Gift Cards allow your organization to sell gift cards that patrons can purchase online or at the Box Office and redeem toward eligible purchases through On The Stage.
With Gift Cards, you can:
Sell gift cards online or in person.
Offer preset or custom gift card amounts.
Personalize gift cards with your organization's image and description.
Send gift cards immediately or schedule delivery for a future date.
Track gift card balances, purchases, and redemption history.
Resend gift card emails, update recipient information, and re-issue gift card codes when needed.
Before you begin: Gift Cards are available to organizations on the Plus plan using OTS Payments.
Setting Up Gift Cards
Before patrons can purchase gift cards, you'll need to configure your organization's gift card settings.
From your On The Stage dashboard, navigate to Additional Revenue > Gift Cards.
Select the Setup tab. If you haven't configured gift cards yet, click Go to Gift Card Setup.
Under Amounts, enter the preset gift card amounts you'd like to offer.
To let patrons choose their own amount, enable Allow custom amounts and enter a minimum and maximum amount.
Under Appearance, upload an image, square images are recommended for best display, and enter an optional description (up to 200 characters).
Click Save changes.
Once your settings are saved, the Gift Cards tab will appear on your organization's show sites and organization site.
Note: You must configure at least one preset amount or enable custom amounts before saving your settings. Preset and custom amounts must be whole number values.
Adding Gift Cards to Your Website
You can also embed the gift card purchasing experience directly on your organization's website.
Navigate to Website > Widget Configuration.
Select the Gift Cards tab.
Locate the Embed Code section.
Click Copy Code.
Paste the code into your organization's website.
Selling Gift Cards at the Box Office
Box Office staff can sell gift cards directly from the Purchase screen without selecting a production.
Navigate to Box Office > Purchase.
Expand the Gift Cards section.
Select a preset amount or enter a custom amount, if enabled.
Enter the recipient's name and email address.
Add an optional personal message.
Choose Send Now to send immediately after purchase or Schedule to select a future delivery date and time.
Click Add to Cart.
Proceed to checkout and complete the purchase using Cash/Check or Credit Card.
You can add multiple gift cards to the same order.
Important: Gift cards must be purchased separately from tickets, donations, merchandise, and other items. Promotional codes cannot be applied to gift card purchases.
The recipient will receive an email containing their gift card code when the card is delivered.
How Patrons Purchase Gift Cards Online
Once gift cards are configured, patrons can purchase them through the Gift Cards tab on your organization's show sites or organization site, or through an embedded gift card widget.
To purchase a gift card, patrons:
Open the Gift Cards tab.
Select a gift card amount or enter a custom amount, if available.
Enter the recipient's name and email address.
Add an optional personal message.
Choose whether to send the gift card immediately or schedule delivery.
Click Continue and proceed to checkout.
Complete payment using a credit card or an available express checkout method.
The purchaser receives an order confirmation, and the recipient receives the gift card email with their redemption code.
Note: Gift card purchases cannot be combined with other items in the same order.
Viewing and Managing Sold Gift Cards
You can view all gift cards sold by your organization from the dashboard.
Navigate to Additional Revenue > Gift Cards.
Open the Gift Cards tab.
Use the delivery filters to view All, Delivered, Scheduled, or Bounced gift cards.
Search by the buyer's name, recipient's name, or the last four characters of the gift card code.
Click a gift card to view its details.
Each gift card includes:
Original amount and remaining balance
Purchase and delivery dates
Buyer and recipient information
Recipient email and delivery status
Full gift card code
Gift card activity and redemption history
Understanding Gift Card Statuses
Status | Meaning |
Active | The gift card has a remaining balance. |
Fully redeemed | The gift card balance is $0.00. |
Expired | The gift card has passed its expiration date (UK organizations only). |
Gift cards also have a separate delivery status:
Delivery Status | Meaning |
Delivered | The gift card email was successfully delivered. |
Sent | The email was sent, but delivery has not yet been confirmed. |
Scheduled | The gift card is scheduled for future delivery. |
Bounced | The gift card email could not be delivered. |
Important: Scheduled gift cards cannot be redeemed until their gift email has been delivered.
Resending or Updating a Gift Card
If a patron hasn't received their gift card, you can manage delivery directly from the gift card's details page.
Resend a Gift Card Email
Navigate to Additional Revenue > Gift Cards.
Find and open the gift card.
Confirm the recipient's email address.
Click Resend Gift Email.
Confirm by clicking Resend.
Change the Recipient's Email Address
If the gift card was sent to the wrong address:
Open the gift card's details page.
Click Change Recipient Email.
Enter the correct email address.
Click Save.
Click Resend Gift Email to send the gift card to the updated address.
Important: Changing the recipient's email does not automatically resend the gift card. You must complete both actions.
