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How long does a gift card last?

20 quoted answers, each with its source

The short answer

For gift cards supplied on or after 1 November 2019, Australian Consumer Law sets a minimum redemption period of three years from supply; if a card bears a shorter expiry, it is taken to be three years and a term reducing it earlier is void. For gift cards purchased after that date, post-purchase fees or charges are prohibited, and businesses do not need to honour a card after a valid expiry date has passed; the ACCC does not resolve individual disputes about gift cards or vouchers. Gift cards sold before 1 November 2019 are not affected by these changes. Consumer Affairs Victoria states that gift cards and vouchers sold for a good or service at a genuine discount are not covered by the three-year period, and that a card without an expiry date may be used for a reasonable length of time after purchase, but the claims do not establish whether that genuine-discount position overrides the statutory three-year period.

Every part of this comes from the quotes below. How we write these.

What the rules actually say9

Quoted straight from the ACCC, the Australian Consumer Law or a state consumer regulator.

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Australian Consumer Law section 99B(1) prohibits supplying a gift card to a consumer in trade or commerce if the day the gift card ceases to be redeemable is earlier than three years after the day of supply.

first-party
2 quotes from 1 source
99B Gift cards to be redeemable for at least 3 years
A person must not, in trade or commerce, supply a gift card to a consumer if the day that the gift card ceases to be redeemable is earlier than 3 years after the day of that supply.
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For a gift card sold with a shorter expiry, the three-year statutory period overrides the printed date.

first-party
2 quotes from 1 source
99B Gift cards to be redeemable for at least 3 years
the day that the gift card ceases to be redeemable is taken to be 3 years after the day of that supply.
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Australian Consumer Law section 99F(1) makes void any gift card term that reduces the redemption period to end earlier than three years after supply.

first-party
2 quotes from 1 source
99F Certain terms and conditions of gift card void
reducing the period that the gift card ceases to be redeemable to a period that ends earlier than 3 years after the day the gift card is supplied to a consumer.
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The ACCC states that businesses do not need to honour a gift card after a valid expiry date has passed.

first-party
1 quote from 1 source
Businesses do not need to honour the gift card after a valid expiry date has passed.
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The ACCC states that it does not resolve individual disputes about gift cards or vouchers.

first-party
1 quote from 1 source
We don't resolve individual disputes about gift cards or vouchers.
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Consumer Affairs Victoria states that gift cards and vouchers are not covered by the three-year period if they are sold for a good or service at a genuine discount.

first-party
2 quotes from 1 source
Gift cards and vouchers are not covered by the 3-year period if they are:
sold for a good or service at a genuine discount
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Consumer Affairs Victoria states that a business is not obliged to honour a gift card or voucher after the expiry date unless otherwise negotiated.

first-party
1 quote from 1 source
A business is not obliged to honour a gift card or voucher after the expiry date, unless otherwise negotiated.
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Consumer Affairs Victoria states that where a gift card carries an earlier expiry date but is sold after that date, consumers still get the mandatory three-year period.

first-party
1 quote from 1 source
If the card has an earlier expiry date written on it and is sold after this date, consumers will still get the mandatory 3-year period.
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Consumer Affairs Victoria states that a gift card without an expiry date may be used for a reasonable length of time after it was originally purchased.

first-party
1 quote from 1 source
If the gift card or voucher does not have an expiry date (including an activation expiry date), the consumer may use it for a reasonable length of time after it was originally purchased.

Changed on5

A dated change. This is where advice quietly stops being true.

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Gift cards purchased on or after 1 November 2019 must be redeemable for at least three years after the day they were supplied or purchased.

first-party
1 quote from 1 source
Gift cards purchased on or after 1 November 2019 must be redeemable for at least 3 years after the day they were supplied or purchased.
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The ACCC states that gift cards purchased after 1 November 2019 must not include any fees or charges the recipient must pay after the gift card has been purchased.

first-party
1 quote from 1 source
Gift cards purchased after 1 November 2019 must not include any fees or charges the recipient must pay after the gift card has been purchased.
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The Treasury Laws Amendment (Gift Cards) Act 2018 provides that the amendments made by its Schedule 1 apply to gift cards supplied on or after 1 November 2019.

first-party
1 quote from 1 source
The amendments made by Schedule 1 to the Treasury Laws Amendment (Gift Cards) Act 2018 apply to gift cards supplied on or after 1 November 2019.
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  • The Treasury Laws Amendment (Gift Cards) Act 2018 was assented to on 25 October 2018.
  • The gift card amendments under the Treasury Laws Amendment (Gift Cards) Act 2018 began to apply more than a year after 25 October 2018.
first-party
2 quotes from 1 source
[ Assented to 25 October 2018 ]
The amendments made by Schedule 1 to the Treasury Laws Amendment (Gift Cards) Act 2018 apply to gift cards supplied on or after 1 November 2019.

Often said, but we could not find it in the rules6

Lots of people say this. We went looking for an official source that backs it up and could not find one, so treat it as something people repeat rather than something settled.

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LegalVision asserts that the November 2019 gift card rules aligned with pre-existing NSW state-level protections introduced in 2018.

vendor
1 quote from 1 source
Since the ACL amendments took effect in November 2019, all gift cards sold in Australia must remain redeemable for a minimum of three years, aligning with NSW's pre-existing state-level protections introduced in 2018.
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LegalVision asserted that changes to Australian law came into place on 1 November 2019 to give consumers who hold gift cards greater protections.

vendor
1 quote from 1 source
On 1 November 2019, changes to the Australian law came into place to provide consumers who hold gift cards with greater protections.
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LegalVision asserts that the gift card changes will not affect gift cards sold before 1 November 2019.

vendor
1 quote from 1 source
These changes in the law will not affect gift cards sold before 1 November 2019.
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LegalVision asserts that a business issuing non-compliant gift cards could be fined by the ACCC…

  • up to $30,000.
  • $6,000 if it is not a company.
vendor
1 quote from 1 source
If your business issues non-compliant gift cards to consumers, the ACCC could fine you up to $30,000 or $6,000 if you are not a company.
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Sprintlaw asserts that gift card expiry laws in Australia are one of the most misunderstood topics by both customers and business owners.

medium confidenceother
1 quote from 1 source
gift card expiry laws in Australia are one of the most searched (and misunderstood) topics by both customers and business owners