> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.uplifter.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How do I cancel a gift card, and how is that different from locking it?

> Cancel card writes off a gift card's balance for good, while Lock only pauses it: how to cancel a card and what changes for you and the family.

<Note>
  **Must know**

  * **Cancel is permanent.** The balance is written off to \$0.00 and the card can never be redeemed again. Use **Lock** for anything temporary.
  * **No refund goes out.** Cancelling moves no money, and a gift card purchase can't currently be refunded from its invoice.
  * **You need Edit Financials**, on a plan that includes Gift Cards. Cancel is refused while the card is being used in a checkout.
  * **A refund can bring it back.** Money a refund later returns to a cancelled card re-opens it as **Locked**, for you to unlock or cancel again.
</Note>

**Lock or Cancel?** Lock is temporary; Cancel is permanent.

| | Lock | Cancel |
| - | - | - |
| Balance | Kept | Written off to \$0.00 |
| Undo | **Unlock** | Only a refund to the card (it re-opens Locked) |
| Claim link | Inactive until you unlock | Stops working |
| Good for | Suspected fraud, a disputed purchase | A card issued in error |

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the card">
    Click its row on **Financials > Gift Cards**, or open it from a guardian's **Gift Cards** tab.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select Cancel card">
    It sits after **Lock** or **Unlock** on the detail panel (after **Resend** and **Fix recipient** while the card is **Pending**). Each card row on a guardian's **Gift Cards** tab also has it in its menu.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add a note (optional)">
    **Cancel this gift card?** shows the balance being written off. **Note (optional)** takes up to 500 characters. The family never sees it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm">
    Select **Cancel card**, or **Keep card** to back out. You see "Gift card cancelled", or the reason it failed.
  </Step>
</Steps>

**What changes.** The balance goes to \$0.00, the status becomes **Cancelled** and any lock reason clears. **Activity** gets a **Cancelled** entry for the amount written off, and your note shows as **Cancellation note**. The panel's action buttons then disappear, and checkout leaves the card off the family's gift card list.

**What the family sees.** A claimed card stays on the family's **Gift Cards** page with a **Cancelled** badge and \$0.00 left. An unclaimed card's link shows "This gift link is no longer active". Cancelling sends no email. If the purchase invoice hasn't settled yet, the claim email never goes out.

**Money.** The dialog suggests refunding the purchase invoice, but a gift card purchase can't be refunded from its invoice today: its line in the refund dialog reads "Gift cards can't be refunded yet". Cancelling posts no accounting entry: the balance leaves **Outstanding value** on **Financials > Gift Cards**, but nothing reduces **Gift Card Liability** (2200) in your ledger automatically.

**When it's refused.** While a checkout is using the card: "This gift card is being used in a checkout right now - try again in a few minutes."

**The one way back.** If a refund on an order the card paid for returns money to it, the card re-opens as **Locked** with the reason "Re-opened by a refund returned to this cancelled card - unlock it or cancel it again." **Unlock** it for the family, or cancel it again.

**Who can, and finding cancelled cards.** Staff with **Edit Financials** only: Ask Hero can't lock, unlock or cancel cards. Choose **Cancelled** under **Status** in the filters on **Financials > Gift Cards** or in the **Gift Cards** report.

**Related:** [How do I lock a gift card, resend its claim email, or fix the recipient?](/club/gift-cards/lock-resend-or-change-recipient) · [How do I see gift-card balances and reconcile my outstanding liability?](/club/gift-cards/reconcile-gift-card-balances) · [What are gift cards in Uplifter, and what can a family spend one on?](/club/gift-cards/gift-cards-overview) · [What happens when I delete a gift card design that has already been issued?](/club/gift-cards/delete-an-issued-gift-card)