Blockbuster Gift Cards Expire

Click2Houston.com warns that Blockbuster gift cards have an expiration date.

Houston Better Business Bureau spokesman Dan Parsons told KPRC Local 2 that his office has received hundreds of gift card complaints and ends up telling consumers to do their homework, not only when giving a gift card but when they receive one as well.

"The problem is where that information is disclosed. It is usually in the hands of the buyers who (are giving the gift). (The recipient) doesn't have it. (They) just have the piece of plastic," Parsons said.

Netflix gift subscriptions must be redeemed within a year or they will automatically be applied to the giver's account.

Comments

Uhh...I don't get it. Isn't it common knowledge that nothing lasts forever? Are there any gift cards that DON'T expire? Who seriously expects a life time $10-$50 voucher?

If you can't use something given to you within a year, then seriously....stop being a pack rat. I imagine these are people who put things away and then find them well after they've forgotten what they were given, and now they're all angry because they feel "ripped off."

Sigh...

[PlungeBob]

I noticed that some family member to whom I had given an NF
membership failed to use it...

...ok, I get the message: back to something from Bed, Bath, and Beyond again ;0)

I can see how someone would not bother redeeming a subscription ever. You have to give your credit card to these guys and then you have to remember when to cancel.

It does seem like a crappy gift. People like tangible things that don't end up costing them money in the future.

But CA has laws against expiration of gift cards.

[Morgan]

"Uhh...I don't get it. Isn't it common knowledge that nothing lasts forever? Are there any gift cards that DON'T expire?"

Yes, there are. Several stores offer gift cards with no expiration date.

I've never understood expiring gift cards. How can it be legal for a company, after a year, to just take the money? It seems like theft to me. I could understand deducting a nominal service fee, but just invalidating the entire certificate amount should be illegal.

Sounds like NetFlix has the right idea - credit it back to the person who purchased it.

[Becky]

If the card isn't used in the same year in which it was sold, the rental expense will not be booked in the same year as the income. It's accounting issue.

I think the BBB spokesman is incorrect. I received a Blockbuster gift card a few years ago that had fine print on the back which warned there would be a fee or interest charged each month or year that the card wasn't used. So the recipient was informed. Enough fees, and the card becomes worthless. Not exactly the same thing as an expiration.

[Jeff]

Interesting. That may, unfortunately, be in violation of state law as well. In Massachusetts, gift certificates last 6 or 7 years by law.

"It's accounting issue."

Becky is absolutely correct.

"It does seem like a crappy gift."

When I've given this gift it's been well recieved but I've always had to do some sort of tutorial on the service. I also explain that when it expires they will get charged going forward if they don't cancel. Every time they've loved the shift from going to a store to renting online that they think its worth paying for. Of course you could just buy the gift and dump it on their doorstep but that would be crappy.

[Davis Freeberg]

I was under the impression that it was illegal to sell a card in California if it had an expiration date. I still have gift certificates from the 80's that would be valid, if I really wanted to redeem them.

[jay]

The rules vary from state to state. In Massachusetts for example, gift cards and store credits can not expire. But in New York, as long as the date is on the back everything is fine.

Just look up consumer protection laws in google.

I have forwarded those 1 month free promos and never had a taker. It seems buying them a couple of months wouldn't make much of a good gift.

[shoobe01]

Most every gift card I have ever had has no expiry. One that does expire is automatically dickish to me.

Coupons, store-credit vouchers, rebates, etc. all are partly valuable to the issuing company due to lower than 100% take rates. Of course they want you to forget to use them.

[Tony]

In the state of california, it's against the law for a gift card to expire. The law applies to gift cards that represent the cash value paid. For example, if you buy a $30 blockbuster gift card for $30 (plus fees, if any), that $30 gift card is just like cash at a blockbuster store, and can never expire. It's cash, plain and simple.

Coupons, rebates, etc. are a different matter, as they don't represent cash spent.

[Todd]

If you are going to give a gift card, why not just give cash? It never expires and you can use it anywhere. A gift card already says, "I had to get you something but I didn't care enough to actually put thought into it."

[Todd]

If you are going to give a gift card, why not just give cash? It never expires and you can use it anywhere. A gift card already says, "I had to get you something but I didn't care enough to actually put thought into it."

[lynn]

i live in ct and gift cards and certificates dont expire but the cards that the mall sells for use at any store does because they are actually issued by a credit card company and is legally not a "gift" card. now i go to each store in the mall and purchase the seperate store cards which last forever.

In Massachusetts, it is 7 years. Here is the wording, straight from the Mass. Government's web site: http://www.mass.gov/treasury/gift_cert.htm
In addition, further details for MA can be found here: http://www.loeb.com/CM/Alerts/alerts50.asp

Other states, like California, New Hampshire, and Washington also have eliminated or extended the expiration dates.

One trick to employee: If you live in a state that does NOT address gift card expiration dates by law AND you have a gift card from a National Retail Chain, then just call up the corporate HQ for the chain and say you live in California or Massachusetts. They will then extend the date on the expiration.

[in the know]

gift card expiration is dependant on state laws, some states like washtingon state do not allow gift cards to expire. visa gift cards however may charge a fucking manintenace fee after a period of time, so watch out for them.

[DominiqueConway]

If you are in uncomfortable position and have got no money to get out from that point, you would have to take the loans. Because that will aid you emphatically. I get college loan every time I need and feel OK because of it.