Fees, Expiration Dates and Your Rights as a Cardholder
Federal law gives United States gift-card holders meaningful protection against expiring funds and surprise charges. Knowing the rules is the difference between losing a balance and getting a free replacement card.
This page summarises federal consumer protections in plain English. State law can add further protections, and your cardholder agreement governs your specific card. For advice on your situation, consult a qualified professional or your state consumer protection office.
The purchase fee
Open-loop cards — the ones carrying a Visa or Mastercard logo — charge a one-time fee at the register. It covers issuing the card and running it across the card networks, which is a real cost that a closed-loop store card does not incur. This is why a store-branded card usually has no fee and a Visa card usually does.
The important detail: the fee is charged on top of the card value, not deducted from it. Buy a $50 card and you pay $50 plus the fee at the register; the card should then show the full $50.00. If a newly bought card shows less than its face value, check the receipt — that is a purchase error, and the store is the place to resolve it.
Fee amounts vary by card program and by the load amount, and they change over time. The authoritative figure for your card is on the packaging you bought it in and in the cardholder agreement. We do not publish specific dollar figures here precisely because a stale number on a third-party site is worse than no number at all.
What the Credit CARD Act guarantees you
The Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 established federal minimum protections for gift cards sold in the United States. Three of them matter to almost every cardholder.
Plastic expiry is not money expiry
This is the most valuable paragraph on the page, and the misunderstanding it corrects costs American consumers real money every year.
The MM/YY date on the front of the card is the expiry of the card. Cards carry one because the magnetic stripe and chip degrade, and because payment networks require a date field. It is typically a few years out from when the card was manufactured.
Your funds are governed separately, and under federal law they must remain available for at least five years from the date the card was issued or last loaded. When the plastic expires with a balance still on it, the money has not vanished — it is still held against your card record, waiting for you to ask for it on a new piece of plastic.
Keep it, keep the receipt if you have it, and call the customer service number on the back. Every year people bin cards with real balances on them because the front says the date has passed.
Getting a replacement card
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Confirm there is a balance to recover
Check the balance on the official portal or the automated phone line. An expired card may still return a balance; if the portal refuses it because of the date, the phone line is the better route.
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Call the number on the back of the card
Say clearly that the card has expired with funds remaining and that you are requesting a replacement. Have the card number and, if possible, the original receipt to hand.
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Ask about the fee before you agree
A replacement for a card that expired with funds remaining is generally provided at no charge. Ask directly, and note the name of the person you spoke to and any reference number.
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Follow up if nothing arrives
Ask for the expected delivery window on the call. If it passes, call again with your reference number. If you get nowhere, your state consumer protection office and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau both accept complaints about prepaid products.
Inactivity and dormancy fees
Federal law permits an inactivity fee only when all of the following are true: the card has gone at least twelve consecutive months without activity, the fee was clearly disclosed before purchase, and no more than one such fee is charged per month.
Many Gift Card Mall programs charge no inactivity fee at all. Rather than trust a summary on any website — including this one — read the fee table that came with your card. It is the only source that is guaranteed to be accurate for the card in your hand.
The practical defence is simple: spend the card. A gift card sitting in a drawer for a year is a gift card exposed to whatever fees its agreement permits, and to the risk of being forgotten entirely.
Other fees worth checking for
| Fee | When it applies | How to avoid it |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase / activation | Once, at the register | Unavoidable on open-loop cards. Compare programs before buying. |
| Inactivity / dormancy | After 12+ months of no activity, where disclosed | Use the card within the first year. |
| Replacement for lost or stolen | When you request a new card | Keep the card and receipt safe. Report losses promptly. |
| Live agent assistance | Where disclosed, for routine questions | Use the online portal and the automated phone menu first. |
| Foreign transaction | Purchases processed outside the US, where permitted at all | Use the card domestically. |
How to read a fee table before you buy
Every open-loop card sold in the US must disclose its fees before purchase. The disclosure is on the back of the cardboard carrier, usually in small print. Thirty seconds on the rack answers four questions:
- What is the purchase fee, and does it change with the load amount?
- Is there an inactivity fee, and when does it start?
- Is there a charge for a replacement card?
- Is the card restricted to United States merchants?
Keep that carrier after you buy. Alongside the receipt it is the documentation you will want if anything goes wrong, and it carries the customer service number you will need to call.
Questions about fees and expiration
Do GiftCardMall MyGift funds expire?
Under the federal Credit CARD Act of 2009, funds on a gift card sold in the United States cannot expire for at least five years from the date the card was issued or last loaded. The plastic itself carries a shorter "valid thru" date, but the money behind it survives that date.
My card expired but still has a balance. Can I get it back?
Yes, in almost every case. Call the customer service number on the back of the card and request a replacement. Issuers are generally required to provide one at no charge while the funds remain within their protected window.
What is the purchase fee for?
The one-time fee paid at the register covers issuing and processing the card. It is deducted at the point of sale, not from the card balance, so a card advertised at fifty dollars should show the full fifty dollars available.
Are there monthly or inactivity fees?
The CARD Act allows a dormancy fee only after twelve consecutive months without activity, and only if it is clearly disclosed. Many Gift Card Mall programs charge none at all. Your cardholder agreement is the authority — read the fee table on the carrier the card came in.