While PracSuite doesn't have a dedicated system for managing gift cards, you can effectively track their purchase and usage by following these steps:
1) Creating an item code for your gift card
To sell gift cards, first create item codes representing them as products:
Navigate to Settings > Billing > Item Codes.
Click the Add button to create one or more "Gift Card" items.
Option 1: Create a single item code for all gift card purchases.
Set the fee to $0.00 (no default).
At the time of sale, specify the gift card amount as requested by the customer.
Option 2: Create multiple item codes, each representing a gift card of a fixed amount.
For example:
GIFT50 - $50.00
GIFT100 - $100.00
GIFT200 - $200.00
Set the fees to default to the corresponding amounts.
2) Selling a gift card to the patient
With item codes configured, proceed to sell the gift card.
For a known patient:
Open the patient's file and raise an invoice, selecting the appropriate "Gift Card" item code.
Accept payment and record it using the correct method (e.g. Cash, EFTPOS).
For an unknown customer:
Create a generic patient file named "Walk-In Purchases" or similar.
Open this file, raise an invoice, and select the appropriate "Gift Card" item code.
Accept payment and record it using the correct method (e.g. Cash, EFTPOS).
Note: Do not use the "Gift Card" payment method for this transaction; which should only be used when redeeming a gift card.
3) Providing the patient with proof of purchase
After the sale, provide the customer with a physical gift card or printout, including:
Purchase Date
Expiry Date (if applicable)
Gift Card Value
Gift Card Number (assigned by you)
4) Tracking Gift Card sales and usage:
Maintain a record outside of PracSuite, such as an Excel spreadsheet, noting:
Purchaser's Name
Purchase Date
Expiry Date (if applicable)
Gift Card Value
Gift Card Number
Redemption Dates and Amounts
5) How patients redeem a gift card
When a patient redeems a gift card, you have two options:
Option 1: Add the Gift Card's Value as a Credit on the Patient's File (Recommended)
Add the full value of the gift card as a credit to the patient's file.
Use the "Gift Card" payment method when adding the credit to indicate it's from a pre-paid gift card.
For guidance on adding or using an account credit, refer to the following articles:
Article: Adding an Account Credit
Article: How to Use a Credit Payment
Option 2: Apply the Gift Card Value Directly to an Invoice
When invoicing for services, apply the gift card value as a payment.
Select the "Gift Card" payment method to record the transaction.
Be sure to track each use of the Gift Card, to avoid exceeding the available amount.
6) Reporting on gift card usage
Since PracSuite doesn't include built-in gift card tracking, utilize your external record (e.g. Excel spreadsheet) to monitor:
Outstanding gift cards
Redeemed amounts
Remaining balances
Regularly updating this record ensures accurate tracking of gift card sales and redemptions.
To maintain accurate financial records and end-of-day reconciliation, ensure that “Gift Card” payments are excluded from your PracSuite financial reports. By excluding gift card payments from your financial reports, you avoid the payment being counted twice as a received amount:
e.g.
When using the Reconciliation report (Reports > Billing > Reconciliation), the “Gift Card” value will be displayed as a separate row and should be subtracted from the total.
When using the Payments report (Reports > Billing > Payments), exclude gift card payments by deselecting "Gift Card" in the report filters.
