---
title: "Activate a gift card"
description: "Activate a gift card at the point of sale, so a shopper can use it."
url: "https://docs.adyen.com/point-of-sale/alternative-payment-methods/gift-cards-terminal-api/activate"
source_url: "https://docs.adyen.com/point-of-sale/alternative-payment-methods/gift-cards-terminal-api/activate.md"
canonical: "https://docs.adyen.com/point-of-sale/alternative-payment-methods/gift-cards-terminal-api/activate"
last_modified: "2019-10-01T15:35:00+02:00"
language: "en"
---

# Activate a gift card

Activate a gift card at the point of sale, so a shopper can use it.

[View source](/point-of-sale/alternative-payment-methods/gift-cards-terminal-api/activate.md)

When a new gift card is issued to a shopper, the shopper cannot immediately use the card. You need to activate the gift card before the shopper can use the card for payments. While activating the gift card, you can also load an initial balance.

Gift card activation is also a fraud protection tool. If the card is not active, the shopper cannot redeem it.

## Requirements

Before you begin, take into account the following requirements, limitations, and preparations.

| Requirement          | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| -------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Integration type** | A [Terminal API](/point-of-sale/design-your-integration/terminal-api) integration with payment terminals.                                                                                                             |
| **Setup steps**      | Before you begin:- [Add the payment method to your Adyen account](/point-of-sale/what-we-support/payment-methods#add-payment-methods-to-your-account).
- Complete the onboarding process with the gift card provider. |

## Make an activation request

To activate a gift card:

1. Determine the [card entry method](/point-of-sale/gift-cards-terminal-api#card-entry):

   * If you want to scan the card, do that first and use the obtained card details in your request.
   * If you want to swipe the card or use manual keyed entry (MKE), send the request first. The payment terminal will show a prompt to swipe the card or enter the card details.

2. Make a [Terminal API](/point-of-sale/design-your-integration/terminal-api) stored value request, specifying:

   * The standard [`SaleToPOIRequest.MessageHeader` ](/point-of-sale/design-your-integration/terminal-api#request-message-header)object, with `MessageClass` set to **Service** and `MessageCategory` set to **StoredValue**.

     | Parameter         | Required                                                                                    | Description                                                                                                                                                 |
     | ----------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
     | `ProtocolVersion` | ![-white\_check\_mark-](/user/data/smileys/emoji/white_check_mark.png "-white_check_mark-") | **3.0**                                                                                                                                                     |
     | `MessageClass`    | ![-white\_check\_mark-](/user/data/smileys/emoji/white_check_mark.png "-white_check_mark-") | **Service**                                                                                                                                                 |
     | `MessageCategory` | ![-white\_check\_mark-](/user/data/smileys/emoji/white_check_mark.png "-white_check_mark-") | **StoredValue**                                                                                                                                             |
     | `MessageType`     | ![-white\_check\_mark-](/user/data/smileys/emoji/white_check_mark.png "-white_check_mark-") | **Request**                                                                                                                                                 |
     | `ServiceID`       | ![-white\_check\_mark-](/user/data/smileys/emoji/white_check_mark.png "-white_check_mark-") | Your unique ID for this request, consisting of 1-10 alphanumeric characters. Must be unique within the last 48 hours for the terminal (`POIID`) being used. |
     | `SaleID`          | ![-white\_check\_mark-](/user/data/smileys/emoji/white_check_mark.png "-white_check_mark-") | Your unique ID for the POS system component to send this request from.                                                                                      |
     | `POIID`           | ![-white\_check\_mark-](/user/data/smileys/emoji/white_check_mark.png "-white_check_mark-") | The unique ID of the terminal to send this request to. Format: *\[device model]-\[serial number]*.                                                          |

