Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Merchant Gift Certificates offer greater choices and flexibility for merchants, purchasers and recipients. Anyone with a Premier or Business account can sell gift certificates on their website and/or via emails.

PayPal's Help Center features dozens of questions and answers about gift certificates. Here are a couple of examples:

Q: What is the gift certificate rolling reserve balance?

A: The gift certificate rolling reserve balance is a running tally of proceeds from gift certificate sales. The proceeds remain in the merchant's reserve balance and are transfered to their available balance at the time of redemption or 18 months after the original gift certificate purchase date.

Q: Can a Merchant Gift Certificate for a merchant be redeemed on another merchant's website?

A: No. Merchant Gift Certificates can be redeemed only for merchandise sold by the merchant. The recipient of a gift certificate clicks the seller's Shopping URL to begin shopping and simply click or enter their redemption code during checkout.

Click the Help link at the top right of any PayPal page to find more answers to questions about PayPal's Merchant Gift Certificates.