Spa gift cards: selling, tracking and accounting for them
Gift cards are an excellent product for a hotel spa: they are paid in advance, they bring new clients to the spa and they sell all year round, with peaks at Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. You still need to manage them properly, from sale to redemption.
By the SpaPlanner teamPublished on 2 min read
Two types of card: an amount or a treatment
- An amount card (€100, €150…) leaves the choice to the recipient, can be used over several visits and works in the shop too.
- A treatment card (“a signature massage”, “a couples treatment”) feels more personal to give. It must cover the treatment even if its price has gone up between sale and redemption.
Offering both covers most requests. Couples treatment cards work particularly well for birthdays and wedding anniversaries.
Sell at the spa, at the front desk… and online
Gift cards are often a last-minute purchase, made in the evening or at the weekend. Selling them online, with instant payment and the card sent automatically as a PDF by e-mail, captures sales the spa would never see otherwise. At the spa and the hotel front desk, the sale must stay simple: amount or treatment, recipient’s name, personal message, payment, printing.
What a gift card should show
- a unique code, easy to read over the phone (no confusion between O and 0, I and 1);
- what is offered: the amount or the treatment;
- the recipient’s name and, if the buyer wishes, a message;
- a clearly visible expiry date;
- terms of use: how to book, single or multiple use, not refundable or exchangeable.
Track every card until it is used
A card sold is a promise made to the client. You must be able to answer in seconds, on the phone or at reception: does this code exist, is it still valid, what is left on it? At checkout, the card is entered by its code and deducted from the total; an amount card keeps its balance for the next visit.
Account for them properly
A card sold is money collected, but not yet treatment revenue: the treatment has not been delivered. In your reports, keep gift card sales (cash in) apart from their redemption (revenue). Otherwise December will look exceptional and the following months disappointing, while the treatments are delivered later.
For VAT, the European rule distinguishes two cases: when the place of supply and the VAT due are known at the time of sale (a “single-purpose” voucher), VAT is due at sale; otherwise (a “multi-purpose” voucher), it is due on redemption. Expired, unused cards also follow specific rules. Have your approach checked by your accountant.
In short
- Offer amount cards and treatment cards.
- Sell them online too, with automatic e-mail delivery.
- Give each card a unique code and a visible expiry date.
- Track balances and send reminders before expiry.
- Keep gift card sales apart from treatment revenue.
SpaPlanner manages gift cards from sale to redemption: PDF, e-mail delivery, code check, deduction at checkout, balance and expiry tracking. Discover checkout or read the FAQ.