CasperVend 2/Gift Cards/V3/Choose Distribution Method
Choose your distribution method
Version 3.0 of the CasperVend Gift Card system supports a new distribution method, Modern, which is by far the most secure and most convenient for your customers.
However, the modern approach has some drawbacks. Here's an overview of each method, and the advantages and disadvantages for each:
Modern Distribution
With the Modern distribution method, you issue your gift card with a balance of ZERO. You sell your card through a CasperVend vendor, and when the customer wears the card, the balance is automatically credited to the card.
Advantages
- Guaranteed to be secure against any current or future Second Life No-Copy exploits.
- Safety from accidental redeliver, placement in group notices, etc. (The customer can only receive the balance ONCE.)
- The customer can just wear the card to activate it, there's no need to rez the card to make it transferrable.
- You can award gift-card bonuses when customers purchase other products
Disadvantages
- Cards *MUST* be distributed via the CasperVend system. If you hand cards out in any other manner, they will have a balance of L$0.
- Only "Balance" mode is supported. "Product" mode cards must use the Classic method.
- The system does NOT have a way to match a redelivered card with the one already bought, so when a *customer* redelivers a card, they will only receive a ZERO balance.
- (Merchants may manually deliver a new card and cancel the card being replaced.)
Want to use this method?
Continue with the Modern Distribution instructions
Classic Distribution
With the Classic distribution method, you set a balance (or product) on the gift card itself, and then distribute the card via any mechanism (EXCEPT via group notice)
Advantages
- No restriction on how you distribute the card
- Product mode is supported
- Secure against currently known Second Life permissions exploits
Disadvantages
- Not guaranteed to be secure against any future no-copy exploits discovered, because it still depends on the Second Life permissions system up to a point.
- For security reasons, customers must REZ the card in order to make it transferable.