Gift card problems. Why cant Square fix this problem we have had for YEARSSSS?

[SMW]

• MY BUSINESS IS MASSAGE. WHEN I SELL AN ITEM THAT ITEM IS FOR A "MASSAGE SESSION" AT A SET AMOUNT AND EVERYONE TIPS.  I AM CONSIDERING ELIMINATING GIFT CARDS BECAUSE OF THIS ONGOING PROBLEM AND THE VERY CUMBERSOME WORK AROUND. A GIFT CARD IS TREATED AS ANY OTHER TENDER AND THE SQUARE SYSTEM SHOULD OPERATE AS SUCH.
•  
• IF THE GC IS EQUAL TO THE ITEM/SESSION AMOUNT: 

• IT WILL NOT PROMPT FOR GRATUITY! 

• YOU HAVE TO EMBARRASSINGLY ASK THE CUSTOMER “IF THEY WISH TO PUT IT THROUGH EQUAL TO THE SESSION COST OR IF THEY WISH TO ADD ANYTHING BEFORE DOING SO” 

• IF THEY WANT TO ADD GRATUITY YOU MUST USE THE KEYPAD FUNCTION AT THE TOP LEFT. ALWAYS ENTER A “NOTE” OF “(YOUR NAME) TIP/GRATUITY” AND ENTER THE AMOUNT. 

• ONCE YOU SWIPE THE GC AS PAYMENT IT SHOULD PROMPT FOR ADDITIONAL FORM OF PAYMENT.  

• THE BACKUP OPTION IF YOU MISSED DOING THE ABOVE IS TO CREATE A 2ND SALE FOR A CUSTOM AMOUNT USING THE KEYPAD FUNCTION AS DESCRIBED ABOVE. 

AWFUL.

• IF GC IS LESS THAN ITEM/SESSION AMOUNT SQUARE WORKS PROPERLY: 

• ONCE YOU SWIPE THE GIFT CARD IT WILL PROMPT FOR GRATUITY. 

• IF THE TOTAL IS NOW MORE THAN THE GC AMOUNT IT WILL PROMPT FOR A 2ND FORM OF PAYMENT. 

• IF GC IS MORE THAN ITEM/SESSION AMOUNT:. 

• IF THE TOTAL SALE INCLUDING GRATUITY IS LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO THE GC AMOUNT THE SALE WILL GO THROUGH AND A REMAINING BALANCE WILL BE LEFT ON THE GIFT CARD AND THIS IS OKAY

• HOWEVER IF THE GC IS MORE THAN THE ITEM BUT A CUSTOMER TRIES TO ADD GRATUITY USING THE POP UP GRATUITY PROMPT AND THIS PUTS THE TOTAL SALE ABOVE THE GC AMOUNT THE SALE WILL BE DECLINED. THEREFORE YOU MUST ASK THE CUSTOMER IF THEY WISH TO ADD ANYTHING TO THE SALE BEFORE COMPLETING PAYMENT. IF YES, USE THE KEYPAD FUNCTION AS DESCRIBED ABOVE. 

 AWFUL

[Laurie_]

Hi there @SMW,

I appreciate you taking the time to pass on this detailed feedback from your experience using Square gift cards. You've certainly raised some very relevant points here and I've flagged this again with our Product Team today.

While there are some limitations to the functionality of Square gift cards, we hope to address these areas as we introduce future versions of this product, based on feedback such as this. In the meantime, I'll wait for an update from this team to confirm whether there are any available options or workarounds here.

[SMW]

I hope they actually fix it. As they can see by reading these threads this has been a problem for years that has gone unaddressed. For a company as large as Square this should be a quick fix done years ago. 

[Laurie_]

Thanks again for raising this with us, @SMW, and for your patience while our Gift Card team tests the functionality in this context.

We've had a few teams out of the office over the holiday season but I'm hoping to receive another update here shortly. As soon as this is received, I'll be sure to post another update.

[Laurie_]

Hi @SMW,

Thanks for your patience with me on this one.

I've been in conversation with the Gift Card team regarding the two main issues you have raised in using Gift Cards on your point of sale with gratuity. Together, we completed a number of tests to see if we could get around the manual workarounds but unfortunately, there isn't an elegant solution we can offer you at this time.

With this in mind, the team have added these features to their development plan and will continue to work on solutions that will be rolled out in future versions of the software. While I'm unable to share a timeline with you at this stage, this is on our radar and we will be sure to circle back to you here with updates as they are received.

In the meantime, it's completely up to you to make the best call for your business here. I want to be transparent with what we can realistically offer you at this time.

Let me know if anything else comes up!

[SMW]

Thanks for keeping us informed. It’s not your fault. However I feel it’s highly unlikely square will ever fix this problem. I’ve stopped using their gift cards and now create them manually on paper. If it’s ever corrected I will switch back.