The recipient's email cannot be changed after the gift card has been partially or fully redeemed.
Change a Scheduled Delivery
For gift cards that haven't been sent yet:
Open the gift card's details page.
Click Change Delivery Date.
Select the new delivery date and time.
Click Save.
To deliver the gift card immediately instead, click Send Now and confirm.
Re-issue a Gift Card Code
If a gift card code has been shared or compromised, you can generate a replacement.
Open the gift card's details page.
Click Re-issue Card.
Enter an optional reason.
Confirm by clicking Re-issue.
The previous code will immediately become invalid, and a new code will be emailed to the recipient. The gift card's remaining balance and purchase history will remain unchanged.
Accepting Gift Cards at the Box Office
Patrons can use gift cards to pay for eligible purchases at the Box Office.
Navigate to Box Office > Purchase.
Add the patron's items to the cart.
Proceed to checkout.
Enter or select the patron's email address.
Under Select Checkout Method, choose Gift card.
Open the gift card dropdown and select the appropriate card.
Click Apply.
Review the applied amount and remaining balance.
Click Pay with Gift Card.
The dropdown displays eligible gift cards associated with the email entered on the patron's checkout information.
What if the Gift Card Doesn't Cover the Full Purchase?
If split payments are available for the order, the gift card balance can be applied first.
After selecting Pay with Gift Card, click Add Another Payment to collect the remaining amount using an available payment method.
If split payments aren't supported for that order, the patron will need to use a different payment method or a gift card with sufficient funds.
How Patrons Redeem Gift Cards Online
Patrons can also redeem gift cards during online checkout.
Add eligible items to the cart.
Continue to the Payment & Billing step.
Expand Have a gift card?
Enter the gift card code.
Click Apply.
Complete checkout.
If the gift card covers the full purchase, no additional payment information is required.
If a balance remains due, the patron can pay the difference using a credit card.
Please note:
Only one gift card can be applied per online order.
Gift cards cannot be used to purchase other gift cards.
Gift cards cannot be applied to recurring memberships or recurring donations.
Express checkout options are unavailable once a gift card has been applied.
Viewing Gift Cards on Patron Profiles
Gift card recipients are automatically added as contacts and assigned a Gift Card Recipient tag.
To view a patron's gift cards:
Open the patron's profile.
Select the Gift Cards tab.
Review the gift cards they've received, including their statuses and remaining balances.
Click a gift card to open its details.
The patron's Overview also displays a Gift Card Balance tile showing the combined remaining balance of their active gift cards.
Gift Card Refunds
When an order paid for with a gift card is refunded, the refunded gift card amount is returned to the original gift card.
To refund an eligible order:
Open the order.
Click Process Refund.
Select the eligible items or refund option.
Confirm the refund.
The returned amount will appear in the gift card's balance and activity history.
Important: Gift card purchases themselves cannot be refunded through the standard refund workflow. The Process Refund option is disabled on gift card purchase orders.
For orders paid using both a gift card and another payment method, refunds must be processed as a full-order refund, with each payment returned to its original method.
Troubleshooting Common Gift Card Issues
A patron hasn't received their gift card
Check the gift card's delivery status.
Scheduled: The gift card hasn't been sent yet. Review the scheduled delivery date.
Bounced: Update the recipient's email address and resend the gift card.
Delivered: Ask the recipient to check their spam or junk folder, or resend the gift email.
A gift card code isn't working
Verify that:
The gift card has been delivered.
The code was entered correctly.
The gift card hasn't been re-issued.
The gift card has a remaining balance.
You can review the current code and activity history from the gift card's details page.
The Gift Card payment option isn't available
Gift card payments may be unavailable if:
The order contains a gift card purchase.
The order contains a recurring membership.
The order contains only drop-shipped merchandise.
A valid patron email hasn't been entered at Box Office checkout.
Gift Cards aren't appearing in the dashboard
Confirm that your organization:
Has an active Plus plan.
Uses OTS Payments (Express Stripe Connect).
Has completed and saved its gift card setup.
If your organization previously had access to Gift Cards but can no longer access the feature, contact On The Stage Support.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do gift cards expire?
Gift cards do not expire for US organizations. UK organizations can configure expiration settings during setup.
Can patrons purchase multiple gift cards at once?
Yes. Patrons can add multiple gift cards to a single gift card order.
Can gift cards be used toward tickets, merchandise, or donations?
Yes. Gift cards can be applied toward eligible tickets, add-ons, merchandise, one-time subscriptions, and one-time donations.
Can a gift card be partially redeemed?
Yes. Any unused balance remains available for future eligible purchases.
Can gift cards be canceled or deactivated?
There is no standard option to cancel or deactivate an issued gift card. If a code has been compromised, you can re-issue the card to invalidate the previous code.