Gift Certificate expiration

[tazinternet]

I am looking for a way to let customers buy a gift certificate (say for consulting time) but at the end of the year it expires or at least a way to remove the remaining balance. I make special deals with customers if they buy (a bank a time) ahead of time and then give them a year to use the bank of time. If they don't use the bank of time I would then like th ability to remove the remaining balance. Is this possible? If not will it be in a future release?

[Ajeh]

Gift Certificates are Cash ... Cash does not expire ... inflate perhaps ... but never expires ...

If you want something that expires, you might look into the Discount Coupons ...

Discount Coupons can be used one at a time on an order ...

However, if you have a $100 Discount Coupon, this does not allow for $20 spent on this order and $20 spent on the next order ...

Why would you want to take someone's Cash for a Gift Certificate and then expire it in 1 year?

If BestBuy did that to me ... I would be boycotting them ...

[tazinternet]

So is there a way from the admin screen to send discount coupons then? I don't see it under Gift/Certificates coupons. If I can then I can just create some products to match the exact amounts an then buy them as they are used.

Please also excuse some of my ignorance as I am new to Zen Cart, but really loving it so far. It is so much more superior than OScommerce. Yeah!

[Ajeh]

If you have the Modules ... Order Total ... Discount Coupon installed ...

There will be a menu choice for:

Gift Certificate / Coupons
* Coupon Admin

You can then create the Discount Coupon, which naturally you will test to the max before issuing ...

And then you can email it from the Admin ...

[tazinternet]

Turned it on. Pretty cool. Next question would be can I keep it hidden from all? I ask because I could then create a coupon for a free service (consulting hours) and give out as I wanted, but no one could just get one or see the item at all. This does look like the best option and also gives me some good ideas as to what I originally posted. Basically my original post is like a phone card that expires after a certain amount of time whether it was used a little at a time, not at all or all at once.

[Ajeh]

You'd have to do quite a bit of coding to manage a hidden product that can be purchased but only with the discount coupon ...

If could be done ... but I think you'd be getting into a lot of coding for this and expense ...

[tazinternet]

Thanks. Turning on the coupons was the solution. I now have coupons that can expire (for special deals) and regular certificates that don't expire when a service is totally paid for. thanks a lot!