SO IS YOUR GIFT CARD ALREADY OUT OF DATE?
HARVEY NICHOLS
WHAT ARE THEY? Vouchers. WHEN DO THEY RUN OUT? six months.
WHERE CAN YOU USE THEM? stores. WHAT ARE THE RULES? ‘Valid for six months from the date of issue.’
WHAT DOES THE STORE SAY? ‘We are phasing out paper gift vouchers next month and replacing them with premium Harvey Nichols gift cards, which will remain valid for two years after the last use.
‘Harvey Nichols stores will be happy to swap any valid paper vouchers with the new gift cards following the launch.’
SELFRIDGES
WHAT ARE THEY? Gift cards. WHEN DO THEY RUN OUT? A year. WHERE CAN YOU USE THEM? In stores
and online.
WHAT ARE THE RULES? The website says: ‘If the gift is not used for a consecutive period of 12 months — whether to make a purchase or top-up — the card will automatically expire at the end of that
period and the balance on the card will be forfeited.’
WHAT DOES THE STORE SAY? ‘We are working on a new card that will be available in the summer.’ The details are not yet available.
LAKELAND
WHAT ARE THEY? Vouchers. WHEN DO THEY RUN OUT? A year. WHERE CAN YOU USE THEM? In stores, mail order and online.
WHAT ARE THE RULES? The website says: ‘Our vouchers are valid for a year from the date purchased.’
WHAT DOES THE COMPANY SAY? ‘The lifetime of our gift vouchers will vary based on how soon after print they are purchased, but in most instances this is in excess of 24 months. We assure our customers the absolute minimum amount of time a voucher will be valid for once purchased is 12 months.’
HABITAT
WHAT ARE THEY? Vouchers. WHEN DO THEY RUN OUT? A year. WHERE CAN YOU USE THEM? Online. WHAT ARE THE RULES? ‘Vouchers expire 12 months from date of issue, and any remaining balance will be forfeited.’
WHAT DOES THE STORE SAY? Vouchers are ‘valid for 12 months as outlined in terms and conditions due to the current service provider we use for this service’.
ASOS
WHAT ARE THEY? Vouchers. WHEN DO THEY RUN OUT? A year. WHERE CAN YOU USE THEM? Online. WHAT ARE THE RULES? ‘Gift vouchers are valid for 12 months.’
WHAT DOES THE COMPANY SAY? ‘AsOs is extending gift voucher validity to 24 months. This will happen over the next couple of months. Any customers who have an AsOs voucher that is soon to expire should contact our customer care for an extension.’
TICKETMASTER
WHAT ARE THEY? Gift cards. WHEN DO THEY RUN OUT? A year. WHERE CAN YOU USE THEM? Online
and mail order.
WHAT ARE THE RULES? ‘Card is valid for 12 months from day it was bought — after that it will expire and we can’t extend cards or issue refunds.’
WHAT DOES THE COMPANY SAY? ‘We are open and clear on expiration dates, and display this on packaging and during the purchase.’
One4All
WHAT ARE THEY? Pre-paid cards issued by the Post Office for use in 98 stores including Debenhams and Waterstones.
WHEN DO THEY RUN OUT? After 18 months, followed by a 90p-amonth charge on anything left.
WHERE CAN YOU USE THEM? stores. WHAT ARE THE RULES? ‘A monthly inactive balance charge of 90p is charged after the card has been in issue for 18 months. This will start to be applied from the following month and will continue until such time as the balance on the card is zero and this agreement is terminated.’
WHAT DOES THE COMPANY SAY? A Post Office spokeswoman said this is ‘to allow the company to close out the account over time and stop paying costs associated with keeping the product live for years’.