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72 Printable Gift Certificate Templates for Any Purpose (Word | PDF)

A gift certificate is a card similar to a credit card that the card issuer can use to avail the recipient of some discount or gift at specific retail stores or groups of stores. The gift certificate includes a monetary value redeemable only for purchases at the relevant retail premises and cannot be cashed out. In some situations, the gift certificate may be subject to an expiry date or fees, although some states require that they do not have an expiration period.

Printable gift certificate templates make good gifts, especially in cases where the gift issuer is unsure of the receiver’s preferences. The certificate represents a promise from the issuer to the receiver to choose a product or service of their liking in exchange for the gift certificate. Some gift certificates are limited to one-time use, while others can be used multiple times. Typically, there are two ways to offer multiple visit usage; the gift issuer can either offer a new gift certificate each time redeemable for the new amount or physically write the remaining gift balance on the original certificate after each use.

Uses of Gift Certificates

Gift certificates are often issued to employees by their employers as corporate rewards or incentives as a form of motivation. Organizations also use gift certificates to raise funds. Retailers and marketers may also distribute them as part of their company’s promotion strategy to entice clients to come in or return to the store. Most companies provide gift certificates online as a strategy to boost their overall sales.

Individuals can also buy and issue gift certificates to friends and family members as gifts during important occasions such as birthdays or during the holiday season. Gift certificates can be used to make purchases at retail stores, gas stations, restaurants, theatres, and other business establishments.

Gift Certificate Vs. Gift Card

A gift certificate is a physical “paper” or electronic certificate redeemable for cash, services, or merchandise at the merchant’s official website or store. A gift certificate provides the recipient with an agreed-upon value that they can use for their shopping. A gift certificate is an original and secure method that the recipient can easily redeem at the store of their choice.

On the other hand, a gift card is like a debit card and is attached to your account and loaded with specific dollar amounts. Gift cards only allow recipients to spend a particular dollar amount you specify on a specific type of merchandise at any store that accepts the particular type of card.

Simply put, a gift certificate is a specific-purpose prepaid stored-value money instrument, while a gift card is an open-purpose prepaid stored-value money instrument and can be used at multiple unaffiliated merchants.

Gift Certificate Vs. Voucher

A gift certificate is a type of debit in the form of a certificate or card issued by a retailer or vendor and can be traded for goods or services. A gift certificate acts as a promissory note which allows the holder to purchase goods or services in the future, though usually at a discounted price.

On the other hand, a voucher is a ticket or document that entitles the holder to a specified discount or to redeem on their purchase. They are often used with corporate trading schemes and loyalty reward points. For example, when you spend a certain amount of money at a store, you can get a voucher that’ll allow you to purchase from the same store at a discount.

Essential Elements of Gift Certificate Templates

The use of gift certificates to entice customers, reward employees, or appreciate family members and friends during special occasions has become increasingly popular due to their convenience. The gift certificates are a suitable substitute mode of payment for individuals who would rather not use cash or a credit card, they can control spending, especially for children, and they are usually preferable if the gift issuer is uncertain of the recipient’s tastes and preferences.

If you plan to use gift certificates for business purposes or personal use, you can opt to use business gift certificate templates that are easily accessible online, can be downloaded and personalized to meet your unique needs. Using a template is also a convenient and efficient way of creating as many certificates as you may want without starting from scratch or buying readily designed gift certificates that are often expensive.

In addition, you don’t have to worry about the design while using a template as they are already professionally designed. Moreover, most templates have a vast library of colors, fonts, icons, graphics, and images that you can use to personalize the templates while keeping a neat and simple layout. All you have to do is review the numerous available templates, select and download one that suits your purpose, and incorporate the relevant essential information.

Why Should I Use the Gift Certificates?

Recent studies have indicated that approximately 93% of American-based consumers have either issued or sent a gift card, and this number is generally projected to increase over time. If you own a business that is currently not issuing or accepting business gift certificates, you could be missing out or undermining your long-term business success. The following are the key reasons to issue and accept business gift certificate templates:

Increase sales

Gift certificates not only increase customer flow into the store but also increase your average sales. This is because customers who come in with gift certificates are not as price-sensitive as those using their own cash to make purchases.  They consider the gift certificate as a discount or free money, meaning that they are likely to spend more money than the value of the certificate while redeeming it. In fact, statistics show that two out of three consumers who make purchases using a gift card end up spending 40% more than the card’s actual value.

