In this article you will learn how consumption credit and value vouchers differ, when each is the right tool for a sale or a campaign, and how they work side by side at the POS.
Contents
- Prerequisites
- The two products at a glance
- Consumption credit: what it is and what it is for
- Value voucher: what it is and what it is for
- Decision matrix
- How they coexist at the POS
- Common confusions
Fast lane
- Member tops up their own account for in-house spending (snacks, drinks, retail) → use Consumption credit. Optional bonus on top ("pay €100, get €110").
- Someone wants to give a gift that the recipient can redeem (birthday gift, holiday voucher, marketing campaign) → use Value voucher. The recipient does not need a member account at purchase time.
- You want to grant a refund or goodwill payment that stays in the studio → use Consumption credit (add to the member's account, no code needed).
- You want to give a discount on the next purchase → use a Discount voucher instead (separate feature, percentage or amount off; not covered in this article).
For step-by-step setup of consumption credit see Set up, sell, and use consumption credit. For voucher selling see Sell and redeem value vouchers.
Prerequisites
- Cash register configured: both products are sold at the POS. Set up the cash register first under Settings / Cash registers.
- Permission: Use cash register and the payment-method permissions needed for the chosen sale. Vouchers also require Generate vouchers if you want to issue new ones in bulk.
- Consumption credit feature active: enabled per operating company. Without it, consumption credit cannot be sold or redeemed.
- Voucher configuration in place: voucher definitions live under Settings / Vouchers. A voucher cannot be sold without a definition that defines its value, validity, and redemption rules.
- Online sales channel (optional): both products can be sold online. The online flow requires the relevant feature ("Online voucher sales" for vouchers, the consumption credit online toggle for credit).
The two products at a glance
| Consumption credit | Value voucher | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A prepaid monetary balance held on a specific member's account. | A code with a face value that anyone with the code can redeem at the POS. |
| Who owns it | The member whose account holds the balance. Not transferable between members. | Whoever holds the code. Transferable (the buyer gives the code to the recipient). |
| Needs a member account at purchase | Yes. The credit is added to the buyer's account. | No. The buyer can be anonymous; the recipient does not need to be a member either. |
| Bonus on top | Optional. Configure "Pay X, get Y" so the topped-up balance is bigger than the cash paid in. | None by default. The voucher is worth exactly its face value. |
| Cash-out / refund | Possible. Bonus part is excluded from the cash-out. | Possible at the POS through the voucher payout function. |
| Validity | Configurable expiry per studio configuration. | Configurable per voucher definition (fixed period or indefinite). |
| Reporting line | Separate consumption credit account on the ledger; bonus part on its own offset account. | Voucher revenue on the membership-vouchers ledger line; redemption shifts the liability. |
| Online sales | Yes, when the online consumption credit option is enabled on the offer. | Yes, when "Online voucher sales" is active. |
| Cross-facility usage | Yes, within the operating company. The balance follows the member, not the studio. | Yes, if the voucher definition allows multi-facility redemption. |
Consumption credit: what it is and what it is for
Consumption credit is a digital wallet on a member's account. The member tops it up in advance, then spends it at the POS or vending machine. Two characteristics make it the right tool for in-house spending:
- Tied to a member: the balance lives on the member profile. Staff scan the member's RFID chip or look them up at the POS; the balance is debited automatically. There is no code to lose.
- Bonus on top: you can configure that a €100 top-up gives the member €110 in spendable credit. The bonus part is funded by the studio and tracked on a separate ledger account. Cash-outs return only the non-bonus part.
Typical use cases:
- Cafe and bar tabs: members run a tab against their credit instead of paying for each item separately.
- Vending machines: the turnstile or vending unit deducts from credit on each purchase.
- Loyalty rewards: top up the member's credit by €10 as a goodwill gesture, no code generation needed.
- Corporate beverage allowances: company tops up corporate members' credit each month.
For configuration steps see Set up, sell, and use consumption credit. For bulk write-offs of unused credit see Write off member credit using Bulk operations.
Value voucher: what it is and what it is for
A value voucher is a code with a face value. The buyer pays the face value at the POS or online; the system generates the code and prints or emails it. The recipient redeems the code at any future POS sale within the validity window.