   - The [StoredValueRequest.SaleData](https://docs.adyen.com/api-explorer/terminal-api/latest/post/storedvalue#request-SaleData) object with:

     | Parameter                         | Required                                                                                    | Description                                                                                                                                                               |
     | --------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
     | `SaleTransactionID.TransactionID` | ![-white\_check\_mark-](/user/data/smileys/emoji/white_check_mark.png "-white_check_mark-") | Your reference to identify this activation request. We recommend using a unique value.                                                                                    |
     | `SaleTransactionID.TimeStamp`     | ![-white\_check\_mark-](/user/data/smileys/emoji/white_check_mark.png "-white_check_mark-") | Date and time of the request, in [UTC format](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_8601#Coordinated_Universal_Time_\(UTC\)).                                                 |
     | `SaleToAcquirerData`              |                                                                                             | Optional, for Stored Value Solutions (SVS) gift cards: **ssc**. This is the secondary security code of the gift card, and allows up to 8 digits. For example, `ssc=1111`. |

   - The [StoredValueRequest.StoredValueData](https://docs.adyen.com/api-explorer/terminal-api/latest/post/storedvalue#request-StoredValueData) object with:

     | Parameter                    | Required                                                                                    | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
     | ---------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
     | `StoredValueTransactionType` | ![-white\_check\_mark-](/user/data/smileys/emoji/white_check_mark.png "-white_check_mark-") | **Activate**                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
     | `ItemAmount`                 | ![-white\_check\_mark-](/user/data/smileys/emoji/white_check_mark.png "-white_check_mark-") | Initial balance being loaded to the gift card. Set this as 0 if you want to activate a card with no balance.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
     | `Currency`                   | ![-white\_check\_mark-](/user/data/smileys/emoji/white_check_mark.png "-white_check_mark-") | Currency of the initial balance.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
     | `StoredValueAccountID`       | ![-white\_check\_mark-](/user/data/smileys/emoji/white_check_mark.png "-white_check_mark-") | The gift card details:- `StoredValueAccountType`: **GiftCard**
     - `StoredValueProvider`: the gift card issuer: **givex**, **svs**, **valuelink**, or **[any Intersolve-supported card type](/payment-methods/gift-cards#supported-gift-cards)**.
     - `IdentificationType`: **PAN**
     - `EntryMode`, `StoredValueID` and `ExpiryDate`: these parameters depend on the [card entry method](/point-of-sale/gift-cards-terminal-api#card-entry) you are using. See the following table. |

     | Card entry | Parameters                                                                                                    |
     | ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
     | Scan       | * `EntryMode`: **Scanned**
     * `StoredValueID`: gift card number.
     * `ExpiryDate`: expiry date of the gift card. |
     | Swipe      | - `EntryMode`: **MagStripe**
     - `StoredValueID`: include this parameter but do not provide a value.            |
     | MKE        | * `EntryMode`: **Keyed**
     * `StoredValueID`: include this parameter but do not provide a value.                |

   The example below shows how to activate a scanned gift card, adding an initial balance of GBP 10.00.

   #### JSON

   ```json
   {
       "SaleToPOIRequest":{
           "MessageHeader":{
               "MessageType":"Request",
               "MessageClass":"Service",
               "MessageCategory":"StoredValue",
               "SaleID":"POSSystemID12345",
               "POIID":"V400m-324688179",
               "ProtocolVersion":"3.0",
               "ServiceID":"9264"
           },
           "StoredValueRequest":{
               "SaleData":{
                   "SaleTransactionID":{
                       "TransactionID":"44738",
                       "TimeStamp":"2019-09-29T14:44:32+00:00"
                   },
                   "SaleToAcquirerData":"ssc=1111"
               },
               "StoredValueData":[
                   {
                       "StoredValueTransactionType":"Activate",
                       "StoredValueAccountID":{
                           "StoredValueAccountType":"GiftCard",
                           "StoredValueProvider":"svs",
                           "IdentificationType":"PAN",
                           "EntryMode":[
                               "Scanned"
                           ],
                           "StoredValueID":"6006491260550218066",
                           "ExpiryDate":"1122"
                       },
                       "ItemAmount":10.00,
                       "Currency":"GBP"
                   }
               ]
           }
       }
   }
   ```

