Learning how to use gift card activation software can help senders avoid scams and recipients quickly redeem the value of their gift cards, no matter where they are in the world.
Gift card activation software acts like a gateway to using a gift card – as well as the security guard that protects that gateway.
By activating a digital gift card through a software gateway (such as an API platform), you will make the gift cards more secure and fraud-proof, ensuring that only the intended recipients of gift card transactions can use them.
How this is done is quite simple: In the process of verifying gift cards through activation software, gift card sellers can determine if the gift card is being authentically used by the owner or another person.
Today, this makes the process of activating gift cards with encrypted software more important than ever.
One of the most essential pieces of software in this industry today is the gift card API, which allows users to easily integrate a vast network of gift card retailers directly into their mobile app or desktop, all just through one endpoint.
In this way, this kind of API acts as a super gateway to huge gift card catalogs of global retailers, all while providing must-have benefits and features for the global activation and redemption of vouchers. This includes:
- Enabling the global activation of gift cards in less than 5 seconds
- Securing gift cards with multi-factor authentication encrypted transactions
- Resolving issues through responsive customer care support
In this article, we’ll review why gift card activation software that includes these features is a necessity in today’s digital landscape, as well as how you can use the Reloadly gift card API to purchase, send and redeem gift cards globally.
[Looking to start offering gift card services to your customers from your website or app? Contact our support team to learn how your business can best apply a no-contract, simple-code gift card API.]
Why Gift Card Activation Software Became a Necessity
Gift cards are being increasingly purchased as gifts and for personal use, and digital gift cards have become more popular as a result of a digital shift amidst a global pandemic and increased use of mobile devices.
In the third quarter of 2020, buyers preferred to purchase two digital gift cards alongside one physical gift card, while they often purchased both in equal quantities earlier.
According to a survey by BlackHawk, 83% of people prefer to send gift cards to friends over physical gifts, resulting in the purchase of digital gift cards increasing by an aggregated 61% between 2018 and 2020.
Today, the gift card industry is growing astronomically, and it is expected to be worth $440.7 billion by the end of 2027, according to Market Watch.
However, the gift card industry is bedeviled by gift card scams. According to the Federal Trade Commission of the United States, over 40,000 customers lost $148 million to gift card scams in the United States alone. The loss could be of even larger proportions, as only 4.8% of gift card fraud is reported to government agencies. Indeed, Forbes reported that the median loss to gift card fraud increased from $700 per person in 2018 to $1,000 per person in 2021.
The strength of gift cards – their ease of purchase, speed of transactions, and fungibility – makes them an appealing transfer of value vehicle for fraudsters, and criminals are constantly devising different means to swindle unsuspecting people.
Fraudsters can call and claim they are staff of a gift card company and instruct the victim to purchase gift cards and announce their details. They could also pretend to be a friend or family or distress, requesting to be bailed by a gift card.
Some deploy other sneaky methods such as trying to take over others’ accounts or attempting to steal sensitive gift card details.
Gift card scams can be reduced by blocking schemes that fraudsters deploy, and this is today done in four ways:
- Educating your customers about gift card scams and declining requests from scammers
- Creating a responsive support team to quickly handle gift card issues
- Using fraud prevention and risk assessment security technologies
Gift card activation software can help with improved authentication and fraud prevention. Here, the verification process acts as security for gift cards and can help prevent and address issues of fraud.
The perennial problem of fraud facing the gift card industry inspired Reloadly to create gift card activation software that truely raises the bar in protecting from gift card theft and fraud, all while making transactions more seamless.
No-Contract Gift Card Activation Software Built for More Secure Transactions
Reloadly gift card activation software (delivered in the form of our gift card API) is designed to:
- Facilitate gift card sending between people anywhere in the world
- Ensure a seamless gift card activation process
- Provide safe and secure activation that protects against theft
To start using this gift card activation software, you need to take the following steps:
1. Sign up for free, and log into the Reloadly dashboard
To start sending the gift card software to be activated, you need to log in to your Reloadly account from the dashboard. If you do not have one, no worries! You can register for free and get your account ready in sixty seconds, without ever signing a contract. All you need to submit is your name and email, and you get an account at no cost.
From the dashboard, click on the gift card tab and select the gift card and recipient country of your choice. Reloadly offers over 300 gift card brands, and you can send them to more than 150 countries across four regions.
After selecting your preferred gift card, you have to add the quantity you are purchasing. The page would display the unit price, the total sum, and the transaction fee in your local currency.
Reloadly users only have to pay a $0.50 fee for each gift card purchase.
2. Add the Recipient Details
You can now send gift cards to anyone (including yourself).
First, you need to add the details of the sender – that is, you – in order to be able to send the gift card.
The subsequent page will require that you add the details of the recipient of the gift card, which is their email and their name (it could be yours as well).
3. Pay for the gift card order
After selecting the gift cards you desire and filling out the recipient details, you will be directed to an order review page for you to confirm your order.
After confirming your order, you’ll need to click on the ‘my wallet’ button to pay for the gift card from your Reloadly wallet balance.
If your balance is insufficient, you can top up your wallet via credit card, PayPal, Zelle/wire transfer, and bitcoin.
4. Complete the gift card transaction
Afterward, you will receive a congratulatory message on the dashboard. You can also print the receipt for the ordered gift card.
The receipt is proof of the transaction and contains details about the transaction and the type of gift card.
5. Confirm the recipient has received it
Con?rm from the recipient that they have received all the necessary details for redeeming the gift card. This information will be sent by email.
In most cases, this information is either a PIN code, a redeem code, or a combination of both.
Reloadly’s gift card API offers numerous gift cards, and each brand has different activation models.
The email sent to the recipient will include every detail needed for a secure activation, and the gift card activation software will be able to process it securely.
Start sending and activating gift cards securely today
Following the steps above will help you to send gift cards in minutes through a secure process, as well as ensure that recipients will be able to activate them quickly via Reloadly’s gift card activation software, so long as the gift card is purchased from Reloadly.
If you or your gift card recipient have any problems sending or activating a gift card, our support team is on standby to solve any issues you might encounter.
