Send Gift Card via SMS to Recipient

When a gift card is sold or issued with a recipient phone number, Vendion automatically sends an SMS to the recipient with the code and details. This is a central part of Vendion's gift card experience — the guest receiving the card gets a message directly, no physical note needed.

How does it work?

1. On sale / issuance: staff / admin fills in the recipient phone.
2. When the card is created, Vendion triggers an SMS send.
3. SMS is sent via the ClickSend integration.
4. The guest receives the message within seconds.

SMS example:

Your gift card from MyRestaurant: ABCD-EFGH
(500 kr, expires 2029-04-19).

Message: Lovely dinner on me!

Redeem: show the code at the restaurant or at
myrestaurant.se/order/myrestaurant

Note: SMS is limited to 160 characters for basic SMS. Vendion automatically splits longer messages into two SMS (concatenated).

Costs:

Tip: Check the message length in admin — longer personal messages can generate two SMS and thus double the cost. Keep it under ~120 characters to keep it on a single SMS.

Where do you configure the SMS text?

The default text can be customized via:

1. Admin → Settings → SMS templates.

2. Choose the template "Gift card — issued".

3. Edit the text with variables:

   • {{restaurant_name}} — your restaurant's name
   • {{code}} — the card code
   • {{amount}} — the amount
   • {{expiry_date}} — expiry date
   • {{personal_message}} — the recipient's personal message
   • {{redemption_url}} — link to online redemption

4. Save.

Send again:

If the guest says they did not get the SMS:

1. Go to Admin → Marketing → Loyalty → Gift Cards.
2. Find the card in the gift card list.
3. Click "..." → "Resend SMS".
4. Confirm the phone number (can be adjusted here).
5. SMS is sent again.

Or in POS: After sale, the success screen shows a "Resend SMS" button.

Troubleshooting — common problems:

GDPR reminder:

• The SMS recipient does not need to consent specifically for a transaction message (a gift card is a transaction).
• But: If you want to send marketing messages to the recipients later → consent required.
• A gift card SMS is specific enough that it does not count as marketing.

No SMS — other alternatives:

If you do not want to use SMS (cost or other reasons):

1. Email (future):

In roadmap — Vendion will be able to send gift card emails via Resend. Not activated in April 2026 but planned.

2. QR code + physical card:

Print QR cards with the card code — distribute physically to the recipient.

3. Verbal + receipt:

Staff can say the code to the buyer, who then passes it on.

Security:

• SMS is sent via ClickSend which is HTTPS-encrypted between Vendion and ClickSend.
• Between ClickSend and the recipient's operator: SS7 (industry standard, not end-to-end).
• Risk: SS7 is not perfect — codes could theoretically be intercepted by sophisticated attackers. But for gift card amounts (<10,000 kr), the risk is negligible.
• Recommendation: Do not use SMS for cards with very high amounts.

Logging:

Every sent SMS is logged:

• The SMS log — timestamp, recipient, status (sent / failed / delivered)
• The gift card's history — a note that SMS was sent to the number

Admin can see the full history per card.

See also:

• "Sell Gift Card in POS"
• "Issue Gift Card (Admin)"
• "SMS and Communication" (Marketing module)