Hello @chicpier and thanks for your question. I understand your frustration with all of the expenses for running a business; as a fellow small biz owner I feel your pain and often wish technology costs would be less. Keep in mind that just like other business related expenses, gift card can be a deductible expense as the cost of running your business (check with your tax advisor for specific details).
I'm sure there was a lot of technological and logistics invested by Square in setting up processing for gift cards that would seamlessly and accurately interface with the terminal and Register used by merchants like yourself. I've used physical gift cards for my store for well over three years now and they work great. Did you know that you can REUSE your gift cards when a customer turns them in? If they are in good condition you can clear the balance and reload them. If you order the minimum quantity with intention to reuse them, you could save some money that way.
Another option is to offer digital gift cards. You'll find their cost very reasonable 😉 check out the info here.
And there is also the option to offer hardcopy cards that you would manually fill out, but of course there would be more work on your end to keep track of the balances when you offer and redeem these. Part of the cost of the gift cards you'd order would be offset by saving all of this manual data entry.
I hope you're able to find an affordable solution for offering gift cards to your customers. I think you should at least try the digital option at the link above, especially with the Holidays coming up as customers will be looking at this option for gift giving. Happy selling with Square and best of luck to you and your business! 😀🔲
