How to Sell Booking Gift Cards and Hold Deposits
Why gift vouchers and deposits get messy for booking businesses
Salons, studios, rental shops and activity providers sell gift vouchers and take deposits, but often on paper or in a separate payments tool. The voucher number is checked by eye, the balance is remembered by staff, and deposits are refunded from memory weeks later.
The problems are predictable. A guest arrives with a voucher nobody can verify. A partly used voucher is accepted twice. A damage deposit is refunded in full because the note about the scratched equipment never reached the person processing refunds, or it is kept with no record of why.
Gift cards and deposits belong on the booking record: a code checked by the system, a balance that updates when it is used, a deposit held and released with a recorded reason, and refunds that go back the way the money came.
Why this happens
- Voucher codes are handwritten and checked by eye.
- Balances are tracked in a notebook.
- Deposits are refunded from memory.
- Damage amounts kept are not recorded.
- Gift card money is booked as income on the day it is sold.
Biznsbook addresses this through booking gift cards with codes, gift card redemption at the desk and online, security deposit hold and release, deposit refunds through Stripe on the booking record, so the code, the balance and every refund are checked by the system.
Small gaps in bookings rarely fail loudly. They show up later as numbers nobody can explain. Recording each step where it happens removes the guesswork.
Step-by-step: Sell Booking Gift Cards and Hold Deposits
Written for front desks and owners of salons, studios, rental and activity businesses using Biznsbook Booking.
- Sell the gift card. In Bookings → Gift cards, enter the amount, who bought it, who it is for and an optional expiry, then Sell gift card. The code looks like GC-ABCD-EFGH.
- Email it straight away. Tick E-mail it to them now with the recipient's address. The email has the value, the code, the message, the expiry and, when your public page is on, a link to book. E-mail it again is on the card's page.
- Redeem at the desk. Open the booking, Record a payment, choose Gift card and type the code. The card pays what it holds up to what the booking owes; take the rest another way.
- Let guests redeem online. Guests type the code in Gift card code when they book on your public page. A booking held for a deposit is confirmed once the card covers it; a wrong code never loses the booking.
- Hold a security deposit. Hold a security deposit on the booking, separate from the booking deposit. You can hold one at a time; release it before taking another.
- Release and keep damages. On release you can keep a damage amount, which needs the Refund permission.
- Refund the right way. Refunds return deposit money up to what was paid minus any fee kept. Card deposits refund through Stripe first, then the ledger. Once a booking is invoiced, refund through the invoice instead.
Review results after the first full monthly cycle. Adjust roles, mappings, or approvals where the same exception repeats.
Screen-level flows live in the Help Center. This guide focuses on the business process; help articles cover click-by-click navigation.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Mistake 1: Voucher codes are handwritten and checked by eye. Repeating this each month usually shows up first in vouchers accepted twice and deposits refunded wrongly.
- Mistake 2: Balances are tracked in a notebook. Repeating this each month usually shows up first in vouchers accepted twice and deposits refunded wrongly.
- Mistake 3: Deposits are refunded from memory. Repeating this each month usually shows up first in vouchers accepted twice and deposits refunded wrongly.
- Mistake 4: Damage amounts kept are not recorded. Repeating this each month usually shows up first in vouchers accepted twice and deposits refunded wrongly.
- Mistake 5: Gift card money is booked as income on the day it is sold. Repeating this each month usually shows up first in vouchers accepted twice and deposits refunded wrongly.
Each of these turns into a question the front desk cannot answer quickly. Fix the process on the record rather than in email threads or spreadsheets.
Best practices that hold up as you scale
- Sell the gift card — In Bookings → Gift cards, enter the amount, who bought it, who it is for and an optional expiry, then Sell gift card.
- Email it straight away — Tick E-mail it to them now with the recipient's address.
- Redeem at the desk — Open the booking, Record a payment, choose Gift card and type the code.
- Let guests redeem online — Guests type the code in Gift card code when they book on your public page.
- Hold a security deposit — Hold a security deposit on the booking, separate from the booking deposit.
Email gift cards from Biznsbook rather than writing codes by hand, and release security deposits as part of completing the booking.
