With Christmas around the corner, massage gift certificates will soon be flying off the shelves. Why? Massage therapy is a great gift for people of all ages, genders, and stress levels! For new or seasoned massage therapists, massage gift certificates can be a great marketing tool and income generator. They were a great way for me to get my business started. However, they can also create massage ethics problems and headaches. For busy massage practitioners it can be difficult to fit in those new extra clients without upsetting regular clients. I stopped selling gift certificates a few years when I was expecting my daughter. I did not know how much I was going to be able to work and did not want to take money and have all of these unused gift certificates floating around waiting to be used. Honestly, it was a relief and maybe something I should have done sooner. Although it was a upsetting for some people in the community, my regular clients understood. They appreciated that I was able to keep their appointment times open during the post-gift certificate rush.
As far as ethical concerns and business tips, there are a few things massage therapists should consider before putting out their “gift certificates available” sign.
Expiration Dates, Expiration Dates, Expiration Dates:
Most laws favor the consumer when it comes to gift card/certificate laws, as they should. What does your state say about gift certificates? Most all states have laws concerning gift certificates and gift cards and there are new federal laws are also. New federal legislation passed in August, which supersedes all state laws, prohibits expiration dates of less than five years. States may prohibit expiration dates, require visible expiration dates and an explanation of fees, or required abandoned gift certificate monies be submitted to the state. Check here for information about your state’s gift certificate laws and legislation. When someone buys a gift certificate they are buying it good faith. They are giving you money and in return want you to provide a service. I find gift certificate expiration dates to be. in most cases, bad business manners? What is the incentive behind them? I know there are some practitioners who hope no one uses it and you keep the money. If you use expiration dates encourage people to use them I will give you tips on how to bring those gift certificates in quickly.
Get Names and Numbers
Keep and names and phone numbers of those who bought the certificate and those who it is purchased. You may have to track these people down if you want to remind them about their gift certificate. Massage therapists are notorious for having short careers, and unfulfilled gift certificates will be easier to refund with and address and name.
Have a separate account or keep a gift certificate log.
Keep the funds until the gift certificate is used. That way if you leave your business or are unable to fulfill your end of the deal, you can easily refund the unused certificates easily. This also when having names and phone numbers comes in handy.
Respect person’s right not to get a massage.
Remember that massage therapy is not everyone’s cup of tea. Crazy, I know. You may have current clients ask “Did Sheila ever use that gift certificate I bought her?” Or hear, “Louann said that she loved her massage” – when you know that Louann never came in for that massage. I know some massage therapists who call and let the buyer use the gift certificate when it is not redeemed. This is a good practice in theory but sometimes it can create privacy problems, especially when someone says they have used the gift certificate. What do you do in this situation?
Other Tips for Massage Gift Certificates
Bring in those floating gift certificates in quickly before they get lost and buried.
If there are no expiration dates, how do you get people to use certificates in a timely manner? If you have a trouble getting massage certificates used in a timely fashion, consider using incentives to get gift certificates used:
Call to schedule before February 1 and get an additional 15 minutes added to your session!
Merry Christmas – Receive a FREE 10 minute ashiatsu demo if you call to schedule appointment before January 15th!
Happy Valentines Day! Call by March 1st to receive a free chocolate scrub.
Deal with No Shows. Ugh.
I have had a couple gift certificates no-shows over the years. Often they were non-regular clients and failed to care about their appointment because they did not pay for the service. When someone fails to keep up their end of the deal, you may consider the gift certificate used and redeemed. They did use your time.
Answer Massage Therapy and Gift Certificate FAQ before they call you.
Answer FAQ on your gift certificates, or hand out a sheet with your gift certificates to answer FAQ new clients may have about their new gift. This can save you time and keep your answering machine free from an influx of questions. Here are some things you may want to explain:
A word about scheduling…
I have had this message on my machine more times than I care to remember:
“Hi, this is Jack and I got a gift certificate and I would like to get a massage tomorrow after work. “
For those of you who are busy let these new clients know:
“Scheduling a massage is a delicate art. Massage sessions can fill up months or weeks in advance. It is best to call early to schedule your ideal time.”
Put their mind at ease.
Those who have never had a massage, they often because they may think they have to get naked in front of you or lay on the table with minimal draping. Let them know,
“Your modesty will be respected at all times and you may undress to the level of your comfort. A sheet will cover your entire bod,y except the area being addressed and massaged.”
Give people the opportunity to upgrade!
“It is an extra $20 to extend a 30 minute massage to an hour.”
“If you split an hour in to two half hours, there is an additional $20 due at the second appointment.”
“Enhance your massage with aromatherapy for and extra $5.”
State the consequences.
“If you fail to show up for your scheduled appointment, the gift certificate will be considered redeemed and no longer valid.”
Give them other choices.
Do you offer refunds? If not list your other services, or allow gift certificates to be transferred. Can massage gift certificates be transferred to a friend or family member? Are there other services besides massage that this can be used towards (Reflexology, Yoga, Aromatherapy, or products in your office)?
Educate them.
Your website can answer all of the above questions including common questions about massage therapy and your unique business. This often relieves a lot of common fears and concerns massage newbies have.
“Have and questions or want to learn more about my massage business? Visit my website:
http://www.advancedmassagetechniques.com.
