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Norvet MSP

Direct answer

What happens to existing gift cards when a restaurant changes POS systems?

A point-of-sale system (POS) is the software and hardware that takes orders and payments, and a kitchen display screen (KDS) is the screen that shows orders to the kitchen. Existing gift-card obligations do not disappear because the POS changes. Before cutover, export the outstanding balances and card identifiers your current provider makes available, determine whether balances can be imported into the new platform, and create a documented plan for honoring any cards that cannot be migrated automatically.

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What matters most

  • Export outstanding gift-card balances before canceling the old system.
  • Confirm whether the new POS can import those balances and identifiers.
  • Reconcile total outstanding liability before and after migration.
  • Keep the old redemption path available if migration is incomplete.
  • Tell staff exactly how legacy gift cards will be handled after cutover.

Why gift cards need their own migration workstream

Gift cards represent money the restaurant already received in exchange for a future obligation. They should be treated as a balance-reconciliation problem, not just a customer-list import.

SkyTab’s current capability

SkyTab currently advertises both traditional and eGift cards, and its website builder can sell gift cards online. That confirms the destination platform supports gift-card workflows; it does not by itself guarantee an automated import from every source POS.

Norvet’s safe migration rule

Never assume gift-card portability. Export, reconcile, test, and document the legacy redemption plan before the old POS is canceled.

Sources

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Question 1 of 617%

What POS do you use today?

More restaurant POS answers

Is SkyTab better than Toast for a restaurant?

It depends on the restaurant. SkyTab is a restaurant-first POS with integrated payments, online ordering, reservations, loyalty, gift cards, mobile ordering, and 24/7 support. Toast is also restaurant-focused, so the decision usually comes down to your current workflow, contract, hardware, integrations, processing economics, and the cost of changing systems, not a generic feature checklist.

Should a restaurant move from Clover to SkyTab?

It can make sense when the restaurant needs a more restaurant-specific operating system, but the right answer depends heavily on the Clover apps, hardware commitments, processing agreement, gift-card obligations, and workflows already in use.

Is SkyTab a better fit than Square for a restaurant?

SkyTab is purpose-built for restaurants, while Square spans restaurants, retail, appointments, and other business types. For an established restaurant, the decision should focus on the exact Square products in use, restaurant workflow depth, integrations, hardware, and total processing economics.

How does the $5,000 Shift4 Dine restaurant switch offer work?

Shift4’s published conversion terms describe a $5,000 signing bonus for qualifying new Shift4 Dine restaurant merchants that switch from another POS and average at least $30,000 in live transaction volume in each of their first two calendar months. The published PDF also says an “established” restaurant must have operated continuously for at least 12 months and includes prior-relationship and other eligibility restrictions.

How much does SkyTab POS cost?

SkyTab’s current public checkout shows a Table Service Bundle at $29.99/month under standard pricing, with $0 due today. Its checkout also shows standard processing at 2.75% + $0.15 per transaction, an Advantage Program option, and a custom-quote option. Your real cost can differ based on hardware, devices, processing structure, add-ons, and merchant-specific terms.

What data can be moved when switching restaurant POS systems?

Menu items, modifiers, categories, customers, employees, and some inventory data are often exportable, but migration depth depends on the source and destination systems. Taxes, permissions, tables, printer routing, KDS rules, loyalty, gift cards, integrations, and historical reports often need separate validation or manual rebuild.