Using Gift Cards Between Different Accounts

[SOVAFarm]

I recently purchased gift cards for use by customers at farmers markets. My wife and I have different charging accounts on square but both transfer into the same bank account. I have issued gift cards to customers which work fine. However, when they go to another farmers market and my wife tries to charge on the customers gift card, that I issued, the charge reads "Invalid". How can I resolve this problem resulting in calmer customers? Thank you.

[ryanwanner · Accepted solution]

Hello @SOVAFarm !

Gift cards are only linked to the account that created them, so yes they will work for you but not on your wife's account. As far as I know, there's no way to share cards across different accounts.

One thing you may look into is setting up a different location under your account for your wife instead of two accounts. Gift cards can be shared amongst locations logged into the same account. All reporting can be by location so you'll still get to see the different metrics. The only problem could be if your wife has a separate EIN for her business. If so, then unfortunately there's no automated way to do this. 

The only other option would be to have another device at her markets logged into your account. If someone wants to pay with your GC at her market, she could use your device to redeem the card and use the "Other Gift Card" payment type on her account. Won't lie, the accounting is going to get messy.

More info on creating locations. 

[SOVAFarm]

Thank you Ryan - much appreciated.

[VanKalkerFarms]

the only way I have seen that gift cards can work across different businesses is when they are part of a franchise which is a whole different thing to be setup in Square with, think Subway where a gift card needs to work anywhere. other wuare ase Ryan is right that it will not work betwoeen differcent Square accounts.

Locations might be your best best option, that is how we ran our different farm markets.  each farmers market had its own location in Square, all you had to do was log into the right one each morning depending on where you are.

[Pintuna]

Hello @SOVAFarm, this is Ashwin from Pintuna, we are a Square trusted partner. Pintuna gift card app is tightly integrated with Square POS system and works across multiple Square accounts.

We have several Square sellers like yourself that use our gift card app to process gift cards across several Square accounts to provide a seamless experience to their customers.

Happy to chat and demo the app(s), if interested just pick a time that works for you - https://calendly.com/pintuna/30min

[Candlestore]

@SOVAFarm ;

The other thing you could create is different Device codes.  The only issue is that if you sell say Produce only in your account and your wife has Craft type items.   You may need to have say your account catalog show both Produce and her Craft items available for sale. 

Now with Locations you can have that Produce is only Sold for your Location and Craft items are only Sold at her Location.  With the device code you can still see reports for which Device sold what even if its mixed and matched of Produce and Crafts.  Locations will be an added Monthly Fee and Device codes are at no cost.

Here is more on Device Codes : 8339-set-up-device-codes 

Here is more on Locations : 8119-add-and-authorize-locations-with-square-for-franchises 

The Location Fee I can not find but found this from AI in a Google search of "Does Square add a Fee if you add a Location(s)?"

AI Overview

Yes, Square can add a fee per additional location depending on the specific Square plan and the number of locations. Some plans have a set fee for each location, while others might have a tiered structure. It's best to check the "Pricing & subscriptions" page in your Square Dashboard or the specific plan details for accurate information. 

Here's a more detailed breakdown:

• Location-based fees:

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  Some Square plans charge a flat fee for each additional location you add to your account. 
• Review your plan details:

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  To understand the exact fees associated with multiple locations, you should review your specific Square plan details, which can be found in your Square Dashboard under "Account & Settings" > "Pricing & subscriptions". 
• Per-transaction fees:

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  Square also charges per-transaction fees for processing payments, which vary depending on the payment method (e.g., swipe, chip, contactless). These fees are separate from any potential location-based fees. 
• No hidden fees:

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  Square emphasizes that they do not have hidden fees, and the per-transaction fees are transparent. However, it's important to understand the potential location-based fees if you are adding multiple locations.