Gift certificates

How it works

1. 1 Choose what it's worth: a dollar amount, one service or item, or a bonus card you give away free.
2. 2 Write the words in English, French or both, then pick the seal, the paper and the foil colour.
3. 3 Download numbered certificates, each with a stub for you to keep, and a log of every number and its check code.

Free, with no account. Nothing you type is sent anywhere until you download, and nothing is kept. This device remembers only the last number you printed, so the next batch carries on from it.

Good to know

Can a gift certificate expire in Ontario?

Not one sold for money. Ontario's rules say it can't carry an expiry date or fees, apart from a fee to replace a lost or stolen one or to customize it. A certificate for one specific service or item, like “one 60-minute massage”, and a card given away free as a promotion can carry dates, as long as they're printed plainly (verify). The tool writes the small print to match, and warns you if your own words add a date or a fee to one sold for money. See Ontario's page on gift cards. This is a guide, not legal advice.

Do I charge HST when I sell one?

For a certificate with a dollar value, generally not: the HST is charged on what's bought with it, when it's used. CRA explains this in guide P-202 (verify). Ask your bookkeeper about certificates for a named service, and about how to record what you sell: until a certificate is used, the money is owed to whoever holds it.

What are the number, the code and the log for?

Each certificate has its own number, and a three-letter check code drawn fresh with every download. The log lists them all, with room to note who bought each one and when it comes back. When one is handed over, find its number, check the code matches and mark it used. A photocopy carries the same number and code, so the log is what catches it: a number already marked used is turned away.

Why is the amount written out in words?

As on a cheque: “Fifty dollars” under the $50 means nobody can add a zero with a pen. Choose “Write it in” to print a blank line instead, and fill in each one, in figures and in words, as you sell it.

How should I print them?

On US Letter, at 100% or “Actual size”, not “Fit to page”. Certificates come three to a sheet: cut along the outer lines, then along the dashed line to take off the stub you keep. Heavier paper, like cover stock, feels more like a present, if your printer takes it. Wallet cards come ten to a sheet, laid out like business card stock; print one sheet on plain paper first and hold it against the stock to check they line up.

What's a bonus card for?

Bringing customers back when you're quiet. Hand them out free with purchases in the busy weeks, good for a set time when you're slow, like January 2 to the end of February. Because nobody pays for them, they can carry dates and a minimum spend, printed on the front where everyone can see them.

Is the French right?

It was written for this tool and kept short and plain, but have a French speaker read it before you print a batch. You can rewrite the title, the message and the small print in each language.