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Should note that gift cards in California & Washington cannot expire, but this applies only to retail, not 'credit' type cards like the Vias GC.
Should note that gift cards in California & Washington cannot expire, but this applies only to retail, not 'credit' type cards like the Vias GC.
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Same for Connecticut -- no expiration date. And I don't think CT allows dormancy fees either.
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I hate gift cards. I think I posted this elsewhere...but....
If someone is going to buy me a $10 gift card, I'd much rather have them try and buy a gift. Something a little more personal. Even if it is something I hate, at least they put the time into it. It shows they care. A gift card is lame, and often times just forces you to spend more money at a store than the card is valued for. For instance, I got a $10 gift card for Gamestop. The only system I currently own is an Xbox 360. What the HELL can I get for my 360 for $10? Right off the bat, I have to spend money just to use my gift. Lame.
It is indeed illegal for cards to have dormancy fees or expiration dates in Illinois. If you have a card purchased in Illinois and it says on the back that it expires or will assess dormancy fees just ignore it but check on the balance if you've still got the card a year later (or whenever the expiration date is).
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Actually, here in Illinois, expiration dates aren't illegal, but funds that are left on the card after five years are considered abandoned property that must be reported and tendered to the Treasurer. Gift cards are exempted if there are no post-sale fees or expiration dates imposed.
I don't think expiration dates are illegal in Illinois, technically, but if a card expires or has post-sale fees, after five years any unspent funds are considered unclaimed property which must be reported and tendered to the Treasurer. Cards that don't expire or decay are exempted from the unclaimed property act.
peejaybee - a few years ago I got a card that was supposed to lose value after a year, but then a year or so later Illinois passed a law saying gift cards couldn't do that, and the full value on my card was restored. Ever since then I haven't seen a single card with a written disclaimer of expiration or value loss after a certain time frame, and I figured it was because you couldn't sell cards like that in Illinois and the companies produce cards that comply with state law.
PIZZA HUT GIFT CARDS. Not really a gift, more of a way to make your visit an unpleasant one! I bought a gift card to use at my local Pizza Hut in Sevierville, TN used it one time for around $7.00 and still have yet to be able to use it again, even though I have tried three times each Tue night (buffet night)for the last 3 weeks. When the card gets swiped the cashier claims it comes up an \"invalid\" card. I explain to them that I do have a balance on the card, I checked it just before I left to go eat! They say, \"sorry, there is nothing that they can do! We even got into an argument....once again they say, sorry, nothing we can do!\" I made a call to customer satisfaction and only got a letter of appology and absolutley nothing done about the gift card. I am stuck with a useless piece of plastic that is now worth nothing to me if I cant use the remaining $18.00 balance.
State laws vary, too. I'm pretty sure it's now illegal for gift cards to expire in Illinois.