Gift Card in LS Central: Setup, Sell, Redeem and Check Balance

Gift cards are a retail essential. They bring in cash up front, pull new customers into the store, and often get spent above their face value. LS Central has full gift card support built in, but the setup confuses a lot of people the first time, because it is assembled from several small pieces rather than one single “gift card” screen.

This guide explains how gift cards work in LS Central, walks through the setup piece by piece, and then shows how to sell, redeem, and check the balance at the POS. Once you see how the parts fit together, it is straightforward. Let us build it.

How Gift Cards Work in LS Central

In LS Central, a gift card is a type of Data Entry. Think of a data entry as a record that holds a balance, tied to a card number. Everything you do with the card, loading value, spending value, checking the balance, is really an operation on that data entry.

The whole feature rests on a few parts working together:

Step 1: Create the Data Entry Type

This defines the gift card itself. Search (Alt + Q) for Data Entry Types and create a new one, for example GIFTCARD. Set it up as a gift card / voucher type that tracks a balance. This is the foundation the infocodes will point to.

Step 2: Create the Two Info-codes

Go to LS Retail, BackOffice, Sales & Marketing, Infocodes and Data Entries, Infocodes. You create two infocodes, and this pair is the heart of the whole setup.

Infocode 1, for creating and selling the card:

• Type: select Create Data Entry
• Data Entry Type: select the GIFTCARD type from Step 1

Infocode 2, for paying with the card:

• Type: select Apply To Entry
• Data Entry Type: select the same GIFTCARD type
• Select the Input Required check box (so the cashier must enter the card number)
• If you use magnetic stripe cards, select Allow MSR Cards

That is the create-and-spend pair. Infocode 1 puts value on a new card; Infocode 2 takes value off an existing one.

Step 3: Create the Gift Card Item

You need an item to sell, because a gift card is sold like any other product at the POS. Create an item (for example GIFTCARD), then attach the Create infocode (Infocode 1) to it.

To attach it: on the item, open the POS action and select Infocodes. Set the Infocode Code to your Create-and-sell infocode, and set When Required to Positive (so it fires when the item is sold). It is also good practice to create an Extra Print Setup for the gift card item, so the receipt prints the card details.

Step 4: Set Up the Gift Card Tender Type

When a customer pays with a gift card, the POS treats it as a payment method, so you need a gift card tender type. Set this up in your tender type configuration, and note its Tender Type Code, because you will use that code on the redeem button in the next step.

Step 5: Add the POS Buttons

Finally, add buttons to the POS menu so cashiers can use the gift card functions. LS Central provides specific POS commands for this:

Add these buttons to a suitable POS menu. Note that the two lookup commands (balance and entries) are valid on the start menu before a transaction is started, so place them where a cashier can reach them without an active sale.

Selling a Gift Card

With setup done, selling is simple. The cashier:

1. Adds the gift card item to the sale (scan or select it)
2. The Create infocode fires and prompts for the card number and the amount to load
3. The customer pays for the card with any normal payment method (cash, card)
4. The receipt prints, and the card now holds that balance, ready to spend

Redeeming a Gift Card

When a customer pays with a gift card:

1. Ring up the items being purchased as normal
2. At payment, press the gift card tender button (your TENDER_K button)
3. Enter the card number (the Apply To Entry infocode checks the balance)
4. The card’s value is applied to the sale. If the balance covers the total, the sale completes; if not, the customer pays the remainder with another method, and any leftover stays on the card

Checking the Balance

Customers always want to know what is left on a card. Using the VIEW_DATAENTRY_BAL button, the cashier enters the card number and the POS shows the current balance. The VIEW_VOUCHER_ENTRIES button shows the full history behind the card (loads and spends), which is useful for resolving customer queries. Remember these work from the start menu, before a transaction begins.

Common Problems and Fixes

The card sells but has no balance. Usually the Create infocode is not attached to the item, or When Required is not set to Positive. Check the item’s POS infocode setup.

Cannot pay with the gift card. Check that the gift card tender type exists and that your TENDER_K button’s Parameter is the correct Tender Type Code.

“Input required” but no prompt for card number. On the Apply To Entry infocode, make sure Input Required is selected so the POS asks for the card number.

Balance button does nothing mid-sale. The balance and entry lookup commands only work on the start menu before a transaction starts. Move the button, or check the balance before beginning the sale.

e-commerce gift card value looks wrong. For online use, the webstore currency must match the card currency. A card worth 100 USD only shows as 100 in a USD webstore; it will not auto-convert to another currency.

FAQ, Gift Cards in LS Central

How do gift cards work in LS Central?
A gift card is a Data Entry that holds a balance. One infocode (Create Data Entry) loads value when you sell a card; another (Apply To Entry) spends value when a customer pays with it. The balance is tracked automatically on the data entry.

Why do I need two infocodes for a gift card?
Because loading and spending are separate operations. The Create Data Entry infocode puts money onto a new card during a sale, and the Apply To Entry infocode takes money off an existing card during payment.

How do I sell a gift card at the POS?
Add the gift card item to the sale (its Create infocode prompts for card number and amount), then take payment as normal. The card now holds the loaded balance.

How does a customer pay with a gift card?
At payment, the cashier presses the gift card tender button (POS command TENDER_K set to the gift card Tender Type Code) and enters the card number. The balance is applied to the sale, with any remainder paid another way.

How do I check a gift card balance?
Use a POS button with command VIEW_DATAENTRY_BAL (Parameter set to the Data Entry Type) and enter the card number. VIEW_VOUCHER_ENTRIES shows the full history. Both work from the start menu before a sale begins.

Can gift cards be reloaded (refillable)?
Yes, gift cards can be configured as refillable so more value can be added later, depending on your data entry type and configuration. Confirm the exact behaviour for your LS Central version.

Can I use gift cards online as well as in store?
Yes, LS Central supports gift cards in its e-commerce integrations. Be careful with currency: the webstore currency must match the gift card currency, as amounts do not auto-convert.

Final Thoughts

Gift cards in LS Central look complicated only because they are built from several small parts. Once you see the logic, a Data Entry Type to define the card, two infocodes to load and spend it, an item to sell it, a tender type to pay with it, and a few POS buttons, the setup is quick and reliable. The key mental model is the two infocodes: one creates value, one applies it.

Set it up carefully, test a full sell-redeem-balance cycle before go-live, and you will have a smooth gift card program that brings customers back into your stores.

Stay tuned to NavisionPlanet for more practical LS Central and Business Central retail guides drawn from real store implementations.

Note: LS Central page names and options vary slightly between versions. This guide reflects the standard gift card setup; confirm the exact steps for your LS Central version in the LS Retail Help, or with your partner.