Maximizes revenue

Whenever a gift certificate is purchased or reloaded, the amount of money contained in the certificate becomes the business’ until the card is redeemed.  This upfront money can be used to handle business expenses like payroll, inventory, utilities, rent, etc. In some states, the business might actually keep funds on cards that have not been redeemed during their validity periods. It is also possible that the certificate holders may not redeem all the available amounts. Thus the unused funds go into your business profits, maximizing your revenue.

Improves customer loyalty

Incorporating a well-designed gift certificate program into your business management allows you to gather your customer’s contact information and track their purchasing behaviors. With these types of marketing analytics, you improve your marketing efforts, boost future sales and build customer relationships by keeping in touch with the customers who have purchased or used gift certificates. And if you offer gift certificates electronically, you can connect with gift receivers and donors through various touchpoints.

For example, gift recipients will have to visit the store to activate the certificate, check their balance, shop, reload the card, etc., meaning that you can tie them to a loyalty program and provide incentives for each visit, purchase or reload. This improves customer loyalty and even encourages customer referrals.

Attracts new customers

A well-designed gift certificate will contain the business name, contact information, and slogan, which increases brand awareness and brand visibility. When customers buy gift certificates from your business and issue them to their loved ones or friends, who probably have never visited your store or would have never known of its existence before receiving a gift card, they introduce them to your business. This is a cost-effective and convenient means of advertising compared to word-of-mouth advertising as your good customers are paying you money to gain new business. If the new customers are satisfied with your products or services, they will become loyal customers and refer more clients to your business.

Key Points of Good Gift Certificates

Most consumers tend to keep gift certificates for relatively longer periods before exchanging them for purchases at relevant stores. As such, you must ensure that your gift certificate clearly communicates your brand or message to build an emotional connection with the gift certificate recipient.  Here are the key points of good gift certificates

An eye-catching design

Before you start creating your gift certificate template, consider understanding your target audience so that you can choose an appropriate and appealing design. If the gift certificate template is your business promotional tool, conduct thorough research of the rival businesses’ gift certificates, then create a design that stands out to entice the customers and increase your brand visibility.

Keep it simple

If you only want to redeem a single item at the time of purchase, the gift certificate can be redeemed. Generally, there are restrictions on how many times a gift certificate can be redeemed if it is to be used for a specific item or service. The voucher will have these restrictions printed on it, and you should abide by them, as they are set out to protect the retailer from fraud or misuse of vouchers.

The gift’s monetary value

The gift certificate’s monetary value should be indicated on the certificate so that the recipient is aware of it. If the certificate does not include a monetary value, you need to clarify what the certificate can be exchanged for. For example, if it is worth a particular product in the retail store, indicate it on the gift certificate.

The relevant merchant accepting the gift certificate

Once you have indicated the gift certificate’s value, provide the store’s name or group of stores where the gift certificate can be used for making purchases. Consider including the location of the store such that the certificate holder is aware of it.

Wording that indicates the certificate cannot be redeemed for cash

Most gift certificates are only redeemable for purchase at the specified retail premises and cannot be cashed out. Therefore, the issuer of the gift certificate should indicate that the loaded money cannot be cashed out, but the certificate holder can exchange it with goods or services at particular business establishments within the set limited amount of money.

Expiry date

 You may also want to include the gift certificate validity date such that the recipient can use it to purchase goods or services before its expiration date. This also increases the number of customers visiting your business at a given time, especially when the gift certificate is a promotional strategy to attract new customers and retain loyal ones. However, it is important to note that some state laws do not allow gift certificates to expire. Make sure to conform to your relevant state laws.

Contact information

If you are issuing business gift certificates to target audiences for business promotional purposes, consider providing your business’s contact information. This includes your physical address, business phone number, and business website link, if applicable. This serves as an effective marketing tactic to drive your target audience’s attention as they can quickly look at your business without ever leaving their homes. Including your business slogan is also considered a great business marketing tactic.

If the gift certificate is for personal use, that is a gift to family members or friends; including your contact information lets, the recipient knows who sent them the gift.

A code that proves the certificate’s validity

Printable gift certificate templates also need to incorporate a unique gift code that proves they are valid. The unique code may be displayed on the certificate as a serial number, a barcode, or a magnetic strip read by an electronic machine. It might also be in the form of a physically imprinted unique number recognizable at accepted locations.

