If you sell gift cards in WooCommerce, you create them as an Advanced Gift Card product. This guide shows you how to set up a simple or variable gift card, and when Cash on Delivery orders issue the code.
You can create two types of gift cards:
- Advanced Gift Card
- Variable Advanced Gift Card
Prerequisites
- WooCommerce installed and active
- Advanced Gift Cards for WooCommerce installed and active
Advanced Gift Card
Use this product type for a gift card with one fixed value. Creating it works the same way as creating a simple product.
- Go to Products → Add New.
- Enter a product name and description.
- In the Product data dropdown, select Advanced Gift Card.
- Fill in the gift card options described below.
- Click Publish.
Once you select Advanced Gift Card, the following options appear.
Gift Card Value
Set the value of the gift card. Once the gift card is redeemed, its value becomes store credit on the customer’s account.
Giftable
Decide whether customers can send the gift card to someone else.
With Giftable ticked, customers see a Send To Friend option on the product page and enter the recipient’s details.
With Giftable unticked, customers can only buy the gift card for themselves.
Allow customers to set a custom delivery date
This option only appears when Giftable is ticked. It lets the buyer choose when the gift card email is sent.
Gift Card Expiry
Set an expiry for the gift card, or leave it off so the card does not expire.
Gift Card Design
Gift cards are virtual. The customer receives an email after purchase, with the card image at the top of the email. There is no physical card.
Three standard designs ship with the plugin:
- Gift Card For You
- Happy Birthday To You
- Thank You
To use your own artwork, click Select image and pick an existing image from the media library or upload a new one. A product can hold only one image, so create a separate gift card product for each design.
Gift Card Email Preview
Click Preview Gift Card Email to see what the customer receives. Set the gift card value first, or the preview will not render.
The email includes the gift card value, the claim code, and instructions for claiming it.
This is how the gift card appears on the product page.
Variable Advanced Gift Card
Use this product type to offer one gift card at several different amounts, instead of creating a separate product for each amount. It works the same way as a variable product.
- Go to Products → Add New and enter a name and description.
- In the Product data dropdown, select Variable Advanced Gift Card.
- Open the Attributes tab and add the gift card values you want to offer.
- Tick Visible on the product page and Used for variations.
- Click Save attributes.
- Open the Variations tab.
- Click Generate variations.
One collapsible section appears per variation. Three attribute values give you three variations.
- Click Edit on a variation.
- Set its description, price, and gift card options.
- Repeat for every variation.
Each variation takes the same gift card options described in the Advanced Gift Card section above.
Troubleshooting
The buyer used Cash on Delivery and has no gift card code yet
Mark the order Completed after you collect payment. Cash on Delivery orders do not issue a gift card while the status is Processing.
Frequently asked questions
When is a purchased gift card issued?
The plugin creates the gift card when the order reaches a paid status, usually Processing or Completed.
What happens if the customer pays with Cash on Delivery?
Cash on Delivery orders do not issue a gift card while the order is Processing. The card is created only when you mark the order Completed, after you have collected payment. There is no separate “hold until paid” setting. If you do not want COD used with gift cards, turn Cash on Delivery off in WooCommerce payment settings.
Need help?
If you have a question or run into any issues, we’re here to help.
- Premium users: Open a support ticket
- Free users: Visit our community forum
