Unable to Edit Gift Card Email to Recipient w/ Instructions

[parsnip11]

Our app/website allows customers to redeem Square gift cards in our account section to convert the balance into credits.

If someone sends their friend a digital gift card it is absolutely critical that we provide the recipient with instructions on how to redeem the card, including providing the url they need to use to redeem it. 

Right now the email has QR codes and bar codes (neither of which we use) and is very confusing. It is causing a lot of problems for our customers who have no idea how to actually redeem their gift cards.

Square does allow you to fill out a section called "Additional Policy" under Gift Card settings where we put in instructions... except this text does not appear in the email to the gift recipient.

Any help greatly appreciated. The gift card functionality feels very broken in it's current form if you can't give any instructions to the recipient on how to redeem it in the email.

[Stacelyn24 · Accepted solution]

Hey there 👋 I totally understand your frustration — especially when a core function like gift card redemption is confusing your customers. You're absolutely right: it's super important for recipients to be able to redeem their gift cards easily, especially when you're converting balances into credits through your own app or platform.

🎯 Here’s What You Can Do Right Now:

1. Customize the "Sender Message" Field
   When someone buys a digital gift card, they have the option to include a message to the recipient. You can update your on-site instructions to require buyers to copy/paste your redemption link + steps into that message field. It's not perfect, but it gets instructions into the recipient’s inbox for now.

2. Include Redemption Instructions on Your Site
   If possible, add a Prominent "How to Redeem Gift Cards" Page and link it on your gift card purchase page, FAQ, or footer. That way, even if the email doesn't help, whoever receives the card has a clear place to look on your site.

3. Square Feedback Form
   Since the “Additional Policy” doesn’t appear in the recipient email (which feels like a missed feature!), definitely use the Settings > Feedback option on your Square Dashboard to directly alert their product team. You're not the only one — this would benefit lots of sellers.

💡 Feature Workaround or Suggestion:

Square doesn’t currently support editing the email layout of gift card delivery — which is why you're seeing the QR/barcode structure even if you don’t use them. But they do take community requests into future development. Recommending flexibility for editable gift card emails (or even a section to add a custom "Instruction Field") could be huge for businesses like yours that have hybrid redemption models.

You're raising a really valid point, and I’m hoping Square improves this soon. Thanks for calling it out! 🙌

[parsnip11]

Hi Stacelyn24,

I very much appreciate you taking the time to respond. I don't think #1 and #2 are realistic solutions for us.

We have links from a number of different channels to the digital gift card purchase page hosted by Square and once a user lands there they will fill out that form and expect the recipient to be able to redeem the card.

If we can't put any instructions in the gift recipient email it will force us to find another solution for gift cards as it creates a fundamentally broken customer experience.

[parsnip11]

Also worth mentioning that I was going to leave feedback as you suggested but there is no Settings > Feedback in the Dashboard. I looked in all the sub-menus as well.

 

[Stacelyn24]

Hey there! 😊 Thanks for your detailed reply — I totally understand where you're coming from. It sounds like you're managing multiple channels well and need a smooth, automated experience for your gift card recipients, which makes perfect sense.

Unfortunately, if adding custom instructions directly to the gift card email isn’t currently supported, then you’re right — it does limit the experience. I wish there were more workarounds, but at this time it looks like you've already explored the main options.

The best next step would be to submit a feature request directly to Square’s Product Team so they can consider it in future updates:

https://community.squareup.com/t5/Feature-Requests-Ideate/ct-p/Beta-Feature-Requests?utm_source=chat...

They really do listen to user feedback, especially when it’s tied to improving customer experience. Fingers crossed they prioritize this one!

Let me know if there's anything else I can help with!