How It Works - Gift & Prepaid Certificates

This diagram illustrates how gift certificate service works:

  1. Purchaser initiates transaction to purchase gift certificate.
  2. Merchant passes payment information and gift certificate request to CyberSource. CyberSource provides payment services and creates the certificate account.
  3. CyberSource returns payment authorization to merchant.
  4. CyberSource issues certificate to recipient on behalf of the merchant, as well as sending confirmation to the purchaser.
  5. Recipient visits site, selects items, and enters certificate number. Merchant sends request to CyberSource for certificate validation and completes the transaction number.

Certificates can be 're-loaded' to renew or increase value at any time.

Technical Integration

Merchants install a small piece of software code on their server that provides secure messaging capability over the Internet between the merchant storefront and CyberSource systems. The software (API) comes as a pre-configured plug in for many popular commerce server platforms, or is available as a developer kit.Technical integration can generally be completed in about 30 days, depending on merchant development resources and project scope.

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