How to Create Shopify Gift Cards in Bulk Using Apps or the API

Shopify’s admin doesn’t include a CSV importer for gift cards, so a Shopify gift card import needs an app, Shopify’s API or a workaround. Gift card apps can create cards in bulk from a spreadsheet, often keeping your existing codes and balances, while bulk import tools can recreate cards by importing orders with gift card line items, which generates new codes and emails them to customers.

Gift cards hold real value for your customers, so importing them carefully matters. Choosing the right method decides whether customers keep their original codes, whether expiration dates carry over and whether anyone receives an unexpected email.

How to Import Gift Cards Into Shopify

There are three main ways to bring existing gift cards into Shopify. This comparison shows what each one keeps:

If keeping codes matters, for example because customers hold printed or emailed cards from your old platform, choose an app or API approach that supports custom codes. If new codes are acceptable, the order import workaround is quick but sends each customer a new gift card email.

Gift Card Products vs Issued Gift Cards

Before importing, check which kind of gift card data you’re moving. Shopify treats sellable gift card products and issued gift cards as different things:

• Gift card products are the items customers buy, such as a gift card with $25, $50 and $100 denominations. They’re products, so you can import them with a product import.
• Issued gift cards are the cards with codes and balances that customers spend. These are what you need to migrate when customers already hold gift cards.

Many merchants moving stores need both. Recreate the gift card products so customers can buy new cards, and import issued cards so existing balances stay usable.

Prepare Your Gift Card File

Start by exporting gift cards from your old platform, or from Products > Gift cards > Export if you’re moving between Shopify stores. Then clean the file before importing:

• Remove inactive cards. Delete disabled and expired cards, and cards with a zero balance, unless your policy says otherwise.
• Use remaining balances. Import each card’s current balance, not its original value.
• Check codes. Make sure codes are unique and match your import tool’s rules, which commonly require letters and numbers only.
• Add customer emails. Include an email for each card you want linked to a customer, since order-based imports can’t assign cards without one.
• Record expiration dates. Keep them in the file if your tool supports them, or plan to set them separately.
• Keep a backup. Save an untouched copy of the export to reconcile totals after the import.

Migrate Gift Cards Using Order Imports

When you’re moving between Shopify stores and new codes are acceptable, you can recreate gift cards by importing orders. Bulk import apps such as Matrixify describe this process:

1. Export gift cards. Download all gift cards from the old store as a CSV.
2. Clean the list. Remove disabled, expired and no-email rows, keeping only the email and balance.
3. Build an orders file. Turn each card into an order with one gift card line item, using the customer’s email and the balance as the line price, marked as paid.
4. Check fulfillment settings. Confirm that gift cards are fulfilled automatically in the new store’s order processing settings.
5. Test with your own email. Import one or two orders addressed to yourself to see exactly what customers will receive.
6. Import the full file. Shopify creates new gift cards with the imported balances and emails them to customers.

Let customers know in advance that new gift card codes are on the way. Otherwise, a sudden gift card email can look like a mistake or a scam.

Import Gift Card Products

Gift card products are easier to import, because they behave like regular products. In bulk import tools, you mark the product as a gift card and use variants for each denomination:

• Title. The product name, shared by all denominations of the same gift card.
• Gift card setting. A column that marks the product as a gift card, such as a Gift Card column set to TRUE in Matrixify.
• Options. Use an option such as Amount, with values like $25, $50 and $100.
• Variant price. The price for each denomination.

Gift cards may need activating in your store first, which you can do by starting a new gift card product in Products > Gift cards. Existing regular products can’t be converted into gift card products in place, so import tools recreate them instead.

Common Gift Card Import Problems

Gift card imports go wrong most often when customers are surprised or balances don’t match. Watch for these issues:

• Unexpected emails. Order-based imports send a gift card email to every customer, so test first and announce the change.
• Lost codes. Customers’ old codes stop working if your method generates new ones, so make sure they receive replacements.
• Missing expiration dates. Some methods can’t import expiry dates in bulk, so check your gift card policy and local rules.
• Unlinked cards. Cards without customer emails can’t be assigned to customer profiles.
• Double balances. Old cards stay active on the previous platform, so deactivate them once the new cards are live.
• Mismatched totals. Compare the total imported balance with your outstanding gift card balance from the old platform.

Conclusion

A Shopify gift card import comes down to choosing a method that fits your priorities, whether that’s keeping existing codes with an app or the API, or recreating cards quickly through an order import. Cleaning your data, testing with your own email and telling customers what to expect keeps their balances safe through the move. We hope this guide helps you complete your Shopify gift card import smoothly.