Decide what you are issuing.
A discount reduces the price under defined conditions. A gift card represents value someone has bought or received. The same visible amount can behave differently for partial use, remaining balance and customer support. Choose the intended model before creating the product.
WooCommerce Gift Cards is a specific digital gift-card extension. Its behaviour should not be described as something every WooCommerce installation already has. A printed voucher or PDF product can require another delivery and redemption route.
Follow the buyer and recipient separately.
The buyer pays; the recipient may be someone else and may receive the gift later. Check the recipient address, message and delivery moment, along with the event that activates the value. A failed payment should not quietly become usable gift credit.
Test a misspelled address and a support request using the chosen system’s documented process. Decide who can view, resend or change the gift. Avoid exposing a usable code in public screenshots or support posts.
Two purchases should leave one understandable balance.
This fictional example starts with €50 of active gift value and no expiry or other restriction. It illustrates the balance calculation, not a legal or tax treatment.
| Event | Value used | Remaining value |
|---|---|---|
| Active gift issued | €0 | €50 |
| First qualifying purchase | €18 | €32 |
| Second qualifying purchase | €27 | €5 |
| Later purchase of €12 | €5 from gift + €7 other payment | €0 |
Test what happens after the first redemption.
Check partial redemption, a basket larger than the remaining value and the customer’s ability to find the balance. For returns, follow the chosen extension’s documented credit and refund process; do not assume every system restores the same balance automatically.
Keep the issue event and each redemption traceable. Before changing gift-card systems, reconcile existing balances, codes and transactions through a supported migration process. A new gift product does not transfer historical value by itself.