# Non-payment operations Activate, reload, check balance, and cash out gift cards. Use void to undo a successful operation. > Request access to the Gift card private preview by contacting your Account Executive or by sending an email to [terminal-gift-cards@stripe.com](mailto:terminal-gift-cards@stripe.com) with the following information: > > - Use case for in-person and/or online gift card acceptance - Terminal device and integration type - Gift card provider - Country/countries where gift cards will be accepted - Estimated annual gift card transaction volume Gift card operations are actions you can perform on a gift card, such as activation, reload, cash out, balance check, and void. Each endpoint returns a [GiftCardOperation](https://docs.stripe.com/api/third-party-gift-cards/gift-card-operation/object.md?api-version=preview). If you need to undo an operation, you can [void an operation](https://docs.stripe.com/payments/gift-cards/operations.md#void) within 24 hours. ## Before you begin All operations require a `GiftCard` object. If you haven’t created one yet, see [Create a gift card](https://docs.stripe.com/payments/gift-cards/accept-a-payment.md#create-gift-card). For card-present integrations, see [Accept gift card payments on Terminal](https://docs.stripe.com/terminal/features/gift-cards.md). ## Activate a gift card Activate a gift card and optionally load an initial balance onto it. Pass the optional `balance` hash to set the initial balance at activation time. ```curl curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/gift_cards/{{GIFTCARDID_ID}}/activate \ -u "<>:" \ -H "Stripe-Version: 2026-08-26.preview" \ -d "balance[amount]=5000" \ -d "balance[currency]=usd" ``` The response returns a [GiftCardOperation](https://docs.stripe.com/api/third-party-gift-cards/gift-card-operation/object.md?api-version=preview) object with the [type](https://docs.stripe.com/api/third-party-gift-cards/gift-card-operation/object.md?api-version=preview#third_party_gift_cards_gift_card_operation_object-type) set to `activation`. ## Reload a gift card Add funds to an existing gift card. Use this endpoint when a customer wants to add funds to their card or when you issue a gift card refund. For a customer-initiated reload, complete these actions separately: 1. Collect payment from the customer (for example, using a [PaymentIntent](https://docs.stripe.com/api/payment_intents.md)). 2. After the payment succeeds, call this endpoint to add the amount to the gift card. ```curl curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/gift_cards/{{GIFTCARDID_ID}}/reload \ -u "<>:" \ -H "Stripe-Version: 2026-08-26.preview" \ -d amount=5000 \ -d currency=usd ``` The response returns a [GiftCardOperation](https://docs.stripe.com/api/third-party-gift-cards/gift-card-operation/object.md?api-version=preview) object with the [type](https://docs.stripe.com/api/third-party-gift-cards/gift-card-operation/object.md?api-version=preview#third_party_gift_cards_gift_card_operation_object-type) set to `reload`. The [reload.previous_balance](https://docs.stripe.com/api/third-party-gift-cards/gift-card-operation/object.md?api-version=preview#third_party_gift_cards_gift_card_operation_object-reload-previous_balance) field reflects the card balance before the reload. If the payment succeeds but the reload fails, refund the customer’s payment separately. ## Check balance Checks the current balance on a gift card. Balance checks call the gift card provider in real time. Stripe doesn’t cache balances because operations can occur off Stripe. ```curl curl -X POST https://api.stripe.com/v1/gift_cards/{{GIFTCARDID_ID}}/check_balance \ -u "<>:" \ -H "Stripe-Version: 2026-08-26.preview" ``` Returns a [GiftCardOperation](https://docs.stripe.com/api/third-party-gift-cards/gift-card-operation/object.md?api-version=preview) object with the [type](https://docs.stripe.com/api/third-party-gift-cards/gift-card-operation/object.md?api-version=preview#third_party_gift_cards_gift_card_operation_object-type) set to `balance_check`. ## Cash out a gift card Cash out a gift card in full and set its balance to zero. Use this endpoint when a business needs to convert a card’s remaining balance to cash (for example, to meet local requirements or at the customer’s request). The `previous_balance` field shows the balance that Stripe cashed out. ```curl curl -X POST https://api.stripe.com/v1/gift_cards/{{GIFTCARDID_ID}}/cashout \ -u "<>:" \ -H "Stripe-Version: 2026-08-26.preview" ``` The response returns a [GiftCardOperation](https://docs.stripe.com/api/third-party-gift-cards/gift-card-operation/object.md?api-version=preview) object with the [type](https://docs.stripe.com/api/third-party-gift-cards/gift-card-operation/object.md?api-version=preview#third_party_gift_cards_gift_card_operation_object-type) set to `cashout`. ## Void a gift card operation Void a previously completed gift card operation to reverse its effect on the card. Use this endpoint if you performed an operation by mistake (for example, if you loaded the wrong amount or activated the wrong card). ### Voidable operations You can only void `activation`, `reload`, and `cashout` operations. You can’t void a `balance_check` or a `void` operation. ### Restrictions These restrictions apply when you void a gift card operation: - The operation must have a [status](https://docs.stripe.com/api/third-party-gift-cards/gift-card-operation/object.md?api-version=preview#third_party_gift_cards_gift_card_operation_object-status) of `succeeded`. - The operation must not have already been voided. - The operation must have completed within the last 24 hours. Even when an operation meets these conditions, the gift card provider can reject the void if other activity on the card depends on it—for example, voiding an activation after the card has already been reloaded. If the provider rejects the void, the original operation stands. ```curl curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/gift_cards/{{GIFTCARDID_ID}}/void_operation \ -u "<>:" \ -H "Stripe-Version: 2026-08-26.preview" \ -d "operation={{GIFTCARDOPERATIONID_ID}}" ``` The response returns a new [GiftCardOperation](https://docs.stripe.com/api/third-party-gift-cards/gift-card-operation/object.md?api-version=preview) object representing the void with a [type](https://docs.stripe.com/api/third-party-gift-cards/gift-card-operation/object.md?api-version=preview#third_party_gift_cards_gift_card_operation_object-type) set to `activation_void`, `reload_void`, or `cashout_void`. Stripe doesn’t modify the original operation. For `reload_void` and `cashout_void`, the response includes the card balance after Stripe voids the operation. ## Retrieve a gift card operation Retrieve a specific gift card operation by its ID. Use this endpoint to look up the result of a previous gift card action. ```curl curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/gift_card_operations/{{GIFTCARDOPERATIONID_ID}} \ -u "<>:" \ -H "Stripe-Version: 2026-08-26.preview" ``` The response returns the [GiftCardOperation](https://docs.stripe.com/api/third-party-gift-cards/gift-card-operation/object.md?api-version=preview) object. You can expand the [`gift_card`](https://docs.stripe.com/api/third-party-gift-card/gift-card-operation/object.md#third_party_gift_cards_gift_card_operation_object-gift_card) field. Pass `expand[]=gift_card` in the request to include the full gift card object in the response. ## Use Connect For any operation, use `on_behalf_of` to specify the account that has the gift card provider credentials. ```curl curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/gift_cards/{{GIFTCARDID_ID}}/activate \ -u "<>:" \ -H "Stripe-Version: 2026-08-26.preview" \ -d "on_behalf_of=acct_..." \ -d "balance[amount]=5000" \ -d "balance[currency]=usd" ```