Buying gift cards
You should understand your rights as well as the terms and conditions when you buy or use a gift card for a good or service.
Gift cards sold in Australia have a minimum 3-year expiry period, and the expiry date must be clearly displayed on the card or voucher.
Exceptions to these rules include cards or vouchers that are:
- for a good or service only available for a limited time, where the card or voucher expires at the end of that period (e.g. entry to a concert or museum exhibition)
- supplied to a purchaser of goods or services as part of a temporary marketing promotion (e.g. a $50 wine voucher valid for 1 month that is mailed to a consumer as a bonus with a purchased item and which was not part of the purchase offer)
- given free of charge for promotional purposes (e.g. a local shopping centre has a 1-day marketing promotion where each visitor to the centre that day is handed a $20 gift card that is valid for use at any store in the centre on that day only)
- sold for a particular good or service that is below the market value of that good or service (a genuine discount—e.g. a $50 card for salon service valued at $100)
- supplied as part of an employee rewards program
- given as a bonus in connection with a purchase of a good or service for use in the same business (e.g. customer loyalty programs)
Consider these details whenever you buy or use gift cards or gift vouchers.
Card expiry
Make sure you check the expiry date.
With the exception of a few limited-use gift cards and vouchers, all gift cards bought from 1 November 2019 automatically come with a minimum 3-year validity period.
Make sure the expiry date is clearly marked on the card, so that you (or your recipient) don’t forget it.
Spending limits
Ask if:
- the store imposes a minimum amount that you need to spend in each transaction
- you need to spend the full amount in one transaction.
How they will give change
They might:
- give you a new card for the remaining amount
- re-encode the card to be worth the remaining amount
- give you change in cash (if they do, it will usually only be a few dollars or a small percentage of the original card value)
- not give change at all.
Any excluded stores
If the gift card is for a shopping centre, find out which stores are not included.
Think about:
- which stores you or your recipient usually shop at
- whether excluded stores are set out on the card, on the receipt, or on a notice in the store.
Replacing lost or stolen cards or vouchers
Find out if they will replace a card or voucher if lost or stolen. If so:
- check if they maintain a register of cards
- keep your receipt
- note any identifying number or code shown on the gift card
- contact the store about lost cards as soon as possible.
Checking balance
Find out how you can check the balance of a gift card or voucher. This could be by:
- asking in-store
- checking online.
Fees and charges
It is illegal for traders to charge post-purchase fees or administration charges that will reduce the value of your gift card, such as activation, account-keeping and balance enquiry fees.
Traders can charge fees they would normally charge as part of a transaction, such as overseas transaction fees, booking fees, or fees charged to replace a lost, stolen or damaged card.
They can also charge an upfront fee for the purchase of a gift card. It will be up to you whether to accept the fee and proceed with the purchase.
Terms and conditions
Make sure you:
- get a written copy of the terms and conditions from the retailer
- pass this document on to the gift card recipient.
When a card isn’t honoured
A store may not honour your gift card if they:
- change to new owners
- go into administration, receivership or liquidation.
The best way to avoid this is to use a gift card early.
Find out more about traders going out of business.