Shoppers who purchased Dick Smith gift cards can’t do much about it now (unless they were purchased via Prezzie, Coles or Woolworths, all of which have announced that they will allow customers to exchange Dick Smith vouchers sold prior to the electronics retailer falling into voluntary administration) but holders of any other gift cards should do one very important thing: check the expiry date on the card!
According to Canstar Blue research of approximately 2,700 Australians, around 30% of us have let a gift card expire before they could use it – that’s quite a cash cow for the provider!
Some generations are more forgetful than others…
| I have forgotten about a gift card / shopping voucher and it has expired before I could use it | |
|---|---|
| 18 – 29 years | 40% |
| 30 – 39 years | 34% |
| 40 – 49 years | 32% |
| 50 – 59 years | 28% |
| 60 – 69 years | 23% |
Source: canstarblue.com.au
Given that gift cards are a multi-billion market in Australia, forgotten cards must represent a comforting profit margin for some businesses.
What are the expiry dates of gift cards?
There are too many different gift cards in the market to count, but some quick research has found that the most common expiry date for popular cards tends to be 12 months from date of purchase. Some cards, including David Jones and Myer, has a 24 month expiry, and a few cards (including Toys r Us and Xbox) have no expiry date.
Here’s a list of some popular gift cards and, at time of writing, their expiry date.
| CARD | Expiry from date of purchase | CARD | Expiry from date of purchase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accor Hotels Escape | 12 months | Jeans West | 12 months |
| AMF Bowling | 12 months | Just Jeans | 12 months |
| Barbeques Galore | 12 months | Kathmandu | 12 months |
| BCF | 12 months | Kmart | 24 months |
| Best Restaurants | 12 months | Liquorland | 24 months |
| Big W | 12 months | Myer | 24 months |
| BrasNthings | 12 months | Officeworks | 24 months |
| City beach | 12 months | Peter Alexander | 12 months |
| Coles | 24 months | Rebel Sport | 12 months |
| Country Road | 12 months | RedBalloon | 12 months |
| David Jones | 24 months | Skype | 12 months |
| Dymocks | 12 months | Smiggle | 12 months |
| EB Games | 12 months | SportsGirl | 12 months |
| Event Movie Card | 12 months | SuperCheap Auto | 12 months |
| Facebook Zynga | 12 months | Target | 24 months |
| Good Food | 12 months | Toys r Us | No expiry |
| Hoyts Cinema Gift Card | 12 months | Village Cinemas Gift Card | 12 months |
| iTunes | 12 months | Vintage Cellars | 24 months |
| Jay Jays | 12 months | Visa load & Go | Date on card |
| JBHI-FI | 12 months | Woolworths | 12 months |
Advised expiry date at time of research (Jan 2016). Please check terms & conditions of any card you purchase.
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