The Small Business Guide To Square Gift Cards

Square gift cards are an easy, affordable way to drive sales and attract new customers.

You can sell, redeem, and reload both physical and digital gift cards in-store or online. They also integrate seamlessly with Square Loyalty, helping you reward repeat customers.

In this guide, we’ll cover how Square gift cards work, what they cost, and how to set them up so you can start selling in minutes.

What Are Square Gift Cards For Small Business?

Square gift cards let customers prepay for your products or services, whether they’re buying for themselves or someone else. You can sell physical gift cards in person or eGift cards online through your Square POS or Square Online store.

Gift cards can be used for promotions, giveaways, or customer loyalty rewards, and Square makes it easy to design, sell, and track them all in one place.

Square’s eGift card program is free, and physical gift cards are affordably priced. There are no extra integrations needed to start creating, selling, or redeeming them.

Square Gift Card Pricing

Square’s competitive gift card pricing makes it easy for small businesses to offer both physical and digital options without breaking the bank. Costs depend on the type of card, order size, and level of customization.

Square Physical Gift Cards

Square’s competitive gift card pricing makes it easy for small businesses to offer both physical and digital options without breaking the bank. Costs depend on the type of card, order size, and level of customization.

Square offers three physical gift card options:

• Starter Pack: 20 predesigned cards for $1.50 each
• Quick Card: Minimum 75 cards with your business name added, starting at $0.65 each.
• Custom Card: Minimum 75 cards with your own artwork, starting at $0.50 each.

Each order includes printing, encoding, magstripe, numbering, and transaction setup.

Standard Square processing fees apply when customers buy gift cards:

• Swiped/Dipped/Tapped: 2.4% - 2.6% + $0.15
• Keyed-In/Card On File: 3.5% + $0.15

You’ll also pay a load fee of up to 2.5% when funds are added to a physical or digital gift card.

Square eGift Cards

Square eGift cards are free to set up. You only pay a processing fee when a card is sold.

• Online Orders: 2.9% - 3.3% + $0.30 per card sold through your online page
• In-App Orders: 2.4% - 2.6% + $0.15 for in-person transactions; 3.5% + $0.15 for keyed-in or saved cards.

How To Promote Square eGift Cards & Physical Cards

Once your Square gift cards are ready, the next step is promoting them. Square makes it easy to market both eGift and physical cards using built-in tools and your existing marketing channels.

1. Email Marketing

Use email to announce and promote your new gift cards. Square offers free email marketing for eGift cards.

From your Square Dashboard, navigate to Customers>Marketing>Campaigns. Next, select Create Campaign, then choose Email. Scroll down, and you’ll see the option to Promote eGift Cards. Select Design, and proceed with customizing your email.

Tip: You’ll need to set up your eGift cards before creating your campaign.

2. Signage

If you have a physical location, display signage that lets customers know gift cards are available.

A small countertop sign works, but prominent banners or branded displays can boost visibility even more. Place physical cards near checkout to encourage impulse buys.

3. Social Media Marketing

Announce your new gift cards on social media with a clear call to action and a compelling photo, like your card display, seasonal decor, or products that can be purchased with the card.

Include links for eGift purchases to drive online sales.

4. SMS Marketing

Square’s text message marketing is an add-on feature that lets you send quick promotions directly to your customers.

SMS campaigns are perfect for announcing new gift cards, sharing limited-time offers, or reminding loyal customers to shop.

5. Give & Get Local

Square automatically lists participating eGift card sellers on Give & Get Local, Square’s free online directory where customers can find local businesses offering eGift cards.

If you’d prefer not to appear in the directory, you can opt out by contacting Square support.

How To Set Up & Load Square Gift Cards

There are two different ways to set up and load gift cards based on whether you’re using eGift cards or traditional gift cards. Here’s how to set up each type of Square gift card for your small business.

Set Up & Load Physical Square Gift Cards

Purchasing, setting up, and loading physical Square gift cards can be done directly through Square in just a few easy steps. Here’s how:

Set Up & Load Square eGift Cards

Setting up Square eGift cards can be done in just minutes from your Square dashboard. Here’s how to get started.

How To Check Square Gift Card Balance

You or your customers can check a Square gift card balance in two ways: through the Square POS app or via your unique eGift card link.

Check Square Gift Card Balance Through Square POS

Step 1: Open The Square POS App

From your Square POS app, go to Library>Gift Cards. If you have a barcode scanner, you can also scan the gift card barcode.

Step 2: Enter The Gift Card Number

Manually enter the 16-digit number, swipe the card, or scan the QR code. The balance will appear in the app next to the card’s last four digits.

Step 3: Reload Or Clear The Gift Card

From this screen, you can reload funds or clear the balance if needed.

Check Square Gift Card Balance Using Your Unique Link

Customers can view their balance anytime using your store’s unique Square eGift card link — the same one they receive after purchasing an eGift card.

To make it easy for them to find:

• Add the link to your website, email campaigns, or social media pages.
• You can locate it in your Square Dashboard under Payments>Gift Cards>eGift Cards>Configure.