Gift Cards – Void and Expiry

Gift cards can cease to be valid in two ways: voided manually by admin, or expired automatically when the validity period runs out. Both events have specific accounting rules and processes.

1. Void — manual

An administrator can void a gift card at any time. Examples:

• Guest reports the card lost / stolen
• Double-issued (error)
• Fraud suspicion
• Refund booked as void + refund

How to void a card:

1. Go to Admin → Marketing → Loyalty → Gift Cards.
2. Look up the card via code or recipient phone.
3. Click "..." → "Void".
4. Enter reason (required — logged for audit).
5. Confirm.

The system:

• Sets the card status to voided with timestamp and reason.
• Logs the void in the card history.
• Accounts: D 2421 / C 3960 (other operating income) — VAT-free, same as expiry.

Important: When a card is voided it cannot be reactivated. If the guest finds the card, admin needs to issue a new card manually.

2. Expiry — automatic

Gift cards have an expiry date (default +36 months). The system runs a nightly expire check that finds cards whose expiry date has passed and marks them as expired.

Nightly expire check

1. Finds all active cards whose expiry date has passed.
2. For each card:
   • Marks the card as expired.
   • Logs the expiry in the card history.
3. Aggregates per restaurant and creates an accounting voucher:
   • Series: GC (Gift Card)
   • D 2421 (gift card liability decreases) + C 3960 (other operating income increases)
   • No VAT (the card was never used → no sale occurred)

Accounting on expiry (example):

500 kr gift card, 200 kr remaining, card expires:

D 2421 Gift card liability    200 kr
C 3960 Other operating income   200 kr

VAT treatment: Expired cards are not subject to VAT. The guest got no goods / services → no taxable supply.

Customer-friendly practice: warning before expiry

Even though the law does not require it, it is good business practice to warn the guest before expiry. Vendion plans (future feature):

• 90 days before: SMS / email "Your gift card expires 2026-07-15"
• 30 days before: reminder
• After expiry: "The card has expired — contact us"

In April 2026 this is not automated — admin can manually run campaigns via Marketing.

Extend expiry date (admin):

If a guest gets in touch the day before / after expiry:

1. Admin opens the card in the gift card list.
2. Clicks "Extend expiry".
3. Chooses a new date (e.g. +12 months).
4. Saves — the expiry date is updated, status remains active.

Legal:

• The Consumer Agency recommends at least 1 year of validity for cards sold to consumers.
• The Tax Agency allows any validity period.
• Goodwill: Most restaurants accept extension if the guest gets in touch soon after expiry.

Edge cases:

1. Guest comes the day after expiry

The card is automatically expired. Admin can:

• Extend the expiry date → the card is reactivated
• Or issue a new card with the same balance (classified as goodwill)

2. The system missed the expire check one night

The system is idempotent — the next night the job processes all missed cards together.

3. The card is already redeemed but the check tries to mark it expired

Safeguard: The job checks status first. Already redeemed cards are skipped.

4. Expiry shortly before a redemption attempt

Scenario: The guest tries to redeem the card just after it was marked expired.

• Vendion validates the expiry date at every redemption.
• If expired → error "The card has expired".
• The guest must contact the restaurant.
• Admin can extend manually.

Permissions:

• Void: the manage-gift-cards permission.
• Extend expiry: the same permission.
• See voided / expired cards: being a member of the restaurant.

Reporting:

• Number of expired cards per month
• Total account 3960 income from expirations
• History per card

See separate article "Gift Cards – History and Reports" for details.

See also:

• "Gift Cards – Refund and Returns"
• "Gift Card Expiry to Account 3960" (Accounting module)
• "Gift Cards – How They Work"