Notice to consumers:

The ABA Gift Card program was unique in that for the past six years, it allowed independent booksellers to accept gift cards from other participating bookstores. As of June 1, the program became an in-store program, meaning that the gift cards are only redeemable at the issuing bookstore. You can check the card's balance and find the issuing store by visiting Givex.com to view the transaction history. You can find more information about independent bookstores on IndieBound.org. If the bookstore that sold the card has closed, please mail your gift card to Gift Cards c/o ABA, 200 White Plains Road, Tarrytown, NY 10591. Please include your name and full mailing address along with the Gift Card, and allow 4-6 weeks to receive your refund.

Notice to booksellers:

As of June 1, 2010, the ABA Gift Card program transitioned to an in-store program. There are a small number of consumers who have valid gift cards from stores that have closed or that they have received as a gift from loved ones in another state.

Here’s what to do in those situations:

• If the card is not imprinted, you can check to see which store activated the card by doing a balance check on givex.com. After you check the balance, click on “view transaction history” to find the name of the issuing bookstore.
• If you need more information about the bookstore, visit indiebound.org.
  
• The consumer can either call the store to place a phone order, or if the store has a website, can redeem the card online. The issuing store should be sure to collect the card and/or reduce the balance appropriately to reduce liability.
• If the store has closed, ABA will reimburse the consumer. Direct the consumer to include his or her name and full mailing address along with the gift card and mail it to Gift Cards c/o ABA, 200 White Plains Road, Tarrytown, NY 10591. Please allow 4-6 weeks for reimbursement. ABA has created a sign and a reimbursement form to help with this service. 

• If booksellers, or consumers need further assistance, please call 1-888-266-5736. This number appears on the back of all ABA and Book Sense gift cards. An ABA staff member will be happy to help. 

Other reminders:

To reduce consumer confusion, consider placing a sticker to cover the current wording on the back of the card.

Increment (adding value to an already active card) was reinstated on June 1, 2010. In order to use the increment transaction (25 cents per use) the bookstore must have a Givex agreement on file. Review, sign, and initial all 10 pages of the Givex USA Merchant agreement and return via fax to 1-416-981-3990.

Ordering new cards:

To order custom cards from Givex call the Givex sales team at: 1-877-478-7733, select 2 or use the “Contact Us” form on givex.com.

Booksellers looking for a more “off-the-shelf” approach should consider giveXpress.com. ABA hopes to have bookstore-friendly designs available by the end of July. In order to view all designs, booksellers will need to setup an account on giveXpress.com. Booksellers who have a Givex agreement on file can increment giveXpress cards.

Templates and artwork for gift cards and holders (pdfs):

Customer Service, White Papers and more:

Customer Service
Visit the Givex Client Support Site to find manuals for processing Givex gift cards and for a glossary. You can also contact Givex technical support 24/7 at (800) 962-4935 or email clientservices@givex.com. In addition, http://portal.givex.com provides options to chat and to page a Givex rep.

Important information for IndieCommerce users
When the ABA Gift Card program ended on June 1, several changes were made on your behalf regarding how gift cards are processed on your IndieCommerce website. There is nothing you need to do on your end; however, you should be aware of the following:

1) Gift cards purchased at other bookstores will no longer be redeemable through your site. Instead, customers will see an error message asking them to check the store name on the card, or to call the number on the back if the store's name is not printed on the card. These calls will be handled by ABA.

2) Gift cards will now be processed by your store's Givex account. Previously they were processed by ABA's master account. This change has been made for you by ABA staff.

If you have any further questions that are not covered in this document, please feel free to contact IndieCommerce Customer Service Coordinator Scott Nafz for more information. Scott can be reached at 800-637-0037, ext. 6654, or via email at scott@bookweb.org.

White Papers
Accounting For Gift Cards And Liability Reconciliation
The purpose of this white paper is to provide a systematic approach to reconciling the gift card liability generated as a result of operating a gift card program.

Accounting For Breakage
The purpose of this white paper is to discuss the accounting and related circumstances for recognizing unused gift card balances or “breakage,” as it is commonly referred to into the computation of income for the business. The document is meant to provide information to those operating and accounting for gift card programs in determining their financial statement accounting policies.

Information about unclaimed property funds and other gift card laws
The National Conference of State Legislatures is an organization serving state legislators and their staff. Please note the summaries should be used for general informational purposes and not as a legal reference. NCSL is unable to provide guidance to citizens or businesses regarding gift cards and gift certificate laws and practices. If you have questions regarding issuing or redeeming a gift card or gift certificate or a retailer's practices, please contact the Office of the Attorney General in your state.

• Important information regarding the June 1, 2010 transition to an in-store program.
• Frequently Asked Questions  (updated 5/31/10)
  

Who should I contact if I have further questions?
Email: aba@givex.com for general inquiries (monitored by ABA and Givex)
Questions: Call ABA at (800) 637-0037. Jill Perlstein, ext. 6642. Linda Ford, ext. 6644.
Givex 24/7 technical support: (800) 962-4935. Have your Portal User ID (store name and ABA member ID number) ready or email clientservices@givex.com.