Wrapped keeps one balance for each gift card and copies it to every connected sales channel. Each channel (Shopify, Lightspeed, Square and so on) holds its own native copy of the card. When a card is sold, used or refunded in one channel, or changed in Wrapped, Wrapped records the change and then sets the card's balance in every other channel to match. This normally happens within a few minutes. Balance edits made directly in a channel's admin, outside an order or sale, are not picked up.
What syncs automatically
| Change | Picked up by Wrapped? | Pushed to your other channels? |
|---|---|---|
| A gift card bought in a sales channel or your web store | Yes | Yes, the card is created in each channel |
| A gift card used to pay at a register or online checkout | Yes | Yes |
| A refund to a gift card that's part of an order or sale | Yes | Yes |
| A voided POS sale that included a gift card | Yes. The card is set to $0 and disabled | Yes |
| Adjust balance, void or delete in the Wrapped dashboard | Yes | Yes |
| An adjustment made through the Wrapped API (Pro plan and above) | Yes | Yes |
| Cards issued, generated or imported in Wrapped | Yes | Yes, once they have a balance |
| Bonus credit from an automation | Yes | Yes |
| A card reaching its expiry date | Yes, checked daily | Yes, set to $0 |
Changing a balance directly in Shopify admin or Shopify's Admin API (for example giftCardDebit / giftCardCredit) | No | No |
| Editing a balance by hand in another channel's back office | No | No |
Wrapped's balance is the one that counts. When a card next syncs, Wrapped sets each channel's balance to the Wrapped balance, so a direct edit in a channel is overwritten. To correct a balance, use Adjust balance in Wrapped or the Wrapped API. See Adjust a gift card's balance.
How a sale flows through
- A customer pays $20 with a gift card at your Lightspeed register.
- Lightspeed tells Wrapped about the sale. Wrapped records a $20 redemption on the card and the card's activity shows "Gift card redeemed for $20.00 in … order #…".
- Wrapped sets the card's balance in Shopify and every other connected channel to the new balance, logging "Updated balance to … in …" for each.
- The customer's wallet pass updates, and they're emailed their new balance if they have an email address on the card and that email is turned on.
How long it takes
- Changes you make in Wrapped (adjust, void, delete, issue) start syncing as soon as you save and usually reach every channel within a few minutes.
- Sales in your channels usually reach Wrapped within a few minutes of the sale being completed. Lightspeed R-Series sales are collected every couple of minutes rather than sent instantly.
- A sale is only processed once it's completed or paid in the channel. An open or parked sale isn't processed until it's closed.
- If a sale notification never arrives, you can check the order and process it from Settings › Sales channels › Check orders. For Lightspeed X-Series, Wrapped also re-checks the last 7 days of sales every night. See A gift card wasn't created for an order.
- The card's activity timeline updates immediately. Reports refresh about every 2 hours. See How often reports update.
What doesn't sync, and why
| Situation | What happens |
|---|---|
| A card with $0 value (for example a printed card from a $0 batch) | Not created in your channels until value is added. Most channels can't hold a $0 gift card. |
| Web store vouchers | Never created in your sales channels. They're redeemed once, in full, through Wrapped. See Redeeming vouchers. |
| A disconnected or disabled sales channel | Gets no updates while it's off, and doesn't catch up automatically when it's turned back on. Cards update there the next time they change, or when you re-sync them. |
| A channel you connect later | Existing cards aren't copied to it all at once. Each card is created there the next time it syncs. Open a card and choose … › Re-sync balance to sales channels to push it now, or contact support for a large number of cards. |
| A card limited to certain channels | Some cards (for example from certain automations or imports set up with support) sync to selected channels only. |
| A channel refuses the change | The card shows a Sync error with the channel's reason. See Fixing gift card sync errors. |
Negative balances
If a card is used in two places at almost the same time, both redemptions are recorded, so the balance can go below zero. Wrapped keeps the negative balance (it isn't reset) and shows a sync error when it tries to send it to Lightspeed or Shopify. Resolve it by adjusting the balance in Wrapped. See Negative balances and What happens if a card is used in two places at the same time.
If your subscription ends
Gift cards already created in Shopify, Lightspeed and your other channels stay there and keep working, but Wrapped stops keeping their balances in step between channels. See Cancelling Wrapped: what happens to your gift cards.
Common questions
Does an adjustment in Wrapped sync to Shopify and Lightspeed?
Yes, to every connected and enabled channel, usually within a few minutes. Each channel gets its own "Updated balance to …" entry in the card's activity.
Does changing a balance in Shopify sync back to Wrapped?
No. Only changes that are part of an order or sale sync. A balance edited in Shopify admin or through Shopify's Admin API is overwritten by the Wrapped balance at the next sync. Adjust it in Wrapped instead. If Shopify's balance is the right one, open the card and choose … › Import latest balance from Shopify.
The balance is different in two places. How do I fix it?
Open the card in Wrapped. If the Wrapped balance is right, choose … › Re-sync balance to sales channels. If it's wrong, use Adjust balance, which also pushes the corrected balance everywhere.
Can I re-sync all my gift cards at once?
Not from the dashboard. Re-sync works one card at a time. Contact support if many cards need it.
How do I see which channels a card is in?
The card's activity shows "Created … gift card in …" for each channel it was created in, and "Updated balance to … in …" for each sync.