> ## 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.

# What are gift cards in Uplifter, and what can a family spend one on?

> The two shapes of gift-card credit, the four statuses a card can show, and the rules staff need to answer family questions.

<Note>
  **Must know**

  * Gift Cards are available on plans that include **Gift Cards** — if you don't see them in your dashboard, ask your Uplifter contact.
  * A card with **no categories selected** is unrestricted, and its scope line reads **Anything at \[your club name]** (just **Anything** when no club name is available).
  * A gift card is a **post-tax tender**: it lowers the amount you collect, never the invoice total or the tax on it. Gift-card purchase lines themselves are never taxed — they're deferred liability, not revenue.
  * Every screen shows only the last four digits, as **•• 4821**. The full card identifier never leaves the server, including in the CSV export.
  * Balances **don't expire** — there's no expiry date on a gift card today.
</Note>

## What a card can be spent on

A restricted card limits spend to any of four categories: **Programs**, **Memberships**, **Passes**, and **Store items**. Inside a category you can pin specific items; with no live pins, the whole category is in scope.

Event tickets, competitions, and bookings have no scope category, so only an unrestricted card can pay for them. And a gift card can never buy another gift card — at checkout that row reads **Can't be used to buy gift cards**.

## The four statuses

* **Pending** — emailed but not yet claimed.
* **Active** — attached to a holder and spendable.
* **Locked** — blocked by staff; the balance is preserved.
* **Used up** — derived from a \$0 remaining balance, never stored.

**Locked** and **Pending** win over a \$0 balance, so an unclaimed or frozen card never reads as used up.

## What's fixed when a card is issued

A card snapshots its **name**, **image**, and **restrictions** at the moment it's issued, so later edits to the catalog design don't change cards already in families' hands. If a pinned program or product is later deleted or completed, that pin is dropped — the label shows **(no longer offered)** and the card's scope broadens to the whole category, so money is never stranded.

An athlete pin is set only at issue time, applies only to Program lines, and is cleared if the holder transfers the card.

**Related:** [How do I turn on gift cards and add them to my website?](/club/gift-cards/turn-on-gift-cards) · [How do I see gift-card balances and reconcile my outstanding liability?](/club/gift-cards/reconcile-gift-card-balances) · [How do I create and design a gift card to sell?](/club/gift-cards/create-a-gift-card)