Square and its little white card readers have helped many a coffee shop handle transactions through mobile devices, but it can still be hard for small businesses to match the perks offered by larger corporations, like gift cards.
To help remedy this, Square is has has introduced physical gift cards of its own for businesses on its platform.
Sellers can use Square’s Register app to offer, redeem and track the cards directly. To use them, you just swipe them like a regular credit card, and the balance on the card will automatically update. Customers can also choose to reload a card if they wish.
Businesses don’t have to wait for the cards to be used to get their money though – funds are deposited the day after a customer first purchases a card. Each one will cost the seller a flat $1.50 price, and they can be customized using premade templates or your own designs.
Square says over 250,000 gift cards have already been pre-ordered – it reached out early to a small group of sellers. Given that gift cards are an easy way to keep customers choosing your shop over someone else’s, it’s likely many more orders will follow.
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