Gift cards and certificates — Paloma POS 2

This article is about Paloma POS 2 — the new Paloma register app. It covers selling a gift card, paying for an order with a card, and checking a balance. If you're not sure which product you have, start with «How to tell you have Paloma POS 2».

Overview

Gift cards are managed under «Gift cards» (from the management menu), with three actions:

• «Sell a gift card» — issue a new card or top up an existing one.
• «Check balance» — look up the remaining balance by card number.
• «Unsettled payments» — a queue of redemptions the system refused after the order was closed (see below).

Paying with a gift card happens on the order's payment screen, through the «Other» tender (see «Taking payment»). When there's no connection, the register shows the «Last known balance» — the last synced value.

Selling a gift card

1. Open «Gift cards» → «Sell a gift card».
2. In «Card number», scan or type the number.
3. In «Amount», set the value — type it in or pick a quick-amount button.
4. Tap «Sell gift card». The register shows «Gift card issued» and returns.

Selling to an existing card works as a top-up — the amount is added to the current balance. The sale is saved immediately and syncs when there's a connection.

Paying with a gift card or certificate

A gift card is a separate tender in the «Other» list. A paper certificate is also set up by the administrator as an «Other» tender.

1. In the order, tap «Pay the bill» → «Other» and pick the "gift card" tender.
2. The «Pay with gift card» sheet opens. In «Card number», scan or type the number and tap search — the register shows the «Current balance».
3. Tap «Redeem». The register redeems this payment's amount from the card.

The redeemed amount comes from the order (the full remainder, or a share in a partial payment). If the card can't cover the whole remainder, the register warns «Card balance is less than the amount due» — close the difference with another method.

Checking a balance

1. Open «Gift cards» → «Check balance».
2. In «Card number», scan or type the number.
3. Tap «Check balance». The register shows the «Current balance».

Offline, the register shows the «Last known balance» instead, marked «Offline — showing the last synced balance» — the balance at the last sync, which may be out of date.

Unsettled payments

Sometimes a redemption reaches the cloud after the order was closed and the system refuses it (for example, too low a balance). It lands in the «Unsettled gift-card payments» queue, and a counter appears on the «Unsettled payments» tile. Open the queue to resolve it: «These redemptions were refused after the order closed. Re-collect payment or contact the customer.» When empty, the register shows «No unsettled payments».

Common problems

• «Enter a card number» — the number field is empty. Scan or type the card number.
• «Enter a valid amount» — the sell amount is empty or zero. Set a value greater than zero.
• «The card balance is too low» / «Card balance is less than the amount due» — the card can't cover the redemption. Redeem the available part and close the rest another way.
• «The gift card system refused this operation» — the backend rejected it (card not found, insufficient funds, or blocked). Check the number and balance.
• «Couldn't reach the gift card system» — no connection and no saved balance. Retry when the internet is back.
• «This payment will sync when the connection returns» — the card payment is saved on the device and uploads automatically once online.
• «Something went wrong» — an unexpected error. Retry; if it repeats, message us here — a specialist will join.

FAQ

How do I pay an order with a gift card?

Tap «Pay the bill» → «Other» → pick the "gift card" tender. In the «Pay with gift card» sheet enter the number, check the «Current balance», and tap «Redeem».

What if the card can't cover the whole bill?

The register warns «Card balance is less than the amount due». Redeem the available part from the card and close the rest another way — an ordinary partial payment (see «Taking payment»).

Why does the register show "Last known balance"?

There was no connection at check time. The register shows the balance at the last sync; the up-to-date value appears once the internet returns.

Can I pay with a paper certificate?

Yes, if the administrator set it up as an «Other» tender in the back office. It then appears in the «Other payments» sheet next to the gift card.