There’s a good chance you have a gift card or discount voucher but are yet to use it. Perhaps you were given a gift card at Christmas, or even for your birthday a year ago, or you might have received a discount voucher as a reward for signing up or making a purchase. Now is a good time to check the expiry dates of any gift cards or vouchers you have so they don’t go to waste.
Gift card expiry dates
With the exception of a few special types of cards, all gift cards purchased in Australia must have a minimum three-year expiry period. Businesses must clearly state on the gift card either the expiry date or that there is no expiry.
The three-year minimum expiry rule does not apply for prepaid cards, loyalty cards or cards given to you as part of a limited promotion.
For example:
A store gave all customers who bought a coffee machine in January 2025 a gift card which expires 28 February 2025. As customers didn’t purchase the gift card, the short expiry period is allowed.
Be aware that businesses are not obliged to honour an expired gift card.
Redeeming a gift card
If you’re yet to redeem a gift card, check the terms and conditions (T&C's) and plan how you’ll use it. Be aware of any restrictions.
For example, the T&C's might say:
- the gift card can only be used at certain store locations
- online purchases are excluded
- the travel voucher only applies to accommodation and not meals purchased at the venue
- the card is not valid for use on certain days
- the full amount of the gift card must be spent in one transaction.
It’s often a good idea to use a gift card soon after receiving it to reduce the risk of forgetting about it, losing it, or in unfortunate circumstances finding that the business has closed or gone into administration.
Keep your gift card in a safe place, and it may also be helpful to set a reminder in your phone or make a note in your calendar so you remember to use it before it expires.
Discount vouchers
While discount vouchers have some similar features to gift cards, they’re not necessarily the same. For example, you may have a shopper docket or earn loyalty points for making a purchase, like getting 10% off your next purchase or a $20 voucher once you’ve spent $500.
The promise of a future freebie or discount may be tempting, but always read the T&C's first, including any restrictions on using the voucher. For example, the discount or voucher may only be available if you buy another particular product or service or only while stocks last.
Choosing to buy just because there’s a discount offered could work out well if it’s something you were going to buy anyway and you’re likely to visit the store again soon. But a risk with discount offers and loyalty programs is that you might end up spending more than you intended, particularly if you are close to the amount to get the reward.
Making a purchase to use your discount voucher might also mean you don’t shop around to compare prices. If buying a new shirt, there might be a similar shirt on sale at another store that’s cheaper than buying a shirt using your discount voucher.
Bear in mind that some businesses offer discounts and loyalty programs largely because they want to collect your data so they can promote future offers to you, or they might share your data with partner businesses so they can also market their offers to you.
Further advice
If you have difficulty redeeming a gift card and you believe the retailer isn’t complying with the law or their own gift card terms, contact Consumer and Business Services for advice.
See more tips on buying and using gift cards and vouchers.