Gift Card Scams

[porkchop]

Now that Xmas is around the corner be very careful when selecting gift cards as presents. Many of them have conditions printed in tiny letters saying that the card will cancelled or reduced in value within a certain period. In my opinion the cards are just a money making machine for the organizers. They explain that they have to charge a penalty if the card is not used for a certain period. So be very careful where you spend your cash thuis Xmas.

[Georgiesmum]

Thanks for the tip porkchop. It sounds like daylight robbery to me.

[Buenchico]

To be fair to the companies behind gift cards, Porkchop, there's usually a reasonably long period between the purchase of a card and its validity starting to decrease. For example, the One4all card (sold in every Post Office) retains full validity for 18 months after purchase, and then only decreases by 90p per month thereafter. That's a lot better than what many big stores used to do with their (paper) gift vouchers. They frequently ceased to have any value whatsoever after 6 months to a year from purchase.

[Georgiesmum]

Oh dear. I will have to check mine. Ive still got a Boots gift card and an M and S gift card from last Christmas.

[pusskin]

We had a gift card for xmas last year and have only just tried to use it last Friday on Steam railway ride in Buckinghamshire. Well ---
These Argos gift cards were refused by two railways stations around the country and we went to one of them unknowingly.
He refused our gift card but out of the goodness of his heart, the manager gave us a complimentary ticket for next. So we havent lost out really but was disappointed all the same. ( phone call to trading Standards tomorrow)

[pusskin]

My son bought them in december last year from Argos , but they had been refused by two station in the oct! (Rip off prices)

[Buenchico]

I wouldn't worry too much about the M&S card, Georgiesmum. I found several gift vouchers (which were up to 20 years old) in the back of a drawer, totalling £45. There was nothing I wanted to buy in M&S at that time but I was very short of cash. So I suggested to a friend of mine (who loves M&S stuff) that she should try to spend them and, if successful, give me twenty quid. She found that some of the vouchers were still recognised (from their bar codes) by the tills but a manager had to be called to authorise the other ones. However she eventually got the full £45 in goods (and I got my twenty quid).

So M&S seem to be very flexible when it comes to using old gift vouchers. I assume that they'd have a similar policy with regard to gift cards.

[sidkid]

All this talk of gift cards reminds me of an anecdote I heard once:
Scenario one: Happy birthday here's a ten pound Bluewater gift card. You can use it in every shop in Bluewater.
Scenario two: Happy birthday here's a ten pound note. You can use it in every shop in the country......

[gingejbee]

There are terms and conditions applied to all similar purchases. I don't see how it's a "scam" if YOU don't comply with them.

[DJHawkes]

most gift cards bought for high street stores are actually produced by the same company and they have a life of 2 years from loading and then 2 years from each time they are used or reloaded, the date the card expires is printed clearly on a till slip at initial purchase separate from the purchase receipt, There should be no confusion unless people do not pay attention.

[Mamyalynne]

I have just spent a Hundred pounds of my stash of Argos gift cards, had them ages - expiry date is 2017.

[DJHawkes]

paper vouchers do not have an expiry, electronic cards do expire after 2 years of inactivity, this is because of software updates. Anyone given an electronic giftcard that doed not wish to spend it can always take it into the store and ask for a balance enquiry, which will automatically renew the 2 years.

[DJHawkes]

the post office onefor all card is not a gift card it is a pre-paid debit card and is processed as a debit card not as a gift card and needs a signature match check as it has to be signed on the back.

[DSJ]

When I worked in the Cash Office at Boots in the 1990s, we had a gift voucher for 2/6 tendered. It must have been at the bottom of someone's drawer. Decimal currency was introduced in February of 1971.

We honoured it, anyway.

[DJHawkes]

gift cards that are for specific events or days out are not the same as cash loaded cards and have individual terms of use which are always available on the website of the business the card is meant for, like race days, balloon flights etc and should only be activated when a date for the experience has been decided.

[bednobs]

i d0n't get why you would try to spend argos vouchers on a railway journey?

[DJHawkes]

it was probably an experience day giftcard

[Mamyalynne]

These are the ones I have, get them for doing surveys, all have dates on reverse.

http://thegiftlist.voucherexpress.co.uk/Volatile/Products/voucherfanglj_6.gif

[boxtops]

I don't think it's a scam at all. If someone gives you a cheque you have to bank it within six months. If someone gives you a gift card, you spend it in the stated time. Like money-off vouchers, they have an expiry date. Why is it a scam?

[pixie373]

I'm not sure the expiry dates are very clear though. We have some lying around that were given to us (without receipts) and none of them state when they are valid until.

[pusskin]

bednobs, it was a voucher for a days steam on one of their railways.

Gift voucher for a steam train ride.