How Biznsbook supports this workflow
booking gift cards with codes is part of Biznsbook and works on the same records as the rest of bookings, so the decision, the stock and the books stay in step and every action is recorded with who did it and when.
gift card redemption at the desk and online is part of Biznsbook and works on the same records as the rest of bookings, so the decision, the stock and the books stay in step and every action is recorded with who did it and when.
security deposit hold and release is part of Biznsbook and works on the same records as the rest of bookings, so the decision, the stock and the books stay in step and every action is recorded with who did it and when.
deposit refunds through Stripe is part of Biznsbook and works on the same records as the rest of bookings, so the decision, the stock and the books stay in step and every action is recorded with who did it and when.
Cancelling a gift card and refunding or keeping deposit money need the Refund permission. Card deposits need your Stripe account connected.
Suggested implementation timeline
- Week 1: Set up booking gift cards with codes and the permissions the people involved need.
- Week 2: Run the real process in Biznsbook only, with no side spreadsheet, for one team or site.
- Week 3: Review what was recorded with the people involved and tighten the rules where they disagreed.
- Month 2: Roll out to every team or site.
- Ongoing: Reviewing gift cards and deposits each month.
Protecting gift cards from guessing
Gift card codes are long and random, and the public booking page limits how many wrong codes one address can try: after five wrong codes in 15 minutes, further codes are not tried for a while. A guest who mistypes is told and can pay the usual way, so the booking is never lost.
Staff can look up a balance on the Gift cards page at any time, and each card's page shows its history and lets you email it again. Setting an expiry is optional; check your local rules before you use one.
Booking gift cards are sold and spent in Booking. Deposits are separate from gift cards: a booking deposit secures the slot, while a security deposit covers damage and is released after the visit. Refunding deposit money needs the Refund permission, and store credit can be used for a refund when there is a customer on the booking and POS is licensed.
Metrics to track monthly
- Gift card value still outstanding
- Deposits held on completed bookings
- Damage amounts kept and their reasons
- Wrong gift card codes tried online
Start with three metrics; trend direction matters more than a single point-in-time snapshot.
Manual workarounds vs Biznsbook
Compare common manual workarounds with Biznsbook booking gift cards with codes and the related capabilities.
| Capability | Manual / Spreadsheet | Biznsbook |
|---|---|---|
| Gift card code | ❌ Handwritten voucher | ✅ GC- code checked by the system |
| Balance | ❌ Remembered by staff | ✅ Updated on every use; look up any time |
| Online redemption | ❌ Not possible | ✅ Code typed on the public booking page |
| Accounting at sale | ❌ Booked as income | ✅ Held as a customer advance until spent |
| Security deposit | ❌ Refunded from memory | ✅ Held and released on the booking |
| Damage kept | ❌ No record | ✅ Damage amount recorded on release |
Reviewing gift cards and deposits each month
Once a month, list gift cards still holding value and those close to expiry, and check deposits still held on completed bookings. Release deposits that should have gone back, and read the reasons recorded for any damage kept.
Write the gift card and deposit rules into your front-desk procedures.
Frequently asked questions
Can guests use a gift card when they book online?
Yes. They type the code in Gift card code on your public booking page; it pays up to what the booking owes, and a wrong code never loses the booking.
Does the code need dashes?
No. Codes work in any case, with or without dashes.
What happens if a gift card is cancelled?
Cancel card hands back what is left on it and needs the Refund permission.
How are gift cards accounted for?
With Accounting, the sale is held as a customer advance until the card is spent.
Can I hold two security deposits on one booking?
No. Hold one at a time and release it before taking another.
How do card deposit refunds work?
Card deposits refund through Stripe first, then the ledger. Once the booking is invoiced, refund through the invoice with a sale return or credit note.
How this differs by industry
Retail
Salons and spas sell gift cards over the counter at holiday time and email them straight to the recipient with a link to book.
Wholesale & distribution
Equipment and venue rental businesses hold a security deposit per booking and record what was kept for damage on release.
Manufacturing
Workshop and studio spaces that rent benches or machines use security deposits and keep a recorded damage amount when tools come back broken.