Wrapped generates gift card codes of 16 random letters and numbers, with a dash every four characters (for example A1B2-C3D4-E5F6-G7H8) unless you change the format in Settings › Gift card rules › Code format. Every sales channel you connect has its own rules for codes. A code that breaks a channel's rules can't be created in that channel and shows a sync error, so choose a format that suits every channel you use, and check codes you import or print yourself against the same rules.
Change the code format
- Go to Settings › Gift card rules (or Gift cards › Settings).
- Next to Code format, click Edit.
- Set Length (the number of random characters, not counting the prefix or dashes; at least 8).
- Tick or untick Add a dash every four characters.
- Optionally enter a Prefix, added to the start of every new code.
- Optionally enter Characters to use. Leave it empty for the default set: capital letters A-Z and digits 0-9.
- Check the Example and click Save.
The format applies only to codes Wrapped generates from now on. Existing codes never change, and codes you type, import or get from a POS aren't reformatted.
How dashes are placed: Wrapped adds a dash after the 4th, 8th and 12th characters, counting the prefix. A 16-character code becomes four groups of four; characters beyond the 16th aren't split further.
Each platform's rules
| Sales channel | Code rules |
|---|---|
| Shopify | Must be 8 to 20 characters. The default Wrapped format works. If you add a prefix or more characters, keep the whole code, including dashes, within 20. |
| BigCommerce | Must be 8 to 20 characters. |
| Square | Must be 16 digits: numbers only, no letters or dashes. |
| Lightspeed Retail X-Series (formerly Vend) | Must be at least 8 characters. |
| WooCommerce with the WooCommerce Gift Cards plugin | Must be 16 characters with a dash every four characters (XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX). |
| Lightspeed Retail R-Series | At least 8 characters recommended. |
| Lightspeed Restaurant O-Series (formerly Kounta), K-Series and L-Series | At least 8 characters recommended. |
| Lightspeed eCom C-Series and E-Series (Ecwid) | At least 8 characters recommended. |
| WooCommerce with Smart Coupons | At least 8 characters recommended. |
| Heartland Retail | At least 8 characters recommended. Heartland stores codes in capitals without dashes or other special characters, so abc-12345 is stored as ABC12345. |
| Bopple | At least 8 characters recommended. |
Suggested settings
| If you use | Set |
|---|---|
| Shopify, Lightspeed, BigCommerce and most channels | The default: Length 16, dashes on, no prefix |
| Square (on its own or with other channels) | Length 16, dashes off, no prefix, Characters to use 0123456789 |
| WooCommerce Gift Cards plugin | Length 16, dashes on, no prefix |
Good practice for codes
- Random, never sequential. Codes like
GIFT0001,GIFT0002are easy to guess. This matters most for codes you import or have printed. - At least 8 characters, so codes can't be guessed. The dashboard won't save a shorter length.
- Avoid look-alike characters if customers or staff type codes by hand. For example, enter
ABCDEFGHJKLMNPQRSTUVWXYZ23456789in Characters to use to leave out I, O, 0 and 1. - Keep it simple for scanning. Letters, numbers and dashes scan reliably in 1D barcodes such as Code 128. See Barcode requirements for printed cards and scanners.
Capital letters, spaces and dashes
When Wrapped looks a code up itself (in the dashboard search, the check balance page, the Redeem app and the Lightspeed register screens that Wrapped provides), capital letters, spaces and dashes don't matter: abcd 1234 finds ABCD-1234. Checkouts that use a channel's own gift cards, such as Shopify checkout, apply that channel's matching rules.
Common questions
A card shows a sync error saying the code isn't valid
The code breaks that channel's rules. The card still works in your other channels. For future cards, change your code format. For a card that already exists, you can issue a replacement card with a valid code, move the balance to it, and void the old card. See Fixing gift card sync errors.
Can I use my own codes?
Yes. Type a code on the Issue gift card page, or import codes from a CSV file. They must meet the rules of every channel you use.
Will changing the format break existing cards?
No. Existing codes don't change and keep working.
I use Square and Shopify. Which format?
Use 16 digits with no dashes or letters: it meets Square's rule and is within Shopify's 8 to 20 characters.