Don’t wait to spend x-mas gift cards: FCAA

Even though gift cards can’t have an expiration date, you should still use them sooner rather than later.

That advice comes from the Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority of Saskatchewan. Eric Greene, director of the FCAA’s consumer protection division, said there are a number of regulations in place to protect consumers who received gift cards, but none of them apply if the company in question goes out of business.

“Use it almost immediately, because if the business goes under you may not be able to redeem it,” Greene said.

Although the gift cards may carry a fee for the purchaser, Greene said gift cards cannot have a fee for the user and cannot carry an expiration date.

According to the FCAA, there is often a spike in calls and complaints about gift cards after the holidays, often coming from consumers who are concerned about usage limits and expiry dates. Greene said some companies occasionally try to implement fees or expiration dates on their cards, but it’s usually because they don’t know about the regulations.

“Once it’s brought to their attention, they tend to take off that limitation,” he said.

The FCAA also recommended reading all of the fine print on gift cards before they are purchased in order to avoid any potential surprises.