A spa that books in Zenoti and sells products on Shopify has four ways to sell gift cards online. This guide covers each one: where the card can be spent, whether the buyer can pick the amount, and what to set up before the holidays. Every feature and limit below comes from Zenoti’s and Shopify’s help pages and the federal gift card rule, all read on 8 November 2026.
Key takeaways
- Zenoti’s Shopify integration leaves gift cards out. Its feature table answers “No” to using Zenoti gift cards on Shopify, and a Shopify gift card can only be redeemed in the store that issued it.
- For most spas, the right setup is the gift card page on the Zenoti Webstore, linked from the Shopify menu. Cards bought there can be spent at the front desk, and the buyer can choose an amount, a service or a package.
- Shopify’s own gift card products fit retail spending only. They come in fixed denominations, and Zenoti cannot redeem them.
- Physical cards can be listed on Shopify as ordinary shipped products while the balance lives in Zenoti. Gene Juarez, a salon group we work for, sells its plastic cards through a Shopify collection.
- In the US, a paid gift card cannot expire sooner than five years after issue or its last load. Zenoti’s validity setting uses 60 days as its example, so check your number before the holiday rush.
Why a Shopify gift card and a Zenoti gift card are not interchangeable
Each platform keeps its own gift card ledger. Zenoti’s help article on the Shopify integration sets out what moves between them: Shopify sales update Zenoti stock, invoices and sales reports. For “Using Zenoti Gift Cards on Shopify” the same article’s answer is “No”, and its sync row covers all information except gift cards.
Shopify has the matching limit on its side. Its help page says a gift card can be redeemed only at the store that issued it. A guest holding a Shopify gift card code cannot pay with it at the front desk, and a Zenoti card number will not work at Shopify checkout.
So the first decision is where the card gets spent. Treatments, packages and memberships are paid for in Zenoti. Retail orders are paid for in Shopify. If buyers mainly give treatments as gifts, the card has to live in Zenoti.
The four setups compared
| Setup | Where the card is spent | Buyer picks the amount |
|---|---|---|
| Zenoti Webstore gift cards, linked from Shopify | Front desk, and on the Webstore if online redemption is switched on | Yes, between a minimum and maximum you set |
| Shopify gift card products | Shopify checkout only | No, only the denominations you list |
| Physical cards sold as shipped Shopify products | Front desk, once the card is issued in Zenoti | No, one variant per value |
| Custom page built on Zenoti’s gift card API | Front desk, since the card is a Zenoti card | Set by your build |
Zenoti Webstore gift cards, linked from your Shopify menu
This is the setup Zenoti’s own documentation points to. Webstore V2, the guest-facing store Zenoti hosts for each business, sells memberships, gift cards and packages. Zenoti’s overview of it says retail sales there need the Shopify integration. A spa on Shopify therefore keeps products in Shopify and sends gift card buyers to its Webstore page.
According to Zenoti’s configuration and guest articles, the Webstore gift card page supports:
- Three card types. Amount cards, service cards and package cards, plus predefined cards that staff set up and name in advance. Zenoti’s example of a predefined name is “Snappy 50”.
- Two delivery methods. An eGift card arrives by email or SMS. A physical card is shipped or collected at a center.
- Guest checkout. A “Continue as guest” option lets buyers pay without creating an account.
- Custom amounts. You set the lowest and highest value, and the buyer types any amount in that range.
- Tips. Buyers can add a tip when they buy a service or package card.
- Scheduled sending. Send Now or Send Later. A Send Later card goes out at 9 AM in the center’s time zone unless the buyer picks another time.
- Occasions and designs. The buyer picks an occasion and a card style, and a banner can promote a bonus card offer.
- Validity. You set how many days a card stays valid. Read the section on expiry below before you choose.
Two settings decide whether it works as planned. First, the Webstore sells gift cards only when a payment processor is configured, and Zenoti’s articles name Zenoti Payments and Stripe. Second, online redemption, where a guest uses a gift card to pay on the Webstore, cannot be switched on while tax on gift cards is enabled at center level or while gift card numbers are auto-generated at organization level. Check both before you tell guests their card works online.