Three characteristics make it the right tool for gifting and marketing:
- Transferable: the code is independent of any member account. The buyer hands it to the recipient, who can be a non-member.
- Anonymous purchase possible: the buyer does not need a member account. They walk in, pay cash, and walk out with the code.
- Bulk generation: voucher definitions can produce many codes at once for campaigns, prize draws, or wholesale partnerships.
Typical use cases:
- Gift cards for birthdays, holidays, anniversaries.
- Marketing campaigns: "first 100 sign-ups get a €20 voucher in their welcome email".
- Referral rewards if your referral program awards a transferable benefit.
- Win-back goodwill: a single high-value voucher to a churned member.
For selling and redemption see Sell and redeem value vouchers. For online sales see How to sell vouchers online.
Decision matrix
Use this quick decision guide when staff or operators are unsure which tool to reach for:
| Scenario | Tool |
|---|---|
| Member wants to load €50 onto their own account for snacks during the next weeks. | Consumption credit. |
| Member buys a €50 gift for a friend who is not yet a customer. | Value voucher. |
| Studio wants to give a member €10 as a thank-you for a friend referral. | Consumption credit (add directly to their account). |
| Marketing campaign sends out 200 codes worth €25 each. | Value voucher (bulk generation). |
| Company pays €30 per month to top up its corporate members' coffee budget. | Consumption credit (with a top-up workflow or bulk operation). |
| Member returns a damaged product and you want to refund the value to use later in the studio. | Consumption credit. Use voucher only if the customer is not a member. |
| Vending machine should accept prepaid balance for a drink. | Consumption credit. Vouchers are not redeemable at vending. |
| Promotion via flyer with a printed code anyone can use once. | Value voucher. |
How they coexist at the POS
Both tools work at the POS without conflict. At checkout staff pick the payment method based on what the customer wants to use:
- Consumption credit: select the member at the POS, then choose Pay with consumption credit. The balance is deducted directly; if it does not cover the total, the rest is paid by another method.
- Value voucher: enter or scan the voucher code at the payment step. The system validates the code and applies the face value as a payment.
A single sale can combine both: the member pays €30 with their consumption credit, then redeems a €15 voucher for the rest. The cash journal records each as a separate payment line.
For reporting, the two land on different ledger lines, which makes it easy to track the liability they create:
- Consumption credit balances appear on the Consumption credit account. The bonus part has its own offset account so you see what the studio funded out of pocket.
- Voucher liabilities appear on the Membership vouchers account until redeemed.
Common confusions
- "Voucher" used as a synonym for credit. The software has several voucher types (contract, credit, discount, check-in). When a member or colleague says "voucher", confirm whether they mean a value voucher (gift card with code), a discount voucher (% or amount off a future sale), a contract voucher (grants a specific membership), or consumption credit.
- Bonus on cash-out. When a member cashes out consumption credit, the bonus part is excluded from the payout. The system blocks the cash-out of the bonus portion with "Payout of consumption credit with bonus not possible." This is intentional; only the cash the member paid in can leave the studio again.
- Credit cannot be transferred between members. Consumption credit lives on a member account. If a member wants to give credit to another member, the only path is to cash out (without the bonus) and re-deposit on the other account, or to issue a value voucher.
- Voucher redemption limited by the definition. A voucher's redemption rules (single use vs. multi use, specific products, specific facilities) are configured on the voucher definition, not at sale time. To change the rules, edit the definition; existing issued codes keep the rules they were generated with.
- Online sales channels are independent. Consumption credit can be sold online without enabling voucher online sales, and vice versa. The two features have separate online toggles and separate notification rules (Consumption credit receipt vs. Online voucher sales).
- Refund of a voucher-paid item. When reversing a sale that was paid with a voucher, the refund goes back to a voucher payout, not to cash, unless the voucher definition explicitly allows cash refunds. Check the definition before promising the customer a cash refund.
- Validity stop. Both products have configurable expiry. Set realistic windows (12 to 24 months) so members do not lose their balance, and so unused balances do not sit on your books indefinitely.