Enter Gift Card Numbers Manually on Handheld

Description: Learn how to manually enter a gift card number on Handheld when the card cannot be scanned or swiped, including digital gift cards, damaged cards, and cards with unreadable barcodes.

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Availability: United States, Canada

Note: This feature is currently available only for Pilot users.

Handheld supports manual entry of a gift card number during checkout. Use this when the gift card can't be scanned or swiped — for example, a damaged mag stripe, a smudged barcode, or a digital gift card displayed on a guest's phone.

Manual entry works with all four gift card providers currently integrated with Shift4 Dine: Shift4 Gift, Paytronix, Synergy, and Shift4 Gift Cards. The provider is determined automatically based on the card number, matching the behavior on the Workstation.

For detailed explanations of gift card processing on the Workstation, visit the Gift Card Operations and Entry Methods on Shift4 Dine article.

When to Use Manual Entry

Use Manual Entry in any of these situations:

• The card's mag stripe is worn and can't be swiped
• The barcode is damaged, smudged, or unreadable by the scanner
• The gift card is digital (emailed, in a wallet app, or stored as a photo)
• The card number is available from a printed receipt or confirmation
• Scanning and swiping have both failed, and the card number is visible

If the card scans or swipes successfully, use that flow. Manual Entry is a fallback, not the primary path.

Entering a Gift Card Manually

Starting from the checkout flow on the Handheld:

1. On the ticket, tap Pay to open the payment screen.
2. Select Gift Card from the tender dropdown at the top of the screen.
3. On the Payment Amount screen, you'll see the amount due and a Manual Entry button directly below it.
4. Tap Manual Entry. A modal titled Enter Gift Card Number appears over the payment screen.
5. Using the on-screen keyboard, type the gift card number exactly as it appears on the card or digital receipt.
6. Tap Continue. The modal closes, and the gift card is attached to the current transaction.
7. Verify the payment amount is correct, then tap Pay to process the tender.

If the gift card is valid and has sufficient balance, the payment will process, and the tender will be recorded against the ticket. If there's an issue with the card, an error message displays. The same messaging is displayed on Workstation and on the scan/swipe flow.

Cancelling a Manual Entry

To cancel without applying the gift card:

1. Tap Cancel on the Enter Gift Card Number modal, or tap outside the modal to dismiss.
2. The payment screen returns to its previous state with no gift card attached. The transaction is unaffected.

Supported Providers

Manual Entry supports all gift card providers currently integrated with Shift4 Dine:

• Shift4 Gift
• Paytronix
• Synergy
• Shift4 Gift Cards

Provider routing is automatic - you don't need to select which provider issued the card. The system identifies the provider from the card number, just as it does for scanned and swiped cards.

Permissions

Access to the gift card payment flow on Handheld is governed by the same tender permissions used on the Workstation. If your employee's role can take gift card payments on the Workstation, you'll see the Gift Card tender and Manual Entry option on the Handheld.

To update employee permissions using the Workstation, visit the Change User Permissions on Shift4 Dine article.

For help with errors and common issues, visit the Manual Gift Card Entry Troubleshooting article.