The gift voucher
A gift voucher is money received today for a visit that has not been chosen yet, which is a pleasant problem to have and an awkward one to record.
A gift voucher is a prepaid credit bought by one person and redeemed by another against a ticket or a booking. It carries a code, an amount or an entitlement, and usually an expiry date. Until it is redeemed it is an obligation rather than income, which is why it is worth tracking separately.
Why vouchers suit visits and sessions
They solve a real gifting problem: the giver does not know which date suits, and the recipient does not want to be committed to a Tuesday in March. A voucher moves the choice to the person who has to turn up.
They also bring in money outside the season. A December voucher for a spring visit is cash received in a quiet month, and a proportion of vouchers are never redeemed at all, which every venue discovers eventually.
The rules around them
European consumer rules place limits on how short an expiry period may reasonably be, and national rules differ on how long a voucher must remain valid. A very short window is both unpopular and, in several countries, arguable.
For the accounts, a voucher sold is not yet a sale. It becomes revenue when it is redeemed, so an organisation that books it as income in December is counting the same money twice when it is used in March.
Vouchers in Passavo
A voucher, available from the Growth plan, is bought like anything else and arrives as a code the recipient can use at checkout or at the desk. It can be used towards a purchase, with any remainder kept on the code.
You can see which vouchers are sold, which are used and what is still outstanding, so the obligation is visible rather than a surprise. Validity is yours to set within what the local rules allow.
Also searched for as
- gift card
- gift certificate
- voucher code
- present voucher
Common questions
Can a voucher be used for part of an order?
Yes. It can cover part of a purchase, with the rest paid normally, and any balance stays on the code for later.
What expiry should we set?
Long enough to be fair and to stay within your national rules. A year or more is common, and a short window causes more complaints than it saves money.