in accounting”; see how a sold card sits on your books.
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