Manage Gift Cards


Use Gift Cards to give backers a balance they can apply at checkout. Create individual Gift Cards, grant the same Gift Card to several backers, or import cards from Excel. You can create cards for one project or for all your projects that use the same currency.

In this article

Before you start

Before you create or manage Gift Cards, review the following rules:

  • A Project Admin can manage only Project Gift Cards. A Creator Admin can manage Project Gift Cards and Creator Gift Cards.
  • Gift Cards use the currency of the project where you create them. You can’t select a different currency.
  • Each Gift Card belongs to one recipient and has its own balance. A bulk action creates a separate Gift Card for every selected recipient.
  • The backer can see the Gift Card message. Only creator users and platform administration can see the private reason for granting it.

Compare Gift Card types

Choose the type based on where the backer can use the balance.

Table 1. Gift Card types

Type Where the backer can use it Who can create it
Project Gift Card Only in the current project Project Admin or Creator Admin
Creator Gift Card In active projects from the same creator that use the same currency as the Gift Card Creator Admin

When you create Gift Cards, choose one of the following options:

  • Select Valid only for [Project name] to create a Project Gift Card for the current project.
  • Select Valid for all creator projects to create a Creator Gift Card. This option is available only to users with creator-level permission.

Indiegogo uses the project you are currently managing. You can't select another project.

Note: A Creator Gift Card works only in the creator's projects that use the Gift Card currency. For example, a Creator Gift Card created in a USD project doesn't appear in a EUR project.

Add Gift Cards

Add one Gift Card for one backer or use a bulk action to grant the same Gift Card to several existing backers.

Add one Gift Card

Use the Gift Cards page to create a Gift Card for one recipient.

To add a Gift Card:

  1. Go to the project admin area, then select Users > Gift cards.
  2. Select Add Gift Card.
  3. Choose Valid only for [Project name] or Valid for all creator projects.
  4. In Assigned to, enter the email address connected to the recipient's account.
  5. Complete the Gift Card details.
  6. Set the expiry date as a number of days after creation or select a specific date.
  7. Select Add Gift Card.

Indiegogo creates the Gift Card and adds it to the Gift Cards list.

Table 2. Gift Card details

Field What to enter
Assigned to The recipient's email address. This field is required.
Type The project or creator scope. This field is required.
Gift Card name A short name that the backer sees. This field is required.
Gift Card message An optional message for the backer.
Private reason of granting An internal reason that the backer can't see. This field is required.
Gift Card value An amount greater than zero. Indiegogo uses the current project currency.
Expiry date The number of days after creation or a specific expiration date.

Note: If the email address doesn't belong to an existing account, Indiegogo creates an account and assigns the Gift Card to it.

Use another entry point

You can also open the Gift Card form from User Details, Order Details, or the Users list.

  • From User Details or Order Details, open the actions menu and select Add gift card.
  • From the Users list, select one user, open the actions menu, and select Grant gift cards.

Indiegogo fills Assigned to with the backer's email address and makes the field read only. Complete the remaining details and select Add Gift Card.

Add Gift Cards for several backers

Use a bulk action to grant Gift Cards with the same details and value to several existing users. This action doesn't create new accounts.

The available Gift Card types depend on your permission level:

  • A Project Admin can select only the current project.
  • A Creator Admin can also select all creator projects.

To add Gift Cards for several backers:

  1. Go to Users > User list in the project admin area.
  2. Select the users who should receive the Gift Card.
  3. Open the actions menu and select Grant gift cards.
  4. Choose the Gift Card type.
  5. Review the number of Gift Cards and their total value.
  6. Enter the Gift Card name, message, private reason, value, and expiry settings.
  7. Select Add Gift Card.
  8. Keep the progress window open or close it while Indiegogo processes the operation.
  9. Review the operation summary after processing finishes.

Indiegogo creates one Gift Card for every selected recipient. The summary shows the number of processed cards, their total value, and any failed recipients.

Import Gift Cards from Excel

Use an Excel file to create Gift Cards with different recipients, types, or values. Each row creates one Gift Card. Indiegogo validates the file before the import starts.

Prepare the Excel file

Download the example file and use its structure to prepare the Gift Card data.

To prepare the file:

  1. Go to the project admin area, then select Users > Gift Cards.
  2. Select Import gift cards.
  3. Download the example file.
  4. Add one Gift Card per row.
  5. Complete the required columns and any optional values.
  6. Save the file.

Table 3. Excel import columns

Column Requirement What to enter
Email Required The recipient's email address
Type Required Project or Creator
Name Required The Gift Card name shown to the recipient
Message Optional A message visible to the recipient
Reason of granting Required An internal reason that the recipient can't see
Value Required An amount greater than zero

Don't add a currency column. Indiegogo uses the currency of the current project. A Project Admin can import only Project Gift Cards. A Creator Admin can import both Gift Card types.

Validate and import the file

Upload the completed Excel file, validate its content, and confirm the import to create the Gift Cards.

Validation checks the file structure, required values, email addresses, Gift Card types, values, and your permission scope.

To validate and import the file:

  1. Open the Gift Cards page and select Import Gift Cards.
  2. Select the completed Excel file.
  3. Select Validate.
  4. Continue based on the validation result:
    • If validation fails, complete Fix validation errors.
    • If validation succeeds, review the number and total value of Project Gift Cards and Creator Gift Cards.
  5. Select the acknowledgment checkbox.
  6. Select Import.
  7. Keep the progress window open or close it while Indiegogo processes the file.
  8. Review the summary after the import finishes.
  9. Select View details to check the status of individual rows.

Indiegogo creates one Gift Card for every valid row.

If the email address doesn’t match an existing Indiegogo account, Indiegogo assigns the Gift Card to that address. To view and use the card, the recipient needs to create an Indiegogo account with the same email address.

Fix validation errors

Use the validation error report to correct invalid rows before you try the import again.

  1. Download the validation error report.
  2. Find each affected row and review its error.
  3. Correct the source file.
  4. Select the corrected file in the import window.
  5. Select Validate again.
  6. Repeat these steps until validation succeeds.

Return to Validate and import the file and continue with the confirmation summary.

Revoke Gift Cards

You can revoke one or several Gift Cards from the Gift Cards page. When you revoke a Gift Card, the backer loses access to its remaining balance.

You need to provide a reason for the revocation. The backer can't see this reason. The revoked Gift Card remains visible in Gift Card views and history.

Revocation can't be undone.

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