One gift card online and in store: reloads and refunds on Shopify POS
A Shopify gift card has one balance online and at the register. Here is what Shopify POS does natively, how to top up existing cards, and how refunds to gift cards keep revenue in the store.
Syncube team
Gift Card Hero · 2026-09-30
Yes, one Shopify gift card works in both places. A card bought online can be redeemed at your Shopify POS register, a card sold at the register can be spent online, and Shopify updates the balance across all sales channels. Native Shopify POS sells digital and physical cards, takes them as payment and can refund a return to a gift card. What Shopify's POS help doesn't describe is selling a top-up onto a card the customer already has; for that you need an app.
Does a Shopify gift card work both online and in store?
It does. Shopify's help center says customers can use gift cards "at any location or through your online store, and the balance automatically updates across all sales channels." Cards can be redeemed on any channel that uses Shopify checkout, including the online store, Shopify POS and the Shop app. Gift cards are available on all Shopify plans.
Two setup details matter:
- Gift cards have to be activated as a payment method in the Shopify POS app before staff can sell or redeem them.
- Physical cards need the Type to issue setting changed to Digital or physical in the POS editor. Online orders always create digital cards; pre-printed physical cards are issued only through POS.
What can Shopify POS do with gift cards out of the box?
The table compares native POS with the Gift Card Hero POS tile, which runs inside the same POS app.
| Task | Native Shopify POS | With the Gift Card Hero POS tile |
|---|---|---|
| Sell a new card | Yes, digital (emailed or printed) or physical, from the Add gift card tile | Uses the native flow |
| Take a card as payment | Yes, scan or type the code; charge any remainder with another payment method | Uses the native flow |
| Check a balance | Remaining balance prints on the receipt after a gift card payment; Shopify also describes scanning the card with the iPad's front camera | Check Balance screen by code or QR scan, plus the customer's cards and balances on their POS profile |
| Add money to an existing card | Documented only as a refund loaded onto an existing card, for Shopify Payments transactions | Reload screen: add any amount, optionally as a paid line in the POS cart |
| Refund a return to a gift card | Yes, to a new card; to an existing card only for Shopify Payments transactions; the return must start in POS | Refund from the order screen to a new card or one of the customer's existing cards, with an optional expiry date |
How do customers reload the same gift card online and in store?
Without an app, the fallback is selling a second card, so the customer carries two codes. Shopify's POS help documents one way to add money to an existing card: loading a refund onto it, and only when the original transaction went through Shopify Payments.
Gift Card Hero adds a proper top-up on both sides, and because it changes the same Shopify gift card, the new balance applies everywhere:
- At the register: staff open the tile, find the card by code, customer email or QR scan, and enter the amount. With Add payment to cart, the top-up becomes a line in the POS cart. If you turn on Increase balance only after payment is completed, the balance goes up only once that sale is paid.
- Online: a reload page where the customer types or scans their code, picks an amount and checks out. The amount is added to the card when the order comes in, and the customer gets a reload confirmation email with the new balance.
- Controls: you can turn off reloads in POS, allow staff only to redeem, or hide the option to register a card without payment.
Why refund returns to a gift card instead of cash?
A cash or card refund sends the money out of your business for good. A refund to a gift card keeps it in your store as a balance, and the customer has a reason to come back and spend it. On that visit they often buy more than the card covers: 63% of orders paid with a gift card went over the card value (Gift Card Hero stores, Sep 2025 – Aug 2026).
A hypothetical example: a customer returns an $80 jacket and takes the $80 on a gift card. Later they pick a $110 coat and pay the $30 difference. With a cash refund, neither the $80 nor the $30 is guaranteed to come back.
Gift card or Shopify store credit?
Shopify also has native store credit. It sits on the customer's account and can be spent in the online store (when the customer is signed in through customer accounts or uses Shop Pay), in Shopify POS and in the Shop app, and POS can process it as a refund for in-person returns. Things to check: it isn't available with legacy customer accounts, and for stores created on or after May 12, 2025, orders paid with store credit are charged third-party transaction fees unless the store is on Shopify Plus with Shopify Payments.
A gift card is a code rather than an account balance: the customer doesn't need to sign in to use it and can pass it to someone else. If the refund should be tied to the customer's account, choose store credit. If it should work like cash in the customer's pocket, choose a gift card.
What should a store with 1–5 locations set up?
- 1Activate gift cards as a payment method in the Shopify POS app. If you sell plastic cards, set Type to issue to Digital or physical under Sales channels > Point of Sale > Edit POS app > Settings.
- 2Write your refund rule: when staff offer a gift card, when they refund to the original payment method, and whether card refunds get an expiry date. Put it in your refund policy.
- 3Tell staff that a return refunded to a gift card has to start in Shopify POS, not in the admin.
- 4Decide how existing cards get topped up. If you use an app, require payment before the balance increases.
- 5Add the reload and balance tools to the POS home screen and check they show on the devices at every location.
- 6Give customers self-service: a balance check page, a My gift cards page in customer accounts and an online reload page, so the register isn't the only place to ask about a balance.
- 7Remind customers about unused balances by email, starting a few weeks after the card is issued.
- 8If a location runs a non-Shopify register, or is a separate Shopify store, plan how cards are redeemed there before you sell the first one.
- 9Once a month, review outstanding balances and any manual balance changes.
How does Gift Card Hero handle online and in-store gift cards?
Gift Card Hero keeps using Shopify's own gift cards, so native POS redemption keeps working as it does now. On top of that it adds:
- A Shopify POS tile to check balances, reload cards and see a customer's cards, plus a refund action on the order screen that records the refund on the order and loads it onto a new or existing card. Quick Mode opens straight to the reload screen. Setup guide.
- A web app for non-Shopify registers such as Square, Clover or Lightspeed: staff sign in with their own accounts and a PIN, check, redeem and activate cards; issues and redemptions go to an activity log you can export to CSV. How it works.
- Online top-ups, a balance check widget and a My gift cards page in customer accounts. Reload setup.
- Unused balance reminders by email, with an optional second reminder.
- [Multi-Store](/platform/multistore) for brands where locations run as separate Shopify stores: a card from one connected store works in the others, and balance changes sync across the network.
POS tools, balance reminders and storefront top-ups are on the PRO plan: $19.99 a month flat, with no percentage or per-order fees ($39.99 a month on Shopify Plus), with a 7-day free trial and billing through your Shopify invoice. See pricing and refunds to gift cards.
Frequently asked questions
Can a gift card bought on my online store be used in my Shopify POS store?
Yes. Shopify POS redeems gift cards whether they were bought online or in person, and the balance updates across all sales channels.
Can I add money to an existing Shopify gift card at the register?
Shopify's POS help documents adding money to an existing card only as a refund, and only for transactions processed with Shopify Payments. To sell top-ups onto existing cards in store or online, you need an app such as Gift Card Hero.
Can I refund a return to a gift card in Shopify POS?
Yes. Native POS can refund to a new gift card, or to an existing one when the original payment went through Shopify Payments. The return has to start in Shopify POS, not in the admin.
Should I refund to store credit or to a gift card?
Shopify store credit is tied to the customer's account, and online it needs the customer to sign in through customer accounts or use Shop Pay. A gift card is a code the customer can use without signing in or give to someone else.
How can customers check their gift card balance without asking staff?
Shopify prints the remaining balance on the POS receipt after a gift card payment. Gift Card Hero adds a balance check page on your storefront and a My gift cards page in customer accounts.
Does one gift card work across several Shopify stores?
With Gift Card Hero Multi-Store, yes: a card issued in one connected store works in the others and balance changes are synced. Each store needs its own Gift Card Hero subscription.