'Half of the money has disappeared from my gift card'
Do you have an issue you need put right? Which? is here to help get your consumer problems sorted.
Dear Which?,
My son was given a £250 One4All gift card by his employer as a thank you for his 25 years of service.
He gave the card to me, but when I came to spend it some time later, I found out that less than half of the money was left.
Apparently, charges had been deducted from the card as I hadn’t spent the money for more than a year.
Isn’t this sharp practice?
Mrs Shawley, Luton
Put to Rights
Simon Dicey, Which? money expert, says: This is a common – and legal – pitfall with gift cards and pre-paid cards.
One4All charges a monthly fee of 90p after 18 months of inactivity until there's nothing left to spend.
Gift cards are generally date-stamped on the front, which you might assume is the date that inactivity charges kick in. But it can also be a ‘valid until’ date, which is needed if you use the card to buy something online.
When we spoke, I suggested that you contact the complaints team at One4All Cards.
It eventually agreed to restore the original amount of £250, so that you could purchase the fridge freezer you had found, on the condition that you used the money within 48 hours.
The situation was resolved to your satisfaction, but other readers might not be so fortunate. Inactivity fees are a reason to avoid buying gift cards and to spend any that you have quickly.
The other major reason to avoid gift cards is the risk of a retailer going out of business, which can leave the cards near worthless.
Need to know
- Learn about your rights if you receive a gift card, prepaid card or voucher.
- We explain your options if you receive a gift card and the retailer goes into administration.
Get in touch. If you've got a consumer rights problem you need put right, email us at yourstory@which.co.uk
Please be aware that we can't help with, or respond to, every email we receive. The inbox is monitored periodically during office hours, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.
