Researching and reviewing gift cards is something we do quite often here at ScripSmart. One of the first attributes of any gift card we collect is related to fees and expiration dates. It's always surprising when a company doesn't specifically state details on the fees and expiration dates of their gift cards.
No Fees, No Expiration Is A Selling Point: Use It
Many companies understand disclosing the fact there are no fees and no expiration dates for their gift card can increase sales. For example, the Target Gift Card uses the tagline: "No Fees. No Expiration. No Kidding." to help eliminate an confusion for potential buyers.
Oddly enough there are other companies which don't mention a word about fees and expiration dates; for example, when shopping online for the Aeropostale Gift Card, there is no mention of either. Naturally this is a missed opportunity especially considering the fact there are no fees or expiration dates for that Aeropostale Gift Card.
It's Unreasonable To Assume There Are No Fees Or Expiration Dates If None Are Disclosed
I suppose some merchants might believe if there are no fees or expiration dates disclosed, it implies there are none. Unfortunately, this is a leap of faith we don't take when reviewing gift cards and one we don't think consumers shouldn't take either. The fact is: we're all a bit weary of hidden gift card gotchas and who's to say the gift card issuers are not fully thinking through the disclosure of their terms. I'd love to see every gift card sold online specifically state whether or not there are any fees or expiration dates, and not just in the terms: make it obvious to all interested in your gift card program.
At the very least, you can come to ScripSmart and we'll let you know where things stands with Gift Card Score and a handy bullet summary of the pros and cons for each gift card program we review.
