Why Brands Are Migrating Gift Cards Ahead of BFCM

Gift cards are one of the most powerful tools for driving revenue and acquisition on Shopify. They surge during Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the holiday season, making them a prime target for fraud.

Fraudsters exploit weak balance check systems, manual data exports, or disjointed third-party tools. The result is stolen balances, chargebacks, and frustrated customers right when your store is meant to be performing at its best.

Giftnote simplifies gift card management, reduces fraud risk, and unlocks growth opportunities while keeping costs down.

‍The Growing Problem of Gift Card Fraud

Gift card fraud is one of the fastest-growing challenges in ecommerce. Americans lost an estimated $217 million to gift card fraud in 2023 and a National Retail Security Survey found that 57% of retailers reported an increase in gift card scams from 2023-2024.

Fraudsters target stores with:

• Weak balance check systems that allow code guessing
• Manual imports or exports where sensitive data is exposed
• Limited reporting that makes suspicious activity hard to detect

Giftnote solves this by keeping all gift card data inside Shopify’s secure environment. By removing unnecessary third-party exposure, merchants reduce their risk while still giving customers a smooth way to check and redeem balances.

How Gift Card Fraud Works

Most scams fall into three categories:

1. Code guessing: Hackers use bots to test thousands of potential codes until they find active cards.
2. Stolen payment methods: Fraudsters buy high-value gift cards with stolen credit cards, resell them, and leave merchants with chargebacks.
3. System loopholes: Poorly integrated third-party tools or manual CSV processes create gaps where codes and balances can be intercepted.

The outcome is the same: lost revenue, chargeback fees, and a damaged brand reputation.

Giftnote’s Automatic Fraud Protection

Giftnote protects Shopify merchants with fraud prevention built in from day one.

• If Shopify (or a fraud detection tool like NoFraud) cancels an order for fraud, Giftnote automatically disables the associated gift card.
• Disabled cards cannot be re-enabled or redeemed.
• This process happens in real time with no extra steps required from your team.

Even if a fraudulent order gets through checkout, the gift card cannot be used or resold.

Extra Safeguards for Merchants

Giftnote also helps you stay in control with flexible fraud settings:

• Discount handling: choose whether gift cards reflect cart-level discounts or always issue at full value.
• Full visibility: every issued card, balance, and redemption history is tracked inside the Giftnote dashboard.
• Balance widget: customers can check their card securely on your store, without relying on third-party tools.

Why This Matters for BFCM

The holiday season is when most of your gift card revenue is made, and when fraud is at it's peak.

By installing Giftnote before peak, you will:

• Protect your revenue from fraudulent gift card purchases
• Avoid chargebacks and customer complaints from fake or drained cards
• Gain peace of mind that fraud is being handled automatically
• Unlock gifting features like scheduled delivery, SMS or email messaging, and recipient conversion campaigns

 Migrating from Rise.ai, Govalo or Another App

Many merchants considering Giftnote are migrating from apps like Rise.ai or Govalo. The process is quick, and your existing gift cards remain active and redeemable.

Here is how migration works:

1. Export your gift card data from Rise.ai, Govalo, or your current provider (full gift card codes are required)
2. Send your CSV to support@giftnote.com
3. Our team reviews, formats, and imports the data into Shopify and your Giftnote dashboard
4. Replace your old widget with Giftnote’s, and you are live

If your provider only gives partial codes, we can issue new cards with the correct balances and expiration dates. Customers will not be affected.

By migrating, you get:

• Full visibility of balances, redemption history, and delivery status
• Native Shopify integration to reduce fraud risk
• Scheduled delivery, branded messaging, and automated campaigns
• A done-for-you import handled entirely by the Giftnote team

Get Your Store Ready Now

Gift cards are too important to leave unprotected. With fraud rising every year and consumer awareness at an all-time high, prevention is no longer optional.

Giftnote has already powered 500,000+ gift orders and $60M+ in gift revenue for over 1,000 brands. Protecting your store from fraud is built into the platform from day one.

Install Giftnote today and make sure your gift card program is ready for BFCM.