• Mr Fish
    link
    751 year ago

    6 months later, all three cards have expired, so all three companies get $25 of free revenue, and no one really got anything for Christmas.

    Gift cards are a fucking scam

    • @JimVanDeventer
      link
      531 year ago

      Gift cards expiring isn’t legal in Canada. We just expect you to lose them, and there is still plenty of profit in that, apparently.

      • @misophist
        link
        61 year ago

        They don’t expire here, 3ither, but I found a 10-year-old gift card after a move and the company had switched to a new gift card system, so I had to spend an hour calling around to get my ancient gift card converted to modern store credit. It was not worth it for $20.

        • FiveMacs
          link
          fedilink
          31 year ago

          Don’t matter…it’s not their money. Think about how much that actually cost them having to start up shit they turned off, getting a hold of people who get paid that amount within seconds. Make companies work for your money. Screw em.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      121 year ago

      I wonder if prices being 24.99 makes a difference here too.

      That would mean that for each gift card where the full amount is not spent, the company keeps 0.01. That 0.01 is technically owed but it doesn’t prevent the company from earning interest on the unspent cash (I don’t think).

      • nudny ekscentryk
        link
        fedilink
        10
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        Also some gift cards require own contribution to the purchase. For example a $25 card could only be used on a purchase of $25.01 or above so you still have to pick something that you will pay out of your own pocket for

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          81 year ago

          Which gift cards are those?

          I’ve never heard of that being something you would purchase.

          I could only see it existing if I had a $1.00 gift card to the dollar store. Because nothing costs a dollar at the dollar store anymore.

          • nudny ekscentryk
            link
            fedilink
            English
            21 year ago

            Ikea where I live (Poland) does that. You have to spend at least 0,01 PLN yourself, even if it means not using the entire amount of the gift card that was available

            • @[email protected]
              link
              fedilink
              2
              edit-2
              1 year ago

              That’s crazy. That sounds like it should not be legal.

              Why not just require they spend $200 to use a gift card? That way the store either keeps the $50 gift card in cash on the books, or they make $250 in sales.

              • Tlaloc_Temporal
                link
                fedilink
                21 year ago

                Kinda sounds like they require a link to your finances, so you can’t do anonymous online purchases.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      101 year ago

      If you are in the US, gift cards are required to be valid for at least 5 years (federal rule) and many states have longer rules. Also some states require unspent money to be paid back to the card holder as cash. There was a thread a couple of days ago on Lemmy all about gift cards and relevant consumer protections.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      91 year ago

      I hate them.

      They basically force you to go to a specific store after the holidays before the allotted time expires. What if I don’t have time to go to that store? What if I don’t need anything from that store? What if I don’t like the store?

      I’d rather they give me something useless than a gift card that is going to expire anyway.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        11 year ago

        What if I don’t have time to go to that store?

        How short is the time in your gift cards that you can’t find the time to use it??

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      -11 year ago

      Another story of Americans (or from countries following American model) getting screwed? Where am I gift cards can be used for multiple purchases.

      • @Voyajer
        link
        31 year ago

        They can here as well, but they can expire if not used for 5 years.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          3
          edit-2
          1 year ago

          And in places where the money doesn’t ‘expire’ because it’s illegal.

          They charge a ‘Maintenance free’ of like $1/month every month until it is worth $0.

          Tbf I am shocked they have not started charging overdraft fees on them because “Fuck consumers” is the American way.