Unused Balance Reminders¶
Reminders are automated emails sent to customers who have an unused gift card balance. Most unredeemed gift cards are simply forgotten — a timely reminder can recover that revenue and bring customers back.
Go to Reminders in the left navigation.
Enabling reminders¶
The status badge at the top shows whether reminders are Enabled or Disabled. Click the toggle button to switch.
When disabled, no reminder emails are sent and the Send reminder button is inactive.
Configuration options¶
Delay (days after purchase)¶
Set how many days after a gift card is purchased before the first reminder is sent. For example, 30 means reminders go out 30 days after the card was issued if it hasn't been used.
Marketing consent filter¶
Check Only email customers who accept marketing at checkout to restrict reminders to customers who opted in to marketing emails. This is recommended for GDPR compliance and to avoid unsubscribe complaints.
Send reminder for all gift cards¶
Click Send reminder to immediately trigger a reminder for all currently eligible cards (cards that are active and have an unused balance). This button is only available when reminders are enabled.
Use this for a one-time campaign — for example, when you first enable reminders and want to reach all existing cardholders right away.
Reminder email template¶
The reminder email has its own template, separate from the gift card delivery email.
Click Change email template to go to the reminder template editor.
In the template editor you can customize:
- Language — select the language for the template
- Email text for purchaser — the message sent when a purchaser has an unused card
- Email text for recipient — the message sent when a recipient hasn't used their card
- Show gift code directly in email — include the card code in the email body
- Hide "View gift card" button — remove the link to the gift card page
- Include greeting message, recipient name and from — add personalization fields to the email
Click Generate email template to preview the rendered email.
Why reminders matter¶
Industry data shows that a significant percentage of gift cards are never fully redeemed. Each unredeemed card represents revenue your customer has already paid. Reminder emails convert dormant balances into actual purchases at very low cost.
Even a single reminder campaign sent to all cardholders typically drives a measurable uplift in redemption rate and repeat purchase revenue.
Compliance notes¶
Reminder emails are considered marketing emails in most jurisdictions and must:
- Include an unsubscribe option (GiftCard Hero includes this automatically)
- Only be sent to customers who have consented to marketing (use the Marketing consent filter setting)
- Comply with GDPR, CAN-SPAM, and similar regulations in your region
Consult your legal counsel if you're unsure about consent requirements.