How to Use an Expired Gift Certificate

Finding an unused, expired gift certificate in your wallet or purse isn't just an inconvenience. Such an expired gift certificate also means that you may potentially lose out on the money on the expired git certificate if the business does not honor it. In the past few years, more than $8 billion of gift cards passed their expiration date and were never used (source).

The issue of expired gift certificates becomes even more of an issue when you realize that gift certificates make popular gifts due to the ease with which they allow recipients to purchase products at their favorite stores and businesses. However, many gift certificates from popular companies and businesses have an expiration date listed. Shoppers may be shocked when trying to shop with an expired gift certificate and are rejected at the check-out line.

In this shopping guide, I'll teach you how to easily shop and use an expired gift certificate.

How to Use an Expired Gift Certificate:

You will need the expired gift certificate, as well as a receipt for when the expired gift certificate was originally purchased. The receipt is optional, but can be immeasurably helpful if disputing an expiration date with the company that issued the gift certificate.

First, you need to check if your state's expired gift certificate regulations and consumer protection laws protect shoppers from losing hard-earned money when their gift certificate expire. Visit the official Newspaper & Current Periodical Reading Room of the U.S. Library of Congress website. This page lists the official government websites for for all fifty states.

Use your computer mouse and click the name of the state that you live in. When you arrive at your state's government website, search for its consumer protection webpage or contact the local bureau. Check to see if your state offers buyer protection to prevent the expiration of gift certificates when they pass their expiration date.

For an easier, complete summary of gift certificate laws throughout all of the U.S., read the State Gift Card fact sheet published by the Consumer Union consumer advocacy group (link). Many of the U.S. states, including states such as Arkansas and California, do not allow businesses or shops to not accept expire gift certificates. In these states, gift certificates that are pass the expiration date are still honored by the company. In these states, you can continue to shop and buy items using expired gift certificates even if the gift certificate has passed its labeled expiration date. However, there may be some restrictions to how long you may use an expired gift certificate after it has expired.

Finally, you should contact the business or store that originally published the expired gift certificate that you're attempting to use. This is a great time to ask questions if you are not sure about the processing of redeeming expired gift certificates and using the expired certificate at the store. Usually, to redeem an expired gift certificate you can just redeem the expired gift certificate as you'd redeem a non-expired gift certificate when shopping with a gift certificate. Be sure to check first. Some stores may need to give you a new gift certificate for the expired gift certificate's total when you attempt to shop and use an expired gift certificate.

Happy shopping!