   #### Java

   ```java
   String saleID = "YOUR_CASH_REGISTER_ID";
   String POIID = "YOUR_TERMINAL_ID";
   String serviceID = "YOUR_UNIQUE_ATTEMPT_ID";
   String transactionID = "YOUR_UNIQUE_TRANSACTION_ID";

   SaleToPOIRequest saleToPOIRequest = new SaleToPOIRequest();
   MessageHeader messageHeader = new MessageHeader();
   messageHeader.setMessageType( MessageType.REQUEST );
   messageHeader.setMessageClass( MessageClassType.SERVICE );
   messageHeader.setMessageCategory( MessageCategoryType.STORED_VALUE );
   messageHeader.setSaleID(saleID);
   messageHeader.setPOIID(POIID);
   messageHeader.setProtocolVersion("3.0");
   messageHeader.setServiceID(serviceID);
   saleToPOIRequest.setMessageHeader(messageHeader);

   StoredValueRequest storedValueRequest = new StoredValueRequest();
   SaleData saleData = new SaleData();
   TransactionIdentification saleTransactionID = new TransactionIdentification();
   saleTransactionID.setTransactionID(transactionID);
   saleTransactionID.setTimeStamp(DatatypeFactory.newInstance().newXMLGregorianCalendar(new GregorianCalendar()));
   saleData.setSaleTransactionID(saleTransactionID);
   storedValueRequest.setSaleData(saleData);

   StoredValueData storedValueData = new StoredValueData();
   storedValueData.setStoredValueTransactionType( StoredValueTransactionType.ACTIVATE );
   StoredValueAccountID storedValueAccountID = new StoredValueAccountID();
   storedValueAccountID.setStoredValueAccountType( StoredValueAccountType.GIFT_CARD );
   storedValueAccountID.setStoredValueProvider("svs");
   storedValueAccountID.setIdentificationType( IdentificationType.PAN );
   storedValueAccountID.getEntryMode().add( EntryModeType.SCANNED );
   storedValueAccountID.setExpiryDate("1122");
   storedValueAccountID.setStoredValueID("6006491260550218066");
   storedValueData.setStoredValueAccountID(storedValueAccountID);
   storedValueData.setItemAmount( BigDecimal.valueOf(10.00) );
   storedValueData.setCurrency("GBP");
   storedValueRequest.setStoredValueData(storedValueData);
   saleToPOIRequest.setStoredValueRequest(storedValueRequest);
   terminalAPIRequest.setSaleToPOIRequest(saleToPOIRequest);
   ```

3. In the [StoredValueResponse](https://docs.adyen.com/api-explorer/terminal-api/latest/post/storedvalue#responses-200-Response), check the following:

   * `POIData.POITransactionID.TransactionID`: The [transaction identifier](/point-of-sale/design-your-integration/terminal-api#transaction-identifier) for the gift card activation.

   * `StoredValueResult`:

     * `StoredValueTransactionType`: **Activate**

     * `ItemAmount` and `Currency`: The current value and currency associated with the card.

   * `Response.Result`: **Success**. This indicates that the activation (`StoredValueTransactionType`: **Activate**) succeeded.

   The example below indicates that the gift card was successfully activated, and an initial balance of GBP 10.00 was loaded to the card.

   ```json
   {
     "SaleToPOIResponse":{
       "StoredValueResponse":{
         "POIData":{
           "POITransactionID":{
             "TimeStamp":"2019-03-26T09:31:29.000Z",
             "TransactionID":"oLkO001522056689002.NC6HT9CRT65ZGN82"
           }
         },
         ...
         "StoredValueResult":[
           {
             "StoredValueTransactionType":"Activate",
             "ItemAmount":10.00,
             "Currency":"GBP"
           }
         ],
         "Response":{
           "Result":"Success"
         }
       },
       "MessageHeader":{
         "ProtocolVersion":"3.0",
         "SaleID":"POSSystemID12345",
         "MessageClass":"Service",
         "MessageCategory":"StoredValue",
         "ServiceID":"9264",
         "POIID":"V400m-324688179",
         "MessageType":"Response"
       }
     }
   }
   ```

## See also

* [Gift cards and other stored value cards](/point-of-sale/gift-cards-terminal-api)
* [Make a gift card payment](/point-of-sale/gift-cards-terminal-api/payment)
* [Deactivate a gift card](/point-of-sale/gift-cards-terminal-api/deactivate)