If a buyer orders a physical card on the Webstore, it appears in Zenoti’s Online Gift Card Status report, which filters orders by eGift, pickup and shipping. Staff attach each physical card to the guest’s profile from that report.
The Shopify side is light work. Add an “eGift card” item to the main menu and the footer that opens your Webstore gift card page, and add a button to treatment and package pages. If you are still choosing a theme, our review of Shopify themes for Zenoti compares seven that suit a spa.
Shopify gift card products
Shopify’s built-in gift cards are included on every plan. They suit cards meant for retail, such as skincare and tools. The limits, from Shopify’s help pages:
- Buyers choose from the denominations you list. Shopify does not allow a custom amount on a gift card product.
- Each denomination can be worth up to $10,000. A card created by hand in the admin is capped at $2,000.
- A card can only be redeemed in the store that issued it.
- A buyer can send the card to someone else on a chosen date if the theme supports recipient fields, and the gift card receipt shows the scheduled time.
- Recipients can save the card to Apple Wallet.
- Cards never expire unless you switch expiry on. If you do, the default is five years, and you can change it.
- For stores created on or after 12 May 2025, Shopify’s help page says third-party transaction fees apply to the amount paid by gift card.
The catch is that Zenoti never sees these cards, so a guest cannot spend one on a facial. If you sell both kinds, state on each product page which card pays for treatments and which pays for products.
Physical cards sold on Shopify: how Gene Juarez does it
Gene Juarez has thirteen salon and spa sites in Washington state. It is our client and we built its Shopify Plus store, so treat this section as a description of our own work. The Gene Juarez case study lists gift cards among the jobs that store handles, alongside the storefront, retail and content. On 8 November 2026 the live site handled gift cards like this:
- The menu carries two gift card links. “eGift Card” opens the gift card page on its Zenoti Webstore. “Physical Gift Card (Ship to home)” opens a Shopify collection.
- The collection lists seven values: $100, $150, $250, $500, $750, $1,000 and $1,500.
- Each value is a regular product that ships and carries no tax, not a Shopify gift card product, so Shopify never issues its own card code for it.
- The product description says the card pays for products or services at any Gene Juarez location, but not online or at its Academies. The card is registered to the buyer’s account and can be handed on.
- A notice on the collection says cards become active 24 hours after purchase.
- On promotional purchases, the bonus goes to the buyer as a digital card. Buyers who want an instant printable card in any amount are sent to the Webstore.
This setup gives the buyer a card to wrap while the balance stays in Zenoti, where the front desk can redeem it. It also adds a manual step. A Shopify order does not create a Zenoti card, because the integration excludes gift cards, so decide who issues each card in Zenoti and how quickly. Then tell buyers when the card goes live, as the 24-hour notice does.
A custom gift card page on Zenoti’s API
Zenoti’s developer documentation has a gift card sale workflow in four steps: select a gift card template, generate an invoice, add payment for the invoice, and send the gift card email to the guest. A second method sells a card without a template. The documentation covers amount, service and predefined cards.
This suits a brand that wants the gift card page to look exactly like the rest of its Shopify site. It is a development project with ongoing upkeep. The sale lands on a Zenoti invoice rather than a Shopify order, so Shopify’s reports will not include it, and the code needs maintaining whenever either platform changes. The Webstore page sells the same Zenoti cards with no build at all.
Holiday setup checklist
Work through these before December:
- A bonus offer. Zenoti’s gift card promotions need no promo code and apply online and at the front desk. Zenoti’s own example is a $25 bonus card with a $100 purchase. A center can run only one promotion at a time, the bonus is calculated on the pre-tax total, and it goes to the buyer rather than the recipient. Online buyers get the bonus details by email.
- Bonus card dates. A bonus card can activate after a delay, such as seven days, and can carry an expiry date. Any balance left when it expires is lost, so print both dates on the card and in the email.
- Christmas morning delivery. Point buyers to Send Later, and check that a 9 AM send in the center’s time zone suits your guests.
- A last order date for physical cards. Set the final day to order for delivery before 25 December and show it on the collection page. Our Christmas shipping deadlines post has the 2026 carrier dates.
