Use Gift Cards in Counter Sales

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Use Gift Cards in Counter Sales

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Counter Sales 3.1 introduces the option to process cards, including gift cards and rewards cards. This article will give instructions relevant to everyday use of this feature.

Card configurations

Navigate to the Counter Sales Card Configurations page in Business Central to set the card’s related settings.

The fields on this page have the following functions:

Type Determines which type of card the setting applies to.
Status Allows you to enable or disable settings.
Card Nos. Allows you to set a number series code which generates a card number. It applies in the card creation steps if the card number field is left blank. Clicking into the number series allows you to disable manual entry for card numbers.
Sales Line Type Allows you to set only a Resource or G/L line and determines how Counter Sales treats your card.
Sales Line No. If you set the card as a Resource, you can set the Resource that it applies to here. Within its Resource Card, you can name the Gen. Prod. Posting Group intuitively (e.g. “GIFTCARD”, “REWARDCARD”, etc.).
Payment Method Code Where you assign the Payment Method Code that describes card transactions. This field affects configurations assigned to specific Payment Method Codes.
Payment Journal G/L Account Optional. This field sets whether card transactions are to be posted to the Payment Journal G/L account. Enter the account that matches the Gen. Prod. Posting Group of the Resource Card (if your card is a Resource), and the Bal. Account of the Payment Method Code.
Card No. Format Regex Allows you to generate card numbers using a regular expression instead of a number series.
Card No. Format Description When you create a gift card and manually enter a gift card number, it is compared to the Card No. Format Regex. If the number does not match the Regex formula, this description displays instructions to the user.
Card No. Input Regex For card readers and barcode scanners that add characters when copying their input, this applies to simplify the input (e.g., If your input is 1234, and the scanner reports A12348, a regular expression of ^A([^B]+)\B corrects it).

Leave this field blank if you do not wish to perform checks on the card number input.
Secret Code Format Regex allows you to create a Secret Code for gift cards using the regular expression entered. If left blank, cards are not prompted to create a Secret Code.
Card No. Visibility Masks the input of a card number when you are entering it into a field during the card creation and processing steps.

Set up gift cards

  1. Navigate to the Counter Sales Card Configurations page in Business Central.
  2. Select a new line and select Gift Card for the Type field.
  3. Create and select a number sequence under “Card Nos.” with which the numbers are to be generated (if you required automatically generated gift card numbers).
  4. Select an option in the Sales Line Type field (determines how Business Central treats your gift card; “Resource” is an efficient option for gift cards).
  5. Select a Resource in the Sales Line No. field and name it (e.g., “GIFTCARD”).
  1. Modify the Sales Line Description field if needed (the default description is “Gift Card – [gift card number]”).
  2. Select a Payment Method Code (applies to gift cards) and choose or create a Payment Method which has both a:
    • Account Type and Bal. Account number that matches the Prod. Posting Group accounts.
    • Counter Sales Payment Type set to Gift Card.
  3. Select whether card transactions are to be posted to the Payment Journal G/L account in the Payment Journal G/L Account field (Optional).
  1. Input a regular expression to generate gift card numbers (instead of a number sequence) in the Card No. Format Regex and Secret Code Format Regex fields (Optional; leave these fields blank if you want to use a number sequence or not use a secret code).

Look up gift cards

  1. Navigate to the Counter Sales Gift Cards page in Business Central.
  2. Locate the required gift card using the filter and search functions as needed.

Find a gift card’s amount

If you do not have permission to view the gift card amounts, complete the following to find them:

  1. Navigate to the Counter Sales Gift Cards list in Business Central.
  2. Highlight the required gift card.
  3. Select Check Gift Card Amount.
  4. Input the Secret Code when prompted to view the Amount.

Activate and deactivate gift cards

All Cards are set to Active once posted from a Counter Sales Order. Complete the following to make status changes:

  1. Navigate to the Counter Sales Gift Cards list in Business Central.
  2. Highlight the required card.
  3. Select Actions / Functions / Set Card Status.
  4. Set the card status to one of the following:
    • New: Applicable to cards which cannot be processed during sales because they do not have an amount above zero applied.
    • Active: Allows processing of cards during sales.
    • Inactive: Does not allow for processing of cards during sales.

Secret codes

Secret Codes is an optional setting that allows you to create a card with a second number associated with the card, only revealed at the time of purchase, for added security.

The secret codes are meant to be confidential and are hidden from Counter Sales users lacking the appropriate permissions; users with the appropriate permissions can perform additional actions below.

Look up a card’s Secret Code

  1. Navigate to the Counter Sales Gift Cards list in Business Central.
  2. Select the required card.
  3. Select Actions / Functions / Get Card Secret Code.

You should now be able to see the card’s secret code.

Modify a card’s Secret Code

  1. Navigate to the Counter Sales Gift Cards list in Business Central.
  2. Select the required card.
  3. Select Actions / Functions / Set Card Secret Code.
  4. Input the new Secret Code and select OK when prompted.

The Secret Code is now updated.

