Canberrans stand to benefit from reforms to the Australian Consumer Law that will require gift cards to have a three-year minimum expiry date and for expiry dates to be prominently displayed. Together with other state and territory consumer ministers, ACT Minister for Consumer Affairs Shane Rattenbury recently agreed to implement a national scheme for the regulation of gift cards.

“Nationally, there has been no uniform requirement for minimum expiry dates on gift cards and this has contributed to consumers losing an estimated $70 million annually through gift cards expiring before they are used,” Minister Rattenbury commented “There’s no reason why a gift card should expire after a short time. It’s been paid for. Consumers have been ripped off by gift cards expiring early. This is a good improvement to protect ACT consumers.”
Access Canberra has received around 100 general complaints or enquiries about gift cards over the last five years. These new gift card rules will provide that extra confidence, and that extra time, to ensure that good gifts don’t go to waste. The ACT Government is committed to ensuring Canberrans are informed and empowered about their consumer rights. In 2016, industry bodies estimated that around 34 million gift cards are sold in Australia each year.

The changes will come into effect on 1 November 2019.