This page will provide you with all the details about your rights regarding gift cards and vouchers. VOUCHAIN is a decentralized infrastructure that allows retailers and shopping centers to issue and manage vouchers. This provides tangible benefits and efficiency throughout the value chain.
Are you the buyer?
Your rights depend on who bought the gift certificate, and whether they were given to you or someone else.
You will be bound by any terms and conditions that you have purchased for a gift card or gift voucher, even if the gift certificate was given to you as a gift.
If the gift voucher was not purchased by you, but it was given to you by a friend or relative, you should speak with the person who bought it.
Rightful purchasers of gift cards
No matter if you’ve purchased a Father’s Day driving experience from a website specializing in this kind of experience, or if you’ve given your mom spa vouchers from her local spa, any terms that the company is issuing the vouchers should be clearly stated at the time of purchase.
Always read the terms on the voucher and the packaging. You, the buyer, will be bound by the terms you have made public before or at the time you purchased the voucher.
Gift vouchers expire
Gift cards and gift vouchers do eventually expire. However, gift cards and vouchers can expire at any time. You may need to use them for a specific period of time, such as 3 months or 12 months.
As long as the purchaser of the voucher is informed of the expiry date at purchase, the voucher can be used beyond that time.
If you are thinking about gift vouchers for someone else, make sure you check the expiry dates to ensure that they have enough time to use it. Also, make sure you inform them of any other conditions before you give it.
Gift vouchers can be extended
You may be eligible to extend the voucher if it has expired without your knowledge.
It is possible to extend it for free, but only if the purchaser can show that the expiry dates conditions were not clear at purchase.
What should you do if your gift card or voucher has been lost?
You may be eligible to have your gift certificate reissued electronically if you lose it. Or, you can request a physical replacement for a small fee.
Gift cards and vouchers can be treated as cash. You might lose your gift card or voucher.
The terms and conditions of the gift voucher and the policy of the retailer will determine your chances of receiving a new gift certificate.
Ask the retailer for assistance. Be sure to include any proof of purchase and the date that the gift card was purchased.
You can include the unique gift card number if you have it in writing.
How to exchange unwanted vouchers
You will need to read the terms and conditions of any voucher you want to exchange.
You may be more likely to change a gift card that is for spending at a particular retailer if it’s a voucher that you use for an experience.
You won’t be able exchange a voucher you don’t like for cash.
Gift vouchers for companies that go bust
Administrators see customers who have vouchers as creditors when a retailer goes bankrupt.
This will mean that you will be one of the other creditors in the company, all trying to recover any money owed.
Administrators are required to treat all creditors equally. They can’t prioritize any one.
To get your money back, you will need to submit a written claim to the administrators along with proof of your vouchers.
Before you do, call or visit the store to verify that the voucher is still valid. Sometimes gift vouchers or cards can be honored by administrators of companies in trouble.