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Gift Cards on 3rd-Party POS (PWA)

If your physical store runs on a register other than Shopify POS, that system has no way to read or update your Shopify gift cards. The GiftCard Hero POS app closes that gap. It's a small standalone web app your staff open on any phone or tablet to check balances, redeem (spend), and activate Shopify gift cards — right next to your third-party terminal.

Everything the app does writes straight back to your Shopify gift card records in real time, so balances stay in sync with what customers see on their card, email, and account.

When you need this

  • You use Shopify POS → you don't need this app. Use the native POS Integration tile instead, which handles gift card payment at checkout for you.
  • Your in-store checkout runs on a non-Shopify register → this app is your bridge. It works alongside popular POS systems such as:
  • Square
  • Clover
  • Lightspeed Retail (formerly Vend)
  • Zettle by PayPal
  • SumUp
  • Toast
  • Loyverse
  • Epos Now
  • Erply
  • …or any other register with no native Shopify gift card support.

How it fits into a sale: ring up the order in your POS as usual, then use the GiftCard Hero POS app to redeem the customer's gift card. The app tells you how much the card covers and how much is left to charge on your POS — you take that remainder as a normal payment.

What staff can do

  • Check a balance — type a code or scan the card's QR/barcode
  • Redeem (spend) an amount from a card — a custom amount, a quick preset, or by order subtotal
  • Activate / issue a gift card by loading a balance onto a code (e.g. a pre-printed physical card)
  • Review activity — a log of what was issued and redeemed
  • Fast re-entry with a personal 4-digit PIN

The app in short

  • Web address: https://gifthe.ro
  • Installs separately as a PWA (Progressive Web App) on any device with a modern browser. Once installed it gets its own app icon and runs full-screen, just like a native app.
  • Independent sign-in. It is not the Shopify admin. Each staff member signs in with their own username and password — accounts you create in the GiftCard Hero admin (see below).

Setup

Setup has three parts: create staff accounts, install the app on the device, and have each person sign in and set a PIN.

Step 1 — Create POS user accounts

Staff can't sign in until you create accounts for them.

  1. In GiftCard Hero, open POS Tools
  2. Switch to the 3rd party POS tab
  3. Click Add User
  4. Fill in the details:
  5. Username — the unique login name (case-insensitive)
  6. Full Name — the display name for the person
  7. Password — minimum 6 characters (entered twice to confirm)
  8. Click Save

Create one account per staff member — activity in the app is recorded per user. The POS Users table lists everyone with access, their status, roles, whether they've set a PIN yet, and when the account was created.

Step 2 — Install the app on the device

On the phone or tablet you'll use at the register:

  1. Open a web browser and go to https://gifthe.ro
  2. Install it to the home screen:
  3. Chrome / Edge (Android or desktop): tap the install icon in the address bar, or open the menu → Install app / Add to Home screen
  4. Safari (iPhone / iPad): tap Share → Add to Home Screen
  5. Android (other browsers): open the menu → Add to Home screen
  6. Open the new app icon — it launches full-screen, like a native app

Installing is optional — you can also just use the site in a browser — but installing gives a cleaner, distraction-free, app-like experience for the register.

Step 3 — First sign-in and PIN

  1. Open the app and enter the username and password you created in Step 1
  2. On first sign-in you'll be asked to set a 4-digit PIN
  3. Enter and confirm the PIN, then continue

The PIN is for quick re-entry, so staff don't retype the full password every time the app is reopened. It's stored securely and never shown again.

Daily use

Redeem a gift card / check a balance

  1. From the home screen, tap Balance & Redeem
  2. Type the gift code, or tap Scan to read the card's QR/barcode with the camera
  3. Pick the card from the results — you'll see the masked code and its current balance
  4. Choose how much to redeem:
  5. Custom — enter any amount
  6. Quick preset — one tap for a common amount
  7. Order subtotal — enter the full order total; the app shows how much the card covers and the Remaining to charge (the amount you still collect on your POS)
  8. Optionally add an order name or an internal note
  9. Tap Redeem — the balance is deducted from the Shopify gift card immediately

If the amount you enter is more than what's on the card, the app redeems only up to the available balance and shows a warning.

Activate / issue a gift card

Use this to load a balance onto a card code — for example, to activate a pre-printed physical card at the counter.

  1. From the home screen, tap Issue Gift Card
  2. Type or scan the gift code
  3. Enter the amount to load, plus an optional order name or internal note
  4. Tap Issue gift card — the card is created in Shopify with that starting balance

If a card with that code already exists, the app tells you instead of creating a duplicate.

PIN lock and re-entry

  • When the app is reopened it locks and asks for the PIN — enter it to continue
  • 3 incorrect PINs signs the user out; they sign back in with username and password
  • Forgot the PIN? Tap Logout on the lock screen, then sign in again with the username and password
  • To change a PIN, go to Profile → Settings (the current PIN is required)

Activity log

Open Profile → Activity log to see recent issue and redeem actions performed in the app, with amounts and timestamps.

How this compares to Shopify POS

Shopify POS 3rd-party POS (this app)
Setup POS tile inside Shopify POS Separate PWA at gifthe.ro
Sign-in Your Shopify POS staff Dedicated POS user accounts you create
Take gift card as payment Native — select Gift Card at checkout Redeem in the app, charge the remainder on your POS
Check balance / reload Yes, from the tile Yes, from the app

If you run both Shopify POS and another register in different locations, you can use both approaches side by side.

Requirements & notes

  • Internet connection required. The app talks to Shopify in real time to read and update balances.
  • Camera permission is needed the first time you scan a code. If scanning isn't available, type the code instead.
  • Redeeming debits the real gift card. The balance change is the same one customers see on their card, gift card email, and customer account.

Troubleshooting

A staff member can't sign in

  • Double-check the username and password. Usernames are case-insensitive.
  • Confirm the account exists and is Active in POS Tools → 3rd party POS.
  • The message "Incorrect login or password" means the credentials don't match — re-create or re-share them if needed.

The scanner won't open

  • Allow camera permission for the site in the browser's settings.
  • Some browsers only allow the camera over a secure (HTTPS) connection — gifthe.ro is served over HTTPS, so this is usually a permissions prompt that was dismissed.
  • As a fallback, type the gift code by hand.

A cashier forgot their PIN

Tap Logout on the lock screen and sign in again with the username and password. They can then set a new PIN in Profile → Settings.

The balance looks wrong or out of date

The balance is fetched live from Shopify. Search for the card again to refresh it, and check the device's internet connection.

"Amount exceeds available balance"

The card doesn't have enough balance for the amount entered. The app will redeem only up to the remaining balance — take the difference as a separate payment on your POS.