Keep the certificate and receipt safe

The gift certificate is usually printed on paper, and therefore it can be damaged if stored in pockets or other crevasses that can damage the card. Therefore, it is best to store it in a wallet or perhaps even in your hand. If you are giving your voucher to somebody else, make sure they put it where they expect to find it before giving them the voucher and taking the receipt for yourself.

Gift Certificate Templates

Make your customers, employees, friends, or family members feel special using our splendid gift certificates templates. Our certificate templates are designed carefully and professionally, and they incorporate all the essential elements of an effective gift certificate.  The numerous gift certificate templates available on this site are downloadable and can be personalized to suit your brand personality and the occasion. Download our templates today and make significant savings on time and money.

Free Gift Certificate Template

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      Blank Gift Certificates

      A blank gift certificate template can be used for any purpose. The blank template contains blank spaces for filling in key information such as the business name, the value of the certificate, date, card issuers signature and name, and the unique certificate code number. If you want to create beautiful blank gift certificate templates for any purpose, consider downloading our free templates in your desired format, edit them accordingly and sell or issue them to customers, friends, or family members.

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        Christmas gift certificates

        When a festive season such as Christmas comes around, gift certificates are among the most typical gifts corporate companies offer to employees and their customers. Even individuals purchase Christmas gift certificates for their friends and relatives. And since the demand for such certificates may be overwhelmingly high, you can use our free printable Christmas gift certificate templates as a convenient way of creating as many gift certificates as possible!

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          Business gift certificates

          Make your customers feel special and appreciated, drive foot traffic to your store and promote your business using our professionally designed business gift certificate templates. These free business gift certificate templates are beautifully designed to attract your customer’s interests, and they will allow your business to stand out. Choose the template that suits your brand personality from this vast collection of template layouts, customize it, and print for use.

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            Spa and Salon gift certificates

            One great tactic to acquire new customers while retaining loyal ones in special-service businesses such as day Spas and salons is by issuing customers gift certificates and accepting them in your business.  You can create numerous Spa and Salon gift certificates hassle-free using our well-designed templates. These templates are fully downloadable and editable, meaning that you can customize them to suit your business needs, print them and display them at the cash register or front desk for easy access.

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              Fitness gift certificates

              Do you have a rough time creating a fitness gift certificate from scratch, or are you on a budget but would like to create an appealing fitness gift certificate that encourages your workout team to keep going? Download our free and editable fitness gift certificate templates to help you get started.

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                Service gift certificates

                If you are looking for ready-made service gift certificate templates that are unique and versatile to offer your employees as corporate gifts and incentives, our free printable and customizable service gift certificate templates are your best bet! Our templates are thoughtfully designed, and you can expect much scope for creativity in the templates to create innovative gift certificates. Download these templates today for your own convenience.

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                  Birthday gift certificates

                  Make birthdays more significant for your loved ones, employees, or customers using our wide collection of downloadable and customizable free birthday gift certificate templates. Contingent to the purpose of the birthday gift certificate, select a suitable template, customize the card in just a few simple clicks, and print it out for use.

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                    Gift certificate templates for kids

                    If you are a parent and you want to teach them the essentials of spending and budgeting, you can use gift certificates for kids. We have provided our readers with free colorful gift certificate templates for kids that you can download, edit, print, and issue to your kids for their shopping or as gifts during their special occasions and when they achieve some milestones.

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                      Frequently Asked Questions

                      Are gift certificate templates editable?

                      Yes. Gift certificate templates are editable, meaning that you can customize them in a way that suits your brand or communicates your intended message. Most gift certificate templates contain a vast library of colors, fonts, icons, images, and graphics that help personalize your certificates to make an emotional connection with your family members, customers, coworkers, and even friends.

                      How do you customize gift certificate templates?

                      Gift certificate templates are generally available in various formats, including Word and PDF. Microsoft word allows for easier customization of the files, but PDF format may restrict customization and editing. However, if you have certain programs, you can customize the PDF Files.

                      Is a gift certificate the same as a gift voucher?

                      No. A gift certificate is a slightly thicker cardstock or a printed piece of paper that is bought at a store and given to someone, which entitles the recipient to exchange the certificate for goods or services within the set amount limit. Gift certificates can be used on various products or services, much like cash. On the other hand, a voucher is provided for a particular value, and it has a fixed monetary value that can be spent only on specific goods and services. Vouchers, unlike gift certificates, are also provided with a fixed expiration date, and companies, especially restaurants and retail stores, provide vouchers on certain special occasions to drive customer traffic into the store.

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