- Links people can find. Put the eGift card link in the main menu, the footer and the announcement bar.
- A test run. Buy one card online and redeem it at the front desk before you advertise the offer.
Expiry dates and the federal rule
In the US, gift cards fall under section 1005.20 of Regulation E, which the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau publishes. For a gift card someone pays for:
- It cannot be sold with an expiry date unless its funds last at least five years from issue or from the last time money was loaded.
- The expiry date must be disclosed, and buyers must have a reasonable chance to buy a card with at least five years left on it.
- Dormancy, inactivity and service fees are allowed only after a year without activity, and other conditions apply.
Promotional cards sit outside those rules. A loyalty, award or promotional card is excluded when the front of the card says it is promotional and the expiry date is disclosed. That is why a bonus card can run out sooner than the card the buyer paid for.
A 60-day validity, the figure in Zenoti’s example, can work for a bonus card but not for a paid card sold in the US. Give paid cards at least five years, or no expiry at all. Shopify’s help page notes that gift card laws vary by location, so confirm your own state’s rules with your accountant or lawyer.
Refunds and reporting in Zenoti
- Refunds. Zenoti can refund a gift card purchase to the same gift card, to a credit card, or as a prepaid card.
- Prepaid cards. Zenoti treats these separately from gift cards. A prepaid card can be used only by the guest who holds it, and it is sold without tax.
- Liability. Unspent balances are money owed to guests. Zenoti’s gift card liability report tracks them and includes a “Suspense” amount for one-time-use cards. Review it with your accountant each month.
- Balance checks. A buyer of an online card can check its balance without logging in and can resend the gift card email if the recipient loses it.
Which setup to choose
If guests mostly give treatments, sell Zenoti Webstore cards and link to them from Shopify. Add a shipped physical card on Shopify if buyers want something to wrap. Use Shopify gift card products only for cards meant for retail orders. Keep the API build for a brand that needs a custom page and has a developer to maintain it.
Our Zenoti integrations guide lists the other tools Zenoti connects to, and the rest of the store is covered in Shopify for salons and spas. To have the gift card links, the physical card collection and the Zenoti connection set up for you, see our Zenoti Shopify integration service.
FAQ
Can Zenoti gift cards be redeemed in a Shopify store?
No. Zenoti’s Shopify integration article says its gift cards cannot be used on Shopify, and Shopify accepts only gift cards issued by the same store. Sell treatment cards on the Zenoti Webstore and link to that page from your Shopify menu.
Can buyers choose their own gift card amount?
On the Zenoti Webstore, yes: you set a minimum and a maximum, and the buyer enters any value between them. A Shopify gift card product sells only the denominations you list, each worth up to $10,000.
Can a gift card be scheduled to arrive on Christmas morning?
Yes. The Zenoti Webstore has a Send Later option, which defaults to 9 AM in the center’s time zone. Shopify can schedule its own gift cards when the theme shows recipient fields.
Do spa gift cards have to stay valid for five years?
In the US, a gift card someone pays for cannot expire within five years of issue or its last load under the federal rule, and the expiry date must be disclosed. Bonus and promotional cards can expire sooner when the card says it is promotional and shows the date. State law can add more, so check yours.
How do I run a “buy $100, get $25” gift card offer in Zenoti?
Create a gift card promotion. It needs no promo code and works online and at the front desk. Each center can have one active at a time, the bonus is based on the pre-tax total, and the bonus card goes to the buyer. You can delay when the bonus card starts and set when it expires.
Sources (each read on 8 November 2026): Zenoti Help Center articles on configuring Webstore gift cards, guest tasks for online gift cards, guest actions, gift card promotions, physical gift cards, refunds, gift cards versus prepaid cards, the liability report, Webstore V2 and the Shopify integration; Zenoti’s developer page on the gift card sale workflow; Shopify Help Center pages on gift card products and gift card settings; the CFPB’s text of Regulation E, section 1005.20; and the Gene Juarez gift card collection and site menu. Features change, so confirm each setting in your own Zenoti and Shopify admin before launch.
