voucher
Loading your saved state.
voucher
A document that represents a certain monetary value or service and can be redeemed when buying goods or services.
Ich habe noch einen Gutschein für dieses Kino, den wir heute einlösen könnten.
I still have a voucher for this cinema that we could redeem today.
The word is made up of 'gut' (good) and 'Schein' (certificate / note). Here, a 'Schein' is a document or certificate, as in 'Geldschein' (banknote). So a 'Gutschein' is literally a 'good certificate' that guarantees a value or service.
Er bezahlte einen Teil des Einkaufs mit einem Gutschein.
He paid for part of the purchase with a voucher.
The most important verbs in connection with 'Gutschein' are 'einen Gutschein einlösen' (to redeem a voucher), 'jemandem einen Gutschein schenken' (to give someone a voucher as a gift), and 'einen Gutschein bekommen' (to receive a voucher).
Diesen Gutschein können Sie in allen Filialen einlösen.
You can redeem this voucher in all branches.
To indicate the purpose or value of a voucher, different prepositions are used. 'Ein Gutschein für etwas' (a voucher for something) with the accusative describes the service, while 'ein Gutschein über einen Betrag' (a voucher for an amount) with the accusative states the monetary value.
Sie hat mir einen Gutschein für eine Massage geschenkt.
She gave me a voucher for a massage.
'Gutschein' is often the second part of compound nouns that describe the type of voucher more precisely, e.g. 'Geschenkgutschein' (gift voucher), 'Einkaufsgutschein' (shopping voucher), or 'Reisegutschein' (travel voucher).
Ein Geschenkgutschein ist immer eine gute Idee, wenn man nicht weiß, was man schenken soll.
A gift voucher is always a good idea when you don't know what to give someone.
discount
'Gutschein' and 'Rabatt' both have to do with shopping for less money, but they are not the same thing. A 'Gutschein' is something you redeem, for example a code, a card, or a piece of paper with a certain value or service. A 'Rabatt' is the price reduction itself: you pay less than the normal price. Learners can easily confuse the words because a voucher often leads to a discount. In practical terms: you hand in or enter the 'Gutschein'; you get the 'Rabatt' on the price.
Zum Geburtstag hat Tom einen Gutschein für den Buchladen bekommen.
For his birthday, Tom received a voucher for the bookstore.
Im Reisebüro gibt es diese Woche zehn Prozent Rabatt auf viele Zugtickets.
At the travel agency, there is a ten percent discount on many train tickets this week.