Gift Cards

Gift Cards on the Verifone Commander let a site sell, activate, recharge, and accept prepaid gift cards at the register and at the pump.

Revision History

Date	Description
August 4, 2026	Initial draft

Overview

Gift Cards on the Verifone Commander let a site sell, activate, recharge, and accept prepaid gift cards at the register and at the pump. This Feature Reference describes how the feature works, how to configure it from Configuration Client, and how cashiers use it day to day.

Gift cards are prepaid cards loaded with a specific monetary value and used as an alternative to cash. A customer buys a card, the cashier activates it for the chosen amount, and the card can then be used to pay for purchases, including fuel, until its balance runs out. Cards can be recharged with additional value at any time.

Gift cards come in three forms: closed-loop cards, tied to one retailer or brand family; open-loop cards (such as Visa or Mastercard gift cards), accepted anywhere the card brand is accepted; and digital gift cards delivered by email or app, which can be either type. This Feature Reference covers the closed-loop gift card programs processed through the Commander's electronic payment system.

For InComm gift cards, refer to the InComm Feature Reference.

Business Value

• Gifting and convenience: customers buy cards as gifts, and recipients choose what to spend them on -- a proven driver of store visits.
• Promotions and rewards: sites and brands use gift cards in loyalty programs, promotions, and employee rewards.
• Prepaid revenue: the site receives payment when the card is sold; the value is spent in later visits, encouraging return traffic.

Supported Hardware & Prerequisites

Requirement	Details
Site controller	Verifone Commander Site Controller (base version 50 or higher) or RubyCi, with Topaz or Ruby2 POS
Payment devices	Payment PIN pad(s); fuel dispensers with a Dispenser Card Reader (DCR) for pump acceptance
Gift card program	An active gift card program with the site's card provider -- the provider supplies the cards and processes activations, recharges, and redemptions through the payment network

Feature Restrictions

• Refunds are not allowed on gift card tenders. To return money to a customer, process the refund as normal on the register and then recharge the gift card for the refund amount.
• Typical gift card program policies -- confirm the specifics with your card program provider: cards are not redeemable for cash, lottery, money orders, or other gift cards; cards cannot pay house account balances or third-party fleet card balances; gift cards cannot be purchased with other gift cards; lost or stolen cards are generally not replaced.

Interaction with Other Features

• Loyalty: at sites with a loyalty program, the customer may be prompted for their loyalty number before tendering an activation, recharge, or fuel purchase.
• Split tender: if a purchase exceeds the card's remaining balance, the customer is prompted for an additional form of payment for the difference.
• Receipts: the card's remaining balance prints at the bottom of the receipt after every purchase, activation, or recharge.

Glossary of Terms

Term	Definition
CTI	Card Type Indicator
DCR	Dispenser Card Reader
EOD	End of Day
EPS	Electronic Payment Server
FEP	Front End Processor
GPR	General Purpose Reloadable card
MOP	Method of Payment
PAN	Personal Account Number
PIN	Personal Identification Number
PLU	Price Look Up
POP	Point of Purchase (commonly, a PIN pad)
POS	Point of Sale
RTR	Real Time Recharge
SAF	Store and Forward
TOR	Time Out Reversal
UPC	Universal Product Code

Configuring Gift Cards

Configuration has four parts: create the gift card departments, point the sales configuration at them, add the gift card buttons to the touch screen, and load the changes to the payment system. All configuration is done from Configuration Client.

Changes take effect only after the table load and after signing out of Configuration Client and the Sales screen, then signing back in.

Department Configuration

1

Go to Merchandise

From Configuration Client, go to Store Operations and select Merchandise.

2

Add a department

Select the Departments tab and click Add.

3

Enter department values

Enter the values for the Number, Name, and Product Code fields:

• Number: enter a department number that is not being used.
• Name: Gift Card Activate or Gift Card Purchase.
• Product Code: 0532 for Gift Card Purchase; 0533 for Gift Card Activate.

4

Save

Click Save.

Sales Configuration

1

Go to Sales

From Configuration Client, go to Store Operations > Sales.

2

Select the activation department

In the Sales Configuration menu, click Prepaid Card Activate Department.

3

Enter the activation department number

Enter the department number you created for Gift Card Activate.

4

Configure the recharge department

Repeat these steps for Prepaid Card Recharge Department.

5

Save

Click Save.

Adding Gift Card Options to the Touch Screen

1

Go to Panel Configuration

From Configuration Client, go to Store Operations > Touch Screen > Panel Configuration.

2

Edit the item panel

On the Item Panels tab, click Preview/Edit.

3

Add a new item

In the preview, click an empty space to add a new item.

4

Add Gift Card Activate

Click Function and select Gift Card Activate from the Function dropdown. You can customize the background and label colors. Click Apply.

