MONTPELIER, Vt. -
Remember that gift card you received last year that is maybe stuffed in a drawer now and forgotten?
Vermont Attorney General's Consumer Assistance Program coordinator Jason Duquette-Hoffman has good news for you.
"It's common that people don't use all the funds that may be on a gift card," says Duquette-Hoffman.
He says now in Vermont gift cards don't expire for five years and there can no longer be fees.
"The vanishing balance situation that people have run into in the past is now also prohibited by Vermont law," says Duquette-Hoffman.
Check the cards out carefully, some go further and never expire.
If you receive a card and you aren't a big fan of the store, you can go online where sites have set up exchanges to buy and sell gift cards. Though you have to do your homework.
"We always encourage consumers to be careful about where they acquire things just to be sure that you're actually getting what you're paying for," says Duquette-Hoffman.
Duquette-Hoffman says some cards from banks can have a one-time fee when you buy the card.
As for whether it's safer to go back to the days of a cash gift:
"It's really a matter of personal preference. People have all sorts of reasons to do it either way," says Duquette-Hoffman.
Now the five-year expiration minimum is nationwide. New York does allow fees after a year of not using the card. New Hampshire like Vermont never allows fees on gift cards.
