For merchants running multiple markets in a single store, it's now possible to issue and sell gift cards in currencies other than the store's primary currency. From issuance through redemption, the face value is held in the same currency, unaffected by exchange-rate fluctuations between the time of purchase and the time of use.
A USD store's "$10 gift card" ends up showing as C$14.07 on a Canadian customer's checkout screen. And if exchange rates moved between purchase and use, the balance shifted too.
A gift card issued in EUR reaches the customer as €50 and stays €50 at redemption. It's unaffected by exchange-rate swings from issuance through use (end-to-end).
When creating a local-currency gift card, you choose which of the following redemption rules to operate under.The choice can't be changed after creation.
Can only be used in the market of the issuing currency. Both the balance display and the purchase experience are fully fixed.FX exposure = zero. Suited to the simple approach of "a home-currency gift card for home-country customers."
that the merchant operates usable in any market. Converted on the spot at the rate at the time of redemption. Strong for overseas travel and cross-border gifting demand.
| Item | Traditional (primary currency only) | Local-currency gift card |
|---|---|---|
| Issuing currency | Primary currency only | Any currency of the operating market |
| Display to the customer | such as $10 → C$14.07 FX-converted display | Issuing currency as-is display |
| Balance stability | Effective balance fluctuates with exchange-rate movements | Fixed in its denominated currency |
| Scope of use | Denominated in the primary currency, so FX conversion is always involved | Choose "issuing currency only" or "any currency" at creation time |
| Changeable? | — | The scope of use cannot be changed after creation |
| Issuance channel | Issued via a gift card product or from the Admin | Publish a product denominated in the market currency to the market catalog / issue directly from "Gift cards" in the Admin |
Applies to merchants selling to multiple markets from a single store. This does not refer to setups where a separate store is built for each market.
Issuance is premised on "the market currency you operate in." There is no mention that you can issue in a currency you do not operate.
Create a gift card product priced in the currency of the relevant market.
Once you link the product to that market's catalog, it is shown to customers in that market.
You can also issue individually in the local currency from the "Gift cards" section in the Admin (for B2B and customer success use cases).
Gift cards are now held in the issuing currency itself, not just as an amount denominated in the primary currency. You need to design accounting and balance aggregation on a per-currency basis.
"Issuing currency only" and "any currency allowed" are not changeable after creation. You need to decide whether to design separate product types (making the same €50 a different SKU) or to standardize on a single default policy.
If you choose pattern B (any currency), it is converted at the rate at the time of use. On the merchant side, gains or losses that depend on redemption timingmay arise. Decide your accounting treatment policy in advance.
Selling it as a product means publishing it to the relevant market's catalogis the standard route. Because it's tightly coupled with how the Markets / catalog features are structured, stores not using Markets fall outside its assumptions.
The announcement only describes the operational flow in the Admin UI; concrete details about API schema changes to the giftCard resource or the addition of a currency field to webhook payloads are not provided.If you have external OMS / POS / accounting integrations in place, advance testing is essential(especially fallback handling for the currency field).