How can a café or shop in Saudi Arabia sell digital gift cards without the mess?
Digital gift cards for cafés and shops in Saudi Arabia are sold at the counter and sent to the recipient by WhatsApp as a link with a balance page and a QR code. The recipient spends the balance over several visits, and it can never be spent twice because each use is recorded instantly. The best seasons are Eid, graduation, weddings and corporate gifting, and the money stays a liability until it is used.
Why are gift cards worth adding to your shop?
Short answer: they bring cash today and a new customer tomorrow. The buyer pays now, the recipient often visits for the first time, and many spend more than the card’s value.
Gifting is a strong habit in Saudi Arabia: Eid money for children, graduation gifts, new-baby congratulations, a present for a colleague, wedding hospitality. Yet many cafés, bakeries, perfume and clothing shops have no tidy way to sell a non-physical gift, so the buyer picks a generic online voucher instead of your shop.
Classic paper vouchers have well-known problems: they get forgotten in a drawer, photocopied and used twice, and nobody knows what balance is left. A digital card fixes all three.
How does a digital gift card work, step by step?
- The customer asks for a card of a set amount at the counter, for example 100 SAR, and pays cash or by mada
- The cashier creates the card from a tablet or phone, adding the recipient’s mobile number and a short message
- The card goes out by WhatsApp as a link with a card page showing the balance and a QR code
- The recipient visits and shows the code; the cashier scans it and deducts the order
- Partial use: after a 35 SAR order, 65 SAR remains visible on the same page
- Once the balance is used up the card stops working, and it can never be spent twice
When do gift cards sell best in Saudi Arabia?
Answer: in the known gifting seasons, provided you announce at least a week ahead and keep the offer visible at the counter.
| Occasion | Who buys | Selling idea |
|---|---|---|
| Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha | Family and relatives | Small "eidiya" cards for teenagers |
| Graduation (end of school year) | Parents and friends | Graduation design with a personal message |
| Weddings and new babies | Guests and friends | Higher-value cards from a bakery or perfume shop |
| Year-end and work milestones | Companies | A batch of cards for staff or clients |
| National Day and Founding Day | Friends and colleagues | Design in general national colours |
How do you sell gift cards to companies?
Answer: companies in Riyadh, Jeddah and Khobar look for useful gifts for staff and clients, and a card from a café near the office is one everybody uses. Corporate orders are bigger but need a bit of organisation.
Tips for corporate orders
- Prepare a simple offer with three values, such as 50, 100 and 200 SAR
- Send the cards in one batch to a list of mobile numbers from HR
- Issue one invoice to the company and get paid before sending
- Offer a message in the company’s name inside the card
- Never use the company’s logo without written approval
When does corporate selling make sense?
When your shop is close to office towers or business districts, or you have branches in several neighbourhoods. Illustrative example: a company with 40 employees buys a 50 SAR card each. That is 2,000 SAR paid upfront and 40 potential visits from people who may not know your shop yet.
How should you treat gift cards in your accounts?
General answer: the money you collect when selling a card is not final revenue yet; it is a liability until the customer uses the balance. So do not spend it as if it were profit.
Record gift card sales separately from product sales and track the unused balance every month. VAT timing and the treatment of expired or unused cards are questions for your accountant, as they depend on the card’s nature and terms. Write clear terms: is there an expiry date, can it be refunded in cash, is it valid in every branch?
How do you prevent gift card fraud?
Answer: keep the balance in the system, not on paper. When every use is deducted instantly from a central balance, a copied screenshot is worthless.
- Each card has a unique code, and the balance is read from the system at every use
- Never accept a card number read out loud; always scan the code
- Limit who can create cards: the manager, or a cashier with a personal PIN
- Each week, review cards created and used and reconcile with the cash
- Never create a card before payment is received, even for friends
How does Dawwerni handle gift cards together with loyalty?
Answer: the Dawwerni gift card module runs in the browser on any tablet or phone. You sell the card at the counter, send it by WhatsApp, the recipient opens a balance page with a QR code, uses it partially at the till, and it is never spent twice. It works with cashier mode and the POS to record each use.
On the recipient’s first visit they scan the QR code on the table with the phone camera, no app, play a short game and win a reward valid on their next visit. They are then invited, optionally, to follow your Instagram and leave an honest Google review; the reward never depends on the review. Their profile is saved in your customer base, turning a one-off guest into a regular.
It suits cafés and retail and perfume shops; for more depth read gift cards with partial redemption. Prices are on the Dawwerni Saudi Arabia page: 750 SAR per year for Standard and 900 SAR for Premium with a 7-day trial; confirm on the call that the gift card module is in your plan.
Pre-Eid gift card launch checklist
- Choose three clear card values
- Write the terms: validity, refunds, branches included
- Prepare an Eid-themed design and a ready WhatsApp message
- Put a small sign at the till and a sticker on the window
- Train staff on selling, scanning and partial redemption
- Ask your accountant how to record sales and handle VAT
- After the season: cards sold, balance used, new customers who came back
FAQ
Does the recipient need an app to use the card?
No. The card arrives as a WhatsApp link that opens on the phone with the balance and a QR code, which is shown at the till. No app, no account.
Can the card be used over several visits?
Yes. Redemption is partial: each order is deducted and the rest stays visible on the card page until the balance runs out.
What if someone screenshots the card and uses it twice?
It will not work. The balance lives in the system and is deducted instantly at every use, so a copy only shows the same remaining balance.
Are gift card sales immediate profit?
In accounting they are usually treated as a liability until used. This is general advice; ask your accountant about correct recording and VAT.
How much does the gift card module cost?
The Saudi yearly subscription is 750 SAR for Standard and 900 SAR for Premium, with a 7-day trial. Modules depend on business type and plan, so confirm on the call.
Turn visits into reviews, repeat visits and sales
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