Enter your email for a chance to win a shiny new iPad® 2

Prince Edward Island Looks At Tightening Gift Card Regulations

Wednesday, May 13th, 2009

Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.) will join other Canadian provinces in regulating consumer gift cards from retail stores. The Attorney General Gerard Greenan says the government has received many gift card related complaints from the provinces consumers who had been surprised with short expiration dates, service fees or stores giving gift cards for returned merchandise instead of cash refunds. Greenan said the new legislation would ensure that consumers can make a purchase with a gift card without having to worry about it expiring or its balance being deducted. Currently Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador are the only provinces that do not legislate gift cards.

Giftah strongly supports any legislation to combat expiry dates or balance deductions on gift cards. No matter how much time has passed since a gift cards purchase there is no legitimate reason why it should expire or lose its balance. If retailers do not like keeping track of old card balances then we can all go back to paper gift certificates and cash refunds on merchandise returns. If your do get stuck with a gift card you don’t want or need you can sell your gift card on Giftah.