Online Gift Card Terms and Conditions Examples: What to Include and Why

Selling digital gift cards on your website? Then clear terms and conditions aren’t just nice to have — they’re essential.

Online buyers want to know exactly what they’re getting. If your terms are vague or missing, they’ll hesitate. And if things go wrong later, support tickets and disputes pile up fast.

Here’s what you should include in your online gift card terms, plus real examples you can copy and paste.

Why Terms Matter for Digital Gift Cards

When a customer is buying a gift card online — often for someone else — they want to feel confident it’ll work.

Your terms remove the guesswork:

• Can this be used on all products?
  
  
• Does it ever expire?
  
  
• What happens if it isn’t redeemed?
  
  

Clear policies reduce friction, boost trust, and cut down on customer service follow-ups.

What to Include in Online Gift Card Terms

Here’s a quick checklist of what to include — and how to say it.

1. Expiration Date

Why: Most digital gift cards don’t expire, but if yours does (especially promotional ones), this needs to be obvious.

Example:
“Digital gift cards do not expire and have no inactivity fees.”
OR
“Promo gift cards must be redeemed within 90 days of issue.”

2. Redemption Scope

Why: If the card only works on your website — or certain products — say that upfront.

Example:
“This gift card is valid for purchases made online at [yourdomain.com]. It cannot be used in physical stores or on third-party marketplaces.”

3. Refunds, Returns & Partial Balances

Why: Online customers often ask, “What happens if I return something I bought with a gift card?”

Example:
“Returns for purchases made with gift cards will be credited back to the gift card.”
“Remaining balances can be applied to future purchases.”

4. Lost, Deleted, or Misdelivered Cards

Why: Since these are digital, the biggest risk is email issues or mistyped addresses.

Example:
“If you did not receive your digital gift card email, please contact support with your order number.”
“Digital cards are not refundable or replaceable once redeemed.”

5. Email Address Tied to Redemption (If Applicable)

Why: If you’re sending cards to specific recipients, they may need to match an email during checkout.

Example:
“This gift card is assigned to the recipient email address and may only be redeemed by that user.”

6. Resale & Fraud Protection

Why: Digital gift cards are easy targets for resale scams. Set the expectation early.

Example:
“Gift cards may not be resold or used for unauthorized promotional purposes. Suspicious activity may result in deactivation.”

7. Short Legal Disclaimer

You don’t need a wall of legal text. Just one clean line.

Example:
“Use of this digital gift card constitutes agreement to our Terms of Service. Terms are subject to change.”

Where to Display Your Gift Card Terms

Online gift card buyers should never have to dig.

Post your terms:

• On the gift card product page
  
  
• At checkout before payment
  
  
• In the delivery email (or text) with the card
  
  
• In your site’s footer or FAQ
  
  

Clarity = conversions.

Ncentiva Makes Online Terms Simple

If you’re using Ncentiva to run your digital gift card program, adding clear, compliant terms is baked in.

With Ncentiva, you can:

• Create custom terms by gift card type (standard, promo, referral)
  
  
• Automatically display those terms at purchase and redemption
  
  
• Easily update terms across your site — no dev team required
  
  

When customers feel confident, they buy faster. Clear terms help get them there — and Ncentiva helps you set them up without the guesswork.

Want to simplify your online gift card program?

Talk To Ncentiva

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