Gift Certificates explained for a dummy

I never used gift certificates. However I need them now on a project. I read the instructions but still can't figure this thing out.

1. Our customer's are NOT allowed to create permanent accounts (checkout without account plugin)

2. ALL gift certificates that customers buy are for someone else. If I understood right from the instructions the user has to buy the GC first before he can send it? What good is that?

We use only three different product types (prices) and the GC's values are linked to those. So could the user just type in the receiver's email there (whether it is his own or someone elses)

T H A N K Y O U ! ! !

I don't think you can use GC's unless the purchaser and recipient are identifiable by the system - therefore, required to create an account.

GC's are fundamentally a payment option - nothing else. All that happens is that one user purchases "credit" in your store. The user has to be identified so that the system knows who this "store credit" belongs to.

The owner of that credit can then assign (transfer) it to other people - either in part or in whole.

But the entire process requires that the owners of store credit are identifiable. The system does not offer an option for store credit to to generically owned, and therefore redeemable anonymously.

Discount vouchers may be a better option in your scenario.

Yep the discount vouchers would be splendid but they'd need to created automatically.... Basically the whole idea of the store that the items can be purchased as a gifts and then the receiver can redeem the item whenever he or she wants to with a redemption code.

BUT THIS APPARENTLY IS NOT POSSIBLE=?

It is not possible in zencart (and I don't think it is possible in most other cart systems) to run a GC system anonymously as you are attempting to do.

The "owner" of that store credit need to be identifiable because the value of the credit must be validated.