Create gift cards

  1. Navigate to the Counter Sales Order page in Business Central.
  2. Select the Gift Cards tab above the order lines.
  3. Select Create Gift Card.
  4. Input the gift card’s number Enter the Gift Card No. field and select OK.
  1. Input a secret code into the Enter the Gift Card Secret Code field (minimum four characters, including one letter and one number) if the Counter Sales Card Configurations page opens.
  2. Select OK.
  3. Input the gift card’s amount in the Enter the Gift Card Amount field.
  4. Select OK.

A line appears on your Counter Sales order for your new gift card. The description is generated dynamically and appears as “Gift Card – [XXXXXX]” where “[XXXXXX]” is the gift card number. You can turn this feature off on the Counter Sales Card Configurations page.

Reload gift cards

  1. Navigate to the Counter Sales Order page in Business Central.
  2. Select the Reload Gift Card tab above the order lines.
  3. Input the gift card’s number Enter the Gift Card No. field and select OK.
  4. Input a secret code into the Enter the Gift Card Secret Code field (minimum four characters, including one letter and one number) if the Counter Sales Card Configurations page opens.
  5. Select OK.
  6. Input the gift card’s amount in the Enter the Gift Card Amount
  7. Select OK.

The gift card Amount is updated once the sale is posted.

Process gift cards

  1. Create a Counter Sales Order in Business Central and enter items on the Sales Lines as usual.
  2. Select Home / Payments.
  3. Select Home / Gift Card.
  4. Input the gift card’s number into to Enter the Gift Card No. field.
  5. Select OK.
  6. Input the secret code into the Enter the Gift Card Secret Code field if the Counter Sales Card Configurations page opens.
  7. Select OK.
  1. Process the Counter Sales Order as normal.

Process a return onto a gift card

  1. Start a Counter Sales Return Order as normal.
  2. Select Home / Payments
  3. Select Home / Gift Card.
  4. Input the gift card’s number into to Enter the Gift Card No.
  5. Select OK.
  1. Input the secret code into the Enter the Gift Card Secret Code field if the Counter Sales Card Configurations page opens.
  2. Select OK.
  3. Adjust the amount if needed (e.g., splitting between multiple gift cards or methods of payment).
  4. Select OK.

The gift card is activated once the Return Order is posted.

Use gift cards with the Payment Journal

Apply payment from a gift card to a customer’s account

  1. Navigate to the Counter Sales Payment Journal in Business Central.
  2. Select Line / Gift Card.
  3. Input the gift card’s number Enter the Gift Card No. field and select OK.
  4. Input the secret code into the Enter the Gift Card Secret Code field if the Counter Sales Card Configurations page opens.
  5. Select OK.
  6. Input the amount to apply to the customer’s account in the Enter the Gift Card Amount.
  7. Select OK.
  8. Post the line.

The customer’s account and gift card are updated as soon as the line is posted.

Create a gift card using money from a customer’s account

  1. Navigate to the Counter Sales Payment Journal in Business Central.
  2. Personalize the page to include the Gift Card No. field.
  3. Create a new line with a “Payment” Entry Type.
  4. Select a Payment Method Code not associated with gift cards (e.g., Cash).
  5. Input the amount in the Amount field.
  6. Select the customer number in the Customer No. field (the Contact No. field is optional).
  7. Select the required gift card in the Gift Card No. field (you are not asked for a Secret Code).
  8. Post the line.

The customer’s account and gift card is updated when the line is posted

Account reconciliations involving cards

To ensure set up has been completed properly and for account reconciliation purposes, complete the following to audit:

  1. Navigate to the Counter Sales Gift Cards page in Business Central.
  2. Select Analysis Mode in the Actions ribbon.
  3. Note the value in the Amount column.
  4. Navigate to the Chart of Accounts page.
  5. Find the account tied to gift cards (e.g., a liability account).
  6. Ensure this value matches the value from the Amount column.

User permissions

There are two permission sets related to Counter Sales:

  • Counter Sales User
  • Counter Sales Manager

The Counter Sales Manager has access to all information related to the Counter Sales Cards.

The Counter Sales User has the following restrictions related to cards:

  • Cannot modify settings in Counter Sales Card Configurations.
  • Cannot access the Payment Journal.
  • Cannot change card status (active or inactive).
  • Cannot access Analysis Mode in the Counter Sales Gift Cards.
  • Required to have a Secret Code to view Card Amounts.

Extensions

To further customize your experience, these are some of the related extensions available for added functionality:

  • Counter Sales Gift Cards Extended
  • Counter Sales Rewards Card

Counter Sales Gift Cards Extended

This extension adds these features:

  • You can open the Counter Sales Gift Cards list and select a gift card when entering the Gift Card No., saving you time when entering card numbers (useful when not using a scanner or a card reader).
  • Extend the Fact Box content to include both the Gift Card No. and the Amount.

Counter Sales Rewards Card

This extension provides increased functionality for Rewards Card features:

  • There is a Rewards Card Type added to the Counter Sales Card Configurations Page, allowing for the same level of modification as gift cards.
  • A Rewards Card No. field is added to Counter Sales Order headers, which allow you to enter the Rewards Card No. or search from a list.
  • The Amount fields for Rewards Cards are affected by a customizable points system, including rounding.
  • Many built-in hooks to customize the product for your business.
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