Federal law offers protection. Under the law, a gift card cannot expire until at least five years after the date it was activated. The law also sets general limitations on fees. While you have five years to use the gift card before it expires, that doesn't mean it's going to last that long.
For example, if you have a gift card for a restaurant, it could close in three years. Obviously, that means that the gift card cannot be used. AARP Rewards is here to make your next steps easy, rewarding and fun. I am thinking of buying gift cards for my grandchildren for the holidays.
But I'm concerned about expiration dates. What is the lifespan of a gift card? The gift card must be used as soon as possible. Wait, and fees could reduce your value. Under federal law, a gift card cannot expire less than five years after the date of purchase.
However, if not used within 12 months, inactivity, inactivity or service charges can be charged to the card every month, reducing its value. These fees must be reported to the user in advance and no more than one fee can be charged per month. So, make sure that you and your grandchildren know when the fees will take effect so that they can use the full value of their cards. Carole Fleck is senior editor of the AARP Bulletin.
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