How gift cards work
A Zillo gift card is a unique code with a balance. Customers buy one at checkout, get the code by email, and redeem it in person or online. Partial redemption is supported — the balance drops as it's spent.
How gift cards work
A Zillo gift card is a unique code with a balance. Customers buy one at checkout, receive it by email, and redeem it either in person or online at your store. They can spend the balance gradually — $20 today, $30 next visit — until it's used up.
When a customer buys one
After payment, your customer receives an email with their code, the balance, the expiry date (if any), and Apple Wallet + Google Wallet links so they can save the card to their phone.
The new gift card appears in Gift cards, where you can search by code, customer email, or purchase date.
Gift cards can be scheduled for future delivery — useful for birthdays or holidays. The recipient's email goes out on the date you specify, not at purchase time.
Two ways customers redeem
In person. Staff open the Redeem tool (or the mobile app's Redeem tab) and scan the customer's QR code — or type the code manually. Enter the amount to deduct, confirm, done. The remaining balance stays on the card.
Online at your store. The customer enters the code in the "Gift card or promo" field at checkout. The balance reduces the order total; if there's money left over, it stays on the card.
The balance updates in real time and can never go negative, even if multiple staff try to redeem at the same moment.
Promotional bonus credit
Gift card products can include a bonus tier — "Spend $50, get $10 free", for example. The bonus shows up to the customer in their balance history alongside the amount they paid.
If a customer refunds a gift card with bonus credit, only the cash they paid is returned. The bonus you gifted is forfeited at refund time.
Checking a balance
Customers can check the balance themselves at
your-store.zillo.app/balance — they enter their code and see
the current balance plus a transaction history.
You can do the same from Gift cards — search by code or the buyer's email.