Give them the best way to contact you.
“Email me at ivy@advancedmassagetechniques.com for any questions you have about massage therapy. I would be happy to answer your questions. I look forward to seeing you!”
~
Gift certificates are great for business in most cases. They do require research and careful planning to use these marketing money machines ethically, lawfully, and successfully. Do you print gift certificates yourself, use Vistaprint.com, or other printing sources? Have you tried giftcardcafe.com? Both Vistaprint, and Gift Card Café have massage friendly designs and set ups. Do you have any gift certificate tips, questions, stories, or comments?
Happy Selling!
Ivy
Looking for more information about gift certificates and massage ethics? Our massage business ethics continuing education course covers common gift certificate issues.
I worked for a chiropractor in 2007 in which I sold gift certificates. I have been out of the massage business since 2010. I just received a call from a previous client whom purchased a gift certificate during that time. She just contacted me in 2021 wanting to redeem her certificate. If she cannot get her massage she wants a refund. Am I responsible for the refund after 11 years of it not being redeemed? I am no longer doing massages. What should I tell her?
Did you learn anything ? I am in the same boat… 3 years retired.
A professional LMT group I belong to was discussing Gift Certificates recently and I was surprised to learn that some therapists will still include an expiration date of 1 year on their gift certificates even though they know it cannot expire for 5 years. They said it is because they ‘want the client to redeem it within a year, but they will honor it if it is beyond 1 year.’ I find this to be dishonest at the least, and possibly illegal. What are your thoughts?
I’ve also been researching the issue of gift certificate expiration, where here in North Carolina gift cards and gift certificates are defined as one in the same. What I’ve found is that contacting the state (in question) attorney general’s office. Federal statutes say five years. NC state says three, so it is unclear to me, as I await a reply from the NCDOJ.
Did you ever get an answer back Casey? Im winding down my massage practice and have some open from 2012 with no way to contact the people (disconnected, no response).
Hi! I’m wondering how you stopped selling gift certificates? What did you do to notify people or say when they asked for one? I’m in the process of cutting hours and I too don’t want gift certificates floating around anymore.
I just put up a sign that said :
“As of X-X-2007 I will no longer have gift certificates for sale”
Then I put something under that about all previously issued gift certificates could still be used and will remain valid.
It was actually a smooth process. I did have a few people walk in and ask for them and I just explained my business was too full to accommodate the additional influx of clients. I did not feel the need to explain to everyone in detail that gift certificates were not my main source of income and I felt it was best for my regular paying clients to keep their appointment times open then it was to accommodate the irregular schedules and appointments that gift certificates brought in.
Help!!!! I have clients who have lost their certificate and want to come in for a massage. It was purchased 2 years ago and I told the person who purchased that it would never expire. What do I do when they don’t have the number of the certificate or the certificate itself. I also cannot find the certificate in my ledger….
This is tough. Do you know who purchased it or have any recollection of the transaction and what it was for? If no one can find proof of the transaction, then maybe it did not happen. If there is a chance you did not write it down, you need to honor it without the certificate, IMO.
Hi,
I live in California where I thought it said there is no expiration date allowed. However I read another article that said there was no law governing expiration dates for services as opposed to gift certificates for cash. When I looked on the link you provided above I got more confused with the legal language. Do you know anything about services vs. cash?
I take names and numbers and still sometimes find it difficult to have people redeem them. I am thinking myself of not taking them anymore and am still weighing the options.
Thank you…:)
Cheri
This page has some very good information on the California laws.
It was the most current information on the subject.
Do you know where I can get any updated information on gift certificate expiration dates! ? !???
I love your suggestions, and have actually implemented a bunch of them. (gift certificate log, separate bank account until redeemed, etc.)
I also did NOT want to get ahead of myself in selling gift certificates. I’ve been a massage therapist for 19 years, and only recently decided to rent office space in a salon (2 1/2 yrs. now) Well…. I have sold MORE gift certificates there than in all years combined doing house calls. Getting them to redeem quickly is another matter, so I started putting in a really short expiration date (like 3 months) with the intent to call the purchaser if they were not redeemed, but as you pointed out, felt a little funny about calling them to tell them their GC were not redeemed because of privacy issues.
NOW I hear that any gift certificate has to be honored 5 years after the expiration date ??? WHAT???
I’m trying to Google all I can on this issue, So does that mean if there IS no expiration date, I’m not held accountable? again Whattt???
This is really getting to be bookkeeping nightmare for me!
Yes, there are many gift card laws that protect consumers and their purchaces. And yes, it is a lot of bookkeeping and hassle. I am really happy not to have that to worry about expiration dates. I do miss the money from GC’s, though! If you are going to sell GC’s and get that money, the trade off is you have to follow the rules and do the paperwork.
What you may do is after 5 years is up, contact the owner an issue a refund to them. Then it is gone and not there for you to keep track of anymore.
Best wishes!
As of August, 2010 the Federal laws regarding gift certificate expiration dates supersedes any state laws. There cannot be a exp. date of less than 5 years. There is more to it. This was part of the new legislation with regard to revision in credit card laws. I don’t recall the specifics, you might want to google to up to date with it all.
I included a little bit about the new federal law in the original, but added a few more specifics and highlighted the 5 year minimum. Thanks for the reminder.