> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.pcflyers.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Gift certificates

> Buy a Pacific Coast Flyers gift certificate for yourself or someone else, what it can be used for, and how to print it.

<Info>
  **Where to find it:** Gift Certificates ·
  [www.pcflyers.org/gift-certificates](https://www.pcflyers.org/gift-certificates)

  **Who can use it:** Anyone. No login required, and the recipient does not have to be a member yet.
</Info>

## What this page is for

Buy club credit as a gift — or for yourself. A certificate is applied to a member's club account
and spends like a balance.

**Redeeming a certificate is a separate job done by the member who received it**, and it needs a
login. That is covered on its own page under Members.

## What a certificate can be used for

| Valid for       | Not valid for                 |
| --------------- | ----------------------------- |
| Aircraft rental | Flight instruction            |
| Monthly dues    | Application fees and deposits |
| Club purchases  |                               |

A certificate is **fully transferable**, has **no cash value**, and is **non-refundable**.

## What you see

The page is in two halves. On the left is a **live preview of the certificate** that updates as you
type — the recipient's name, your name, your message and the amount all appear on it as you fill
the form in, so you can see what they will get.

On the right is the form, in four parts:

1. **Your Information** — who is buying
2. **Recipient & Amount** — who it is for, and how much
3. **Payment** — card details
4. **Billing address**

## Buying a certificate

1. Fill in **Your Information**: your first and last name and your email address. The receipt goes
   to this address.
2. Set **Name on Certificate** — how you want to be credited on the certificate itself — and add a
   short **message** if you want one. Both appear in the preview.
3. Enter the **Recipient Name**. This is who the certificate is made out to.
4. Enter the **Recipient Email** if you want the certificate emailed straight to them. **This is
   optional** — leave it blank and the certificate comes to you instead, to give in person or print
   yourself.
5. Choose an **amount**. Fixed denominations run from $25 to $2,000.
6. Enter your **card details** and **billing address**. The total, including a small administrative
   fee on web purchases, is shown before you pay.
7. Submit the form.

<Note>
  **Your card details never reach the club's website.** They go straight from your browser to the
  club's payment processor, which returns a one-time token the website uses to take the payment.
  The club's systems never see or store your card number.
</Note>

## What happens next

* **The payment is taken**, and only then is the certificate created. If the card is declined, no
  certificate is issued.
* **You get a confirmation on screen**, including the certificate's number. Keep it.
* **A receipt is emailed to you.**
* **If you gave a recipient email address**, the certificate is emailed to them as well.

## Printing a certificate

The certificate can be printed as a PDF designed to be given as a gift — it is not a plain receipt.

Use the link in the confirmation or in the email you received. Anyone with that link can print the
certificate, which is deliberate: it means you can forward the email to the recipient and they can
print it themselves.

<Note>
  **Treat the link like the gift itself.** Anyone who has it can print a copy, so send it to the
  person you bought it for and not to a public place.
</Note>

## Troubleshooting

**Your card was declined.**
No certificate is created and you are not charged. The most common cause is a billing address that
does not match the card. Check it and try again.

**The recipient did not get their email.**
Ask them to check spam. If it is genuinely missing,
[contact the club](/start/getting-help) with your certificate number — the club can send it again.

**You lost the certificate number.**
[Contact the club](/start/getting-help). Give the name and email you bought it under and roughly
when, and it can be found.

**You entered the wrong recipient name or amount.**
Nothing on a certificate can be edited once it is issued.
[Contact the club](/start/getting-help) — do not buy a second one to correct the first.

**The recipient is not a member.**
That is fine. A certificate is credit against club membership; if they join, it is applied to their
account. It cannot be cashed out.

## Related

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="Apply for membership" icon="file-pen" href="/public/apply">
    For a recipient who is not a member yet.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Getting help" icon="circle-question" href="/start/getting-help">
    Anything that needs a human.
  </Card>
</Columns>