December 16, 2025 – SAANICH – Gift cards can be a great last minute go-to for the person who has everything, eliminating guess work and letting them choose what’s right for them.

Before buying, Consumer Protection BC wants consumers to know their rights around expiry rules for gift cards.

“We want to remind anyone who’s giving or receiving gift cards this holiday season that some gift cards can expire, and others cannot under BC’s consumer protection laws,” says Louise Hartland, director of public relations for Consumer Protection BC.

Gift cards for a specific retailer with a specific dollar amount are not allowed to expire. For example, a $50 gift card to a local retailer or a big box store can’t expire.

But some gift cards can expire. They are:

  • Gift cards issued for a specific good or service, like a manicure or smoothie
  • Gift cards sold at a discount or provided for free as part of a store promotion
  • Gift cards sold for charitable purposes
  • Gift cards bought before 2009

Any gift card that can expire must include an expiry date.

“A great way to keep track of expiring gift cards is to set a calendar reminder or notification in your phone. Try and keep all your gift cards in the same place so you can find them easily and check on those expiry dates” suggests Hartland. “It’s also important to know a gift card for a shopping centre with multiple stores is allowed to charge fees so the balance can diminish over time if you don’t use it.”

Consumer Protection BC has more information about what consumers need to know if they buy or receive a gift card, including when they can be charged fees.

If a consumer has a gift card they don’t think should expire, but the retailer says it has, we encourage them to try and work it out with the store first. We have a template on our website to help. If that doesn’t work, contact Consumer Protection BC.

For media inquiries, please contact: 
Louise Hartland 
Director of Public Relations 
media@consumerprotectionbc.ca 

 

About Consumer Protection BC

Consumer Protection BC is a not-for-profit regulator responsible for overseeing specific industries and consumer transactions in British Columbia. The organization’s mandate includes licensing and inspecting regulated businesses, responding to consumer inquiries, investigating alleged violations of consumer protection laws, and classifying all general release motion pictures.

With a focus on fairness and accountability, Consumer Protection BC works to ensure consumers are informed and protected. For more information, including recent enforcement actions and details about inspection and complaint-handling processes, visit www.consumerprotectionbc.ca. The organization also shares valuable consumer tips and resources through its blog and social media channels on Facebook and Instagram.

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