Gift Terms

An Encore gift is closed-loop styling credit: a dollar amount redeemable only on Encore, toward styling sessions with the independent stylists on the platform. It is not a general-purpose or reloadable payment product, not a bank or payment-network product, and not redeemable for cash except as Section 7 describes. The gift carries a dollar value - never a specific stylist or session - so the recipient chooses how to use it.

Consistent with California Civil Code §1749.5, an Encore gift does not expire - there is no expiration date on the value - and we charge no service, dormancy, inactivity, or maintenance fees of any kind. The full value remains available until it is redeemed.

When you buy a gift, your payment method is charged at the time of purchase for the value you choose, processed by Stripe. You choose the value, the recipient, an optional message and occasion, and how it’s delivered - by email on a date you pick, or as a private link you share yourself. You receive a receipt. You may buy a gift for yourself.

Until a gift is delivered, you can correct the recipient’s email, edit your message or the delivery date, or send it from your account. After delivery, our support team can help with changes where possible (Section 9).

A delivered gift is reached through a unique link and code. Treat that link and code like cash: anyone who has it can claim the gift. If you deliver the gift yourself, share the link only with your intended recipient. We are not responsible for value lost because a code or link was shared, forwarded, or exposed by the person holding it (Section 9).

• The recipient claims the gift to their Encore account (signing in with a one-time email code), which binds the value to them.
• They then browse and book any stylist and session they choose. The gift value applies automatically at checkout.
• A gift covers the stylist’s rate and the Encore service fee together. If a booking costs more than the gift’s remaining value, the recipient pays the difference through the normal booking flow. If it costs less, the remainder stays on the gift for next time.
• A gift’s value is spendable across more than one booking until it is used up, and it never expires.

Each gift is its own value and code; gifts are not pooled into a combined balance. Once a gift is claimed to an account, its value belongs to that account holder. An Encore gift may not be resold, sold, or transferred for value, and may not be reloaded or combined into a new instrument. A gift has no value outside Encore.

An Encore gift is not redeemable for cash, except as required by law. As California Civil Code §1749.5 (as amended) provides, if the remaining value on a claimed gift is less than fifteen dollars ($15), the holder may request that the remaining balance be paid out in cash. To request a cash-out of a sub-threshold balance, contact us through our contact page and we will process it.

Because a gift’s value belongs to the recipient and never expires, an Encore gift is non-refundable to the purchaser once purchased. As a courtesy, if none of the gift has been redeemed, we may refund the purchaser at our discretion on request before any of the value is used. Contact us through our contact page. A courtesy refund is a business decision and is not an admission of any obligation to refund.

When a booking funded by a gift is cancelled, declined, expires, or the stylist does not show, the value returns to the gift - not as cash to the recipient - and may be redeemed again. Cancellations follow the same tiers as any booking (set out in our Cancellation Policy): the gift’s share of any refund returns to the gift, and any portion the recipient paid by card is refunded to that card. If a stylist declines, cancels, or does not show, the full value returns to the gift.

Because the code and link function like cash (Section 4), keep them secure. If a gift has not yet been claimed or redeemed and you believe its email was sent to the wrong address or the link was lost, contact us - we can resend it, correct the recipient’s email, or reissue the gift. We are not responsible for gifts lost, stolen, or used without authorization after a code or link has been shared or exposed by the holder, and we have no obligation to replace value already redeemed.

We may void, suspend, or decline to honor a gift that we reasonably believe was obtained or used through fraud, misrepresentation, or error, or in violation of these Gift Terms, our Terms of Service, or applicable law. Encore gifts are void where prohibited by law.

Buying an Encore gift is the purchase of closed-loop styling credit, not of a taxable good or service, so no sales tax is charged on the gift itself. Any taxes that apply to a styling session are handled when the gift is redeemed and are shown at checkout.

These Gift Terms are part of, and incorporate, our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, including their limits on liability, releases, and dispute-resolution and arbitration provisions. They are governed by the laws of the State of California. Where these Gift Terms and the Terms of Service address the same subject, these Gift Terms control for matters specific to gifts.

We may update these Gift Terms as Encore grows; we will revise the date above and, for material changes, provide more prominent notice. Changes do not reduce the value of, or add an expiration date or fee to, a gift already purchased. Questions? Reach us through our contact page or at hello@encorestylist.com.