Gift cards make great stocking stuffers — just as long as you don’t stuff them in a drawer and forget about them after the holidays.
Americans are expected to spend nearly $30 billion on gift cards this holiday season, according to the National Retail Federation. Restaurant gift cards are the most popular, making up one-third of those sales.
Most of those gift cards will be redeemed. Paytronix, which tracks restaurant gift card sales, says around 70% of gift cards are used within six months.
But many cards — tens of billions of dollars’ worth — wind up forgotten or otherwise unused. That’s when the life of a gift card gets more complicated, with expiration dates or inactivity fees that can vary by state.
For sure, but I had an “expires in 6 months” gift card for a restaurant over here a year ago. Could have done with not feeling forced to squeeze it in-between existing plans
That’s short.
Starbucks stars have actually got me to stop buying their product. I get an email saying my stars expire, but not how many, after 12 months and gave up on it
Six months seems downright criminal, especially if it’s to a small restaurant. Two years should be the absolute minimum.