5

Add Gift Card Recharge

Repeat the same actions for the Gift Card Recharge function.

6

Close the preview

The preview window now shows both new items. Click Close.

7

Save

Before exiting, click Save.

Perform the Table Load

After adding the Gift Card Activate and Gift Card Recharge buttons, load the changes to the payment system:

1

Open CSR Func

From the POS, press CSR Func.

2

Perform the table load

Select Network Menu > EPS Network Functions > Perform Table Load.

3

Sign out and back in

Log out of the POS and log back in to see the changes.

Using Gift Cards

Activate a Gift Card

1

Select Gift Card Activate

On the Sales screen, select Gift Card Activate.

2

Enter the amount

When prompted, enter the desired amount.

3

Choose Activate

Choose the ACTIVATE option.

4

Select payment method

Select either CASH or CREDIT.

5

Receive payment

If you selected CASH, enter the amount of cash received. If you selected CREDIT, the customer swipes their payment card at the PIN pad.

6

Activate the card

After payment, activate the card by swiping the gift card at the PIN pad. The gift card is now activated and ready to use.

At sites with a loyalty program, a loyalty prompt may appear before payment -- the customer selects YES to enter their loyalty number, or NO to continue.

Recharge a Gift Card

1

Select Gift Card Recharge

On the Sales screen, select Gift Card Recharge.

2

Enter the amount

When prompted, enter the desired amount.

3

Choose Recharge

Choose the RECHARGE option.

4

Select payment method

Select either CASH or CREDIT.

5

Receive payment

If you selected CASH, enter the amount of cash received. If you selected CREDIT, the customer swipes their payment card at the PIN pad.

6

Recharge the card

After payment is received, recharge the card by swiping the gift card at the PIN pad. The gift card is now recharged and ready to use.

Pay for Purchases with a Gift Card

1

Add items to the ticket

Scan the items or select them from the Sales screen.

2

Select Credit

With the items on the ticket, select CREDIT on the Sales screen.

3

Swipe the gift card

The customer swipes the gift card to pay for the purchase.

The remaining card balance prints on the receipt. If the sale amount is greater than the card's balance, the customer is prompted for an additional form of payment for the difference.

Use a Gift Card at the Pump

1

Select payment option

At the dispenser, the customer selects the credit/debit payment option (or the loyalty option first, at sites with a loyalty program).

2

Insert or swipe the gift card

When prompted to pay at the pump, the customer selects YES and inserts or swipes the gift card.

3

Fuel as normal

The customer fuels as normal; the sale is paid from the card's balance.

Check Card Balance

1

Open CSR Func

From the POS Sales screen, press CSR Func.

2

Select Network Menu

Select Network Menu.

3

Select Card Balance Inquiry

Select Card Balance Inquiry.

4

Swipe the gift card

Swipe the gift card.

5

Review the receipt

A receipt prints with the balance.

The card balance also prints at the bottom of the receipt after every purchase, activation, or recharge.

Manual Entry

If a card will not swipe (for example, a worn magnetic stripe) and manual entry is enabled for the site's gift card program:

1

Ring the sale

Ring the sale.

2

Select Manual Entry

Select Manual Entry.

3

Enter the card number

Enter the gift card number.

4

Enter the PIN

When the register prompts for an expiration date, enter the card's PIN.

5

Provide additional payment if needed

If the sale amount is greater than the card's balance, the customer is prompted for an additional form of payment.

6

Complete the sale

The sale completes and the receipt prints.

Some gift card programs disable manual entry. If manual entry is not available and a card cannot be read, contact your card program provider for a replacement card.

Void / Refund

Refunds are not allowed on gift cards. If a refund needs to be processed, process it as normal on the register and then recharge the gift card for the refund amount.

Best Practices

• Be alert for customers purchasing several maximum-value gift cards at once. This is a common fraud pattern.
• Ask for ID when a credit card is used to purchase or load a gift card.
• Do not allow gift cards to be purchased with other gift cards.
• Test the feature after configuration: run a gift card activation, a recharge, an inside purchase, and a pump transaction.

Known Behaviours & Edge Cases

Scenario	Expected behaviour
Sale amount exceeds the card balance	The customer is prompted for an additional form of payment for the difference.
Refund attempted to a gift card	Not supported -- process the refund normally, then recharge the card for the refund amount.
Card will not read when swiped (worn magnetic stripe)	Use Manual Entry if the program allows it; otherwise the card provider can issue a replacement.
Configuration changes not visible on the POS	Perform the table load and sign out of Configuration Client and the Sales screen, then sign back in.
Balance inquiry	Available from the Network Menu at any time; the balance also prints on every gift card receipt.