A gift voucher page that sells, while you send the codes
Selling gift vouchers online takes three things: a page that says clearly what the voucher buys and how long it lasts, a checkout that takes the money, and a way to send a code and honour it later. Anticode builds the page and its buy buttons point at your own payment link. Issuing, sending and tracking the codes stays with you, so plan that part before you publish.
What a buyer needs to know before paying
A voucher is bought by one person and used by another, often months later. The buyer worries about whether the recipient will like it and whether it will still be valid; the recipient worries about how to redeem it. Answer both on the page.
- What it buys: a set amount to spend, or a named experience ("60-minute massage", "dinner for two from the tasting menu").
- How long it lasts, as a period from purchase. Check the rules where you trade: some places set a minimum validity for gift vouchers.
- How it arrives: by email to the buyer, usually within a stated time, ready to forward or print.
- How to redeem it: book in the usual way and quote the code, or bring it on the day.
- What it can't be used for, such as other vouchers or certain dates.
- Refunds and lost codes: what happens if the email goes missing.
Taking the payment
There's one payment link per account, so every buy button on the page opens the same checkout. Set it up in your payment provider as a product list or multi-item checkout with each voucher as an option. Some providers' checkouts can ask for extra details; if yours can, use it to collect the recipient's name and a short message so you can personalise the voucher. If it doesn't, ask the buyer to reply to the receipt with those details.
| Type | Works well for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed amounts (three or four values) | Shops, cafes, salons with many services | Leftover balances: decide whether you track them or not |
| Named experience | Spas, restaurants, classes, tours | Price rises: say whether the voucher covers the experience or its value at purchase |
| Pay what you choose | Small studios where any amount is welcome | Not every checkout supports it; check your provider |
Issuing and tracking codes yourself
This is the part people forget. Anticode doesn't generate voucher codes, email them, or check them at the till. You'll do that from the payment notifications you already receive. A simple routine that works for small volumes:
- Keep a spreadsheet with one row per voucher: code, amount or experience, buyer, recipient, date sold, expiry, date redeemed.
- When a payment notification arrives, add a row and make up a code that's hard to guess, such as initials plus a random number.
- Email the voucher to the buyer, as a PDF or an image, with the code, the expiry and how to book.
- When the voucher is used, fill in the redeemed date so it can't be used twice.
- Once a month, check for vouchers about to expire and send a friendly reminder.
Say on the page how quickly you'll send the voucher, and be realistic: "within one working day" is better than a promise of instant delivery that relies on you being at your desk. The sell gift vouchers online workflow goes through the routine in more detail.
Building the page with Anticode
Describe it, for example "a gift voucher page for our day spa with three treatment vouchers, a buy button and how to redeem". The Architect plans the sections and may ask what look you want. The buy button then points at the checkout link you created with Stripe Payment Links, PayPal, Gumroad, Lemon Squeezy, Shopify or Whop. Add a contact form underneath for questions such as corporate orders; it asks for a name, email and message. The page can sit on its own or as one section of your main site, and it can be published on your own domain on a paid plan.
Upload a photo of a printed voucher or the treatment room so buyers see what they're giving. The add a buy button to your website guide explains setting up the link.
What Anticode doesn't do here
- No voucher codes: none are generated, sent, validated or tracked.
- No balances: partial redemptions are yours to record.
- No on-page checkout: payment happens on your provider's page.
- No delivery scheduling, such as sending the voucher on a birthday. Send it yourself on the day, or let the buyer forward it.
- If you sell vouchers in volume, a booking or till system with built-in gift cards may suit better; link to it from your site.
Questions people ask
Can a buyer choose any amount?
Only if your payment provider's checkout supports customer-chosen amounts. Otherwise offer a few fixed values.
Can the voucher be emailed straight to the recipient?
Not automatically. Ask for the recipient's email at checkout or by reply, and send it yourself.
How do I stop a code being used twice?
Record each redemption in your spreadsheet as it happens and check it before accepting a code.