With $2.5 billion lost through unused gift cards, many of us are letting what is practically free money expire. This year, don't procrastinate, know your rights, and get the most from your gift cards.


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Whether you like it or not, you probably received a gift card this holiday, and it should go without saying that it's wasteful if you don't put it to use. Nonetheless, we continue to let gift cards go unused in mass quantities every year. This doesn't have to happen, and there are things you can do to make sure your gift cards are not wasted each year. First, we're going to take a look at your rights as a gift card holder to help you avoid getting screwed (that's right, you actually have rights related to gift cards), and then we'll look at some good options to make sure your gift card is put to good use.


The Rights of a Gift Card Owner

Consumer protection laws exist across the whole of the United States and many have specific statutes pertaining to gift cards. For example, the state of California doesn't permit the expiration of gift cards—meaning any expiration date is rendered invalid if issued in California—and you can exchange your gift card for cash if the balance is $10 or less. Massachusetts has a similar law in which you can redeem your gift card for cash once 90% of the value has been spent. California and Massachusetts are both good examples, but most states rate poorly when it comes to consumer protection laws. If you want to know how your state stacks up, ScriptSmart offers a state-by-state gift card law summary that can help you out. The best thing you can do to avoid wasting your gift is know the consumer protections that are in place to help you out. There are several instances in which a gift card will claim to expire because it can in certain states, but your state may not legally allow that. Knowing your rights, in this regard, can keep you from losing the entire value of a gift card that you chose to hold on to for awhile.




State laws are not the only laws in effect for gift cards. New federal laws came into effect on August 22, 2010. If your store- or bank-issued gift card was purchased on or after this date, you have additional protections regardless of state laws. The protections mainly deal with expiration dates. Under federal law, you can use your gift card for at least five years without expiration. After five years funds can expire unless the vender, or your specific state laws, say otherwise. If you can reload a gift card, any new funds cannot expire for five years. This only pertains to the added funds and does not extend the life of any leftover funds currently on the card.



In addition to these protections, there are a few more things to be aware of:

If you need your gift card replaced, you cannot be charged a replacement fee if the funds have not yet expired. This mainly applies to bank-issued cards.

Replacement fees can be charged for lost of stolen gift cards.

Venders are able to charge (generally small) post-sale fees for unused gift cards after one year.

If the card wasn't necessarily intended to be a gift card—such as a prepaid debit card—it's excepted from these laws. Promotional or rewards cards given away for free are also excepted


Be sure to check out the full summary of federal gift card laws to learn more.

But what if my gift card has already expired?


In the event your card has already expired, you're not necessarily out of luck. If it's a ten-year-old gift card you might want to bid your final farewells and do more to remember in the future, but if it's a more recent expiration you can generally call the vendor for an extension. Customer service representatives want to be able to help if they can, so if you're nice you're likely to yield better results. I worked in a form of technical support awhile back and can vouch for this. Pretty much everyone on our team would go out of our way to help people who were kind to us. The moment someone was rude, angry, or approached us with a feeling of entitlement we'd do the bare minimum. If I learned anything from that job, it's that being kind to your customer service representative can go a very long way. If they can't help, you can always ask to escalate the issue to a supervisor. This is not necessarily seen as rude, as a supervisor can often do things a regular rep cannot and the rep knows this. You won't always be able to get an extension on your expired gift card, but the bottom line is this: you can't get what you don't ask for. I've even been so fortunate to get a replacement gift card, fee-free, when I had no real proof that I actually had the gift card to begin with. So, ask nicely and there's a good chance of getting what you want.




Ensuring Your Gift Card Gets Used




There are many ways you can lost track of a gift card. Maybe you received one for a store you don't like, or maybe you just wanted to save it up for a larger purchase sometime in the future and that moment came too late. Whatever the reason is, there are a few things you can do to make sure you use your gift cards and don't let them expire.

Set a Reminder


Whether it's your calendar of choice or a reminder service like Remember the Milk, there are countless ways you can set alarms to remind you to use your gift card. Read the terms on the back of the card, know the state and federal laws (as described above), and set an alarm to remind you that it's time to use the card. If you know you're not going to use the card to shop at a particular store, you can always set it side for the next holiday season and use it to buy gifts for others. Because there is no circumstance in which you can lose the funds on that gift card before the year is up, so long as you don't lose the card you'll be fine.



Keep Track of Gift Card Codes and IDs


When you receive a gift card, there's generally some sort of identifier on it that you can use should you need to call in to the vender for information. Every time you receive a gift card you should write these numbers down. If your card is complex, you might even want to take a picture of it so you have an exact record. Evernote is a great tool for this since it can handle both text and photos, plus you can use it to search the text in your photos as well. In the event you lose your gift card, or the gift card is stolen, you can refer back to your notes to find the relevant information needed to procure a replacement.



Always Keep the Gift Card in Your Wallet


Keeping an extra card in your wallet will make it a bit fatter, which is a little annoying, but that's kind of the point. Keeping it around you will do two things: it'll keep you aware that the gift card exists and it'll make sure you have it when an opportunity to use it comes about. It's worth noting that an opportunity to use your gift card may not be when it's just you shopping at the store. You may find yourself tagging along while a friend shops for something. If your friend wants to buy something and you have a gift card for the store they want to buy it from, you can offer to exchange your gift card for cash since they were going to use cash anyway. Whatever the circumstance may be, having it along with you will help you use it faster and avoid the risk of expiration.



Sell Your Gift Card


Gift card exchange sites like Plastic Jungle are a good way to dump gift cards you don't want. If you'd just rather have the cash and you can't find a friend who will buy the card off of you, this is a good resource. You'll never get the full value of the card, but either way you'll end up with free money you didn't have before. While I'd recommend finding a way to use your gift card rather than taking a hit on the value, there are times where you know you'll just never be able to use it. In those cases, it's worth trying to sell it. There are many of us out there who will gladly buy your gift card at a discount. For those of us who want to use the gift card, it's like receiving a 10% discount for free.



Got any other great tips for making sure gift cards don't go to waste? Let's hear 'em in the comments!