Setting Up Gift Card Types

Configuring your Gift Card Types is the first step in launching a successful gift card program. Whether you are using our native NX Gift Cards or a third-party provider, this guide will walk you through the setup process within the NX Portal.

Navigation

To get started, log in to your NX Portal and follow this path on the sidebar:

Guest > Gift Card Types

Configuration Breakdown

1. General Info & Branding

• Enterprise vs. Venue Settings: You can toggle between these tabs at the top. Use Enterprise Settings to push a standard gift card type to all locations, or Venue Settings to customize availability for specific spots.

• Name: The internal name you see in the portal.

• Display Name: This is the name that will be displayed on the POS and to Guests. Make it clear and clean.

• Balance Check URL: This provides the base link for balance inquiries. You can use this URL in conjunction with a card number to generate QR codes for your physical gift cards, allowing guests to check their balance by simply scanning the back of the card with their phone.

2. Provider Settings

This section tells the system how to process the cards.

• Gift Card Provider: Choose your integrated platform from the dropdown.

  Note: While we support various providers, native features like online sales and integrated online redemption are optimized for use with NX Gift Cards.

• BIN Range Prefix: If your physical cards use a specific Bank Identification Number (BIN) prefix, enter it here. This helps the system identify the card type instantly during a swipe or scan.

3. Liability Tracking

The Liability section provides a real-time snapshot of your program's financial health:

• Total Issued: The total number of cards currently in circulation.

• Liability Amount: The total dollar value currently "on the books" that has been sold but not yet redeemed.

4. Availability & Online Sales

Control how and where your gift cards are sold and used.

• Time Range: If you want to offer a promotional gift card (like a Holiday Bonus card) that is only available for a limited window, set those dates here.

• Available for online redemption: Toggle this ON to allow guests to pay for their online orders using this gift card type.

• Available for online purchase: Toggle this ON to sell digital versions of this card through your online ordering site.

• Allow in-store e-Gift: Enable this to allow staff to sell digital gift cards (sent via email/SMS) directly from the POS.

• Online Image: Upload a high-quality image (like your logo or a custom card design) that will represent the digital card in the guest's email or digital wallet.

5. Auto-Create

Auto Create: When this is ON, NX automatically creates a new gift card and assigns it to this Gift Card Type the first time an unrecognized card is swiped, scanned or keyed in at the POS. You don't have to import or pre-register physical cards before you put them out. Just hand them to staff and start selling. When it's OFF, a card has to already exist in NX before the POS will accept it. It can get there by being sold, imported, or created under Guest > Gift Cards. 

💡 Tip: Running more than one gift card type? Set a BIN Range Prefix on each one so NX knows which type a brand-new card belongs to. 

6. Configuration

• Active: Turns this gift card type on or off. Switch it OFF to retire a card program without deleting it. 

• Reloadable: When this is ON, guests can add more money to an existing card. Turn it OFF for one-time-load cards, like a holiday bonus card or a promotional giveaway.

• Liability Tracked: When this is ON, money loaded onto these cards counts toward your Liability Amount and shows up in gift card liability reporting. Turn it OFF for cards that aren't bought with real money, like promo or comp cards, so they don't inflate what's on your books. 

• Maximum issue amount: The most money a single card can be issued for. It defaults to $2,000, which matches the FinCEN limit for prepaid access. The ⓘ icon links straight to FinCEN's FAQ. Talk to your accountant or legal advisor before you raise it.

• Sales Category: The sales category gift card sales are reported under (default: Gift Cards). This keeps gift card sales separate from food and beverage revenue, since a sold gift card is money you owe, not money you've earned yet. Click the ↗ icon to open the category.

• Denominations: Preset card amounts, each with a Name (for example, "$50") and a Value (for example, $50.00). Staff and guests see them as quick-pick amounts when buying a card. Use + to add an amount, the ☰ handle to drag them into order, and the red ✕ to remove one.

7. Wallet Setup (tab)

This tab controls how the digital card looks when a guest saves it to their phone's wallet. 

• Text Color / Background Color: The card's text color and background color.
• Icon Image: A square (1:1) image used for icons, usually your logo.
• Wide Image: A banner-style image used in the wide strip area of the card.

Pro-Tips for Success

• Test your QR Codes: Before printing 5,000 physical cards, use the Balance Check URL to create a sample QR code and ensure it directs users to the correct landing page.

• Setting Up a Gift Card-Only Online Ordering Page