Gift Vouchers expirey

[ask100]

Is it true that if you don't use a gift voucher within 12 months then the value is lost and the voucher company can keep the value of the voucher?

[Buenchico]

The company providing the voucher has the right to impose a limit as to its validity, but there's no general rule. Some companies have a 12 month or 2 year limit upon the validity of their vouchers. Others (such as Marks and Spencers) will accept them forever.

Chris

[daisya]

I think some vouchers can be used at anytime and others have expiry dates on them, you have to check each individual voucher to see what their terms and conditions are.

[Jules001]

Not true for all of them, if they have an expiry date on them that is when they need to be used by. Others do not have a date on them and as such can be used, I have recently used a paper voucher in a large department store and the cashier said 'Oh I haven't seen one of these for ages', but still accepted it in payment and the balance of the voucher not spent was added to one of the new plastic gift cards for me to use in future.

[dzug2]

Yes - that can often be true.

But the period does vary with different gift vouchers.

[ask100]

But if the issuer's T&C says 12 months does that mean that they can legally confiscate the value of the voucher?

[Hopkirk]

Check the terms and conditions.

Mind you, if one expired with significant value, I would appeal to them. They might honour it in the name of good customer relations.

[ask100]

Hopkirk, I would refre you to this answerbank link :
http://www.theanswerb...w/Question989307.html
Some goodwill!

[Hopkirk]

They sound like the Ryanair of the gift voucher industry.

I was thinking more of Next or BHS vouchers, or the like.

[ask100]

A good analogy Hopkirk.

[Buenchico]

Ask100:
My understanding of the law is that an actual 'purchase' has been made when the vouchers are paid for. i.e. the purchaser has paid for a (transferable) right to exchange the pieces of paper (or, these days, plastic cards) for items of equivalent to the value stated on the paper/card.

That's akin to purchasing, say, a 12-month gym membership. It's up to the purchaser to decide whether he actually wants to exercise his rights to use the gym during the 12-month period. If he decides not to do so, he has no right to expect his money back.

Chris