Consumer · Gift Cards
Can a Gift Card Expire? The Rule in Each State
Whether a store gift card can expire where you live, plus the cash-back rules, the fee limits, and how far each state goes above the federal five-year floor. Each cited to the statute.
Read this first: a federal floor, then state add-ons
Federal law sets a floor everywhere: the CARD Act bars any gift card from expiring earlier than five years and blocks dormancy fees before 12 months of inactivity. States can be stricter, never weaker, so the real question is how far each goes above that floor.
Three tiers emerge. California and Florida are strongest: a store card cannot expire at all. New York sets a nine-year minimum and a sub-$5 cash-back right. Texas, Pennsylvania, and Illinois sit at or just above the federal floor, with Illinois adding a no-fee rule and Texas the weakest, allowing disclosed expiration and fees. This is closed-loop store cards; open-loop bank cards follow their own federal rules. Every figure links to the source, and pages still pending verification say so.
Every state in one table
The verdict, the cash-back rule where there is one, and the statute in each row.
Type a state to jump straight to its full gift card expiration law guide.
All states (50)
| State | Can it expire? | Federal minimum | Statute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Federal 5-year floor | 5 years | Ala. Code §35‑12‑73(b)(1) |
| Alaska | Federal 5-year floor | 5 years | Alaska Stat. §34.45.240 |
| Arizona | Funds cannot expire | No fees | A.R.S. §44‑7402 |
| Arkansas | 5-year minimum | 24 fee-free months | Ark. Code Ann. §4‑88‑703 |
| California | Cannot expire | Balance under $15 | Cal. Civ. Code §1749.5 |
| Colorado | No fees, $5 cash back | $5 or less | C.R.S. §6‑1‑722 |
| Connecticut | Cannot expire | Under $5 | Conn. Gen. Stat. §42‑460 |
| Delaware | Federal 5-year floor | 5 years | 12 Del. C. §1133(14) |
| Florida | Cannot expire | Fla. Stat. §501.95 | |
| Georgia | Federal 5-year floor | O.C.G.A. §10‑1‑393(b)(33) | |
| Hawaii | 5-year minimum | Under $5 | Haw. Rev. Stat. §481B‑13 |
| Idaho | Federal 5-year floor | 5 years | Idaho Code §14‑5‑102 |
| Illinois | 5-year minimum | 815 ILCS 505/2SS | |
| Indiana | Federal 5-year floor | 5 years | Ind. Code §32‑34‑1.5‑3 |
| Iowa | Often valid forever | No date, no fee | Iowa Code §556.9 |
| Kansas | 5-year minimum | No fees 12 months | Kan. Stat. Ann. §50‑6 |
| Kentucky | 5-year minimum | No fees + fees | Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. §367.890 |
| Louisiana | 5-year minimum | $1 fee max | La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §51:1423 |
| Maine | Cannot expire | Under $5 | 33 M.R.S. §2067 |
| Maryland | 5-year minimum | No fees 4 years | Md. Code, Com. Law §14‑1319 |
| Massachusetts | 7-year minimum | 90% or under $5 | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 200A, §5D |
| Michigan | 5-year minimum | No fees | Mich. Comp. Laws §445.903g |
| Minnesota | Cannot expire | No fees | Minn. Stat. §325G.53 |
| Mississippi | Federal 5-year floor | 5 years | Miss. Code Ann. §75‑24‑5 |
| Missouri | Federal 5-year floor | 5 years | Mo. Rev. Stat. §447.505 |
| Montana | Cannot expire | Under $5 | Mont. Code Ann. §30‑14‑108 |
| Nebraska | Federal 5-year floor | 5 years | Neb. Rev. Stat. §69‑1305.03 |
| Nevada | Federal 5-year floor | $1/month cap | Nev. Rev. Stat. §598.0921 |
| New Hampshire | Cannot expire | $250 or less | N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. §358‑A:2 |
| New Jersey | 5-year minimum | Cash back under $5 | N.J.S.A. 56:8‑110 |
| New Mexico | 5-year minimum | No fees | NMSA 1978 §57‑12‑26 |
| New York | 9-year minimum | Balance under $5 | N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law §396‑i |
| North Carolina | Federal 5-year floor | No fees 1 year | N.C. Gen. Stat. §66‑67.5 |
| North Dakota | 6-year minimum | No fees | N.D. Cent. Code §51‑29‑02 |
| Ohio | 2-year minimum | Ohio Rev. Code §1349.61 | |
| Oklahoma | 5-year minimum | No fees (narrow) | 15 O.S. §797 |
| Oregon | Cannot expire | Under $5 | Or. Rev. Stat. §646A.276 |
| Pennsylvania | Federal 5-year floor | 12 C.F.R. §1005.20 | |
| Rhode Island | Cannot expire | Under $1 | R.I. Gen. Laws §6‑13‑12 |
| South Carolina | 5-year minimum | 1-yr state default | S.C. Code Ann. §39‑1‑55 |
| South Dakota | Federal 5-year floor | 5 years | SDCL §43‑41B‑43 |
| Tennessee | 5-year minimum | No purchase fee | Tenn. Code Ann. §47‑18‑127 |
| Texas | Federal 5-year floor | Tex. Bus. & Com. Code Ch. 604 | |
| Utah | 5-year minimum | No date, no expiry | Utah Code Ann. §13‑11‑4 |
| Vermont | 5-year minimum | Under $1 | 8 V.S.A. §2702 |
| Virginia | No dormancy fees | Federal 5-yr expiry | Va. Code Ann. §59.1‑531 |
| Washington | Cannot expire | Under $5 | RCW 19.240.020 |
| West Virginia | Federal 5-year floor | 5 years | W. Va. Code §36‑8‑2(a)(7) |
| Wisconsin | Federal 5-year floor | 5 years | Wis. Stat. §177.0201 |
| Wyoming | Federal 5-year floor | 5 years | Wyo. Stat. Ann. §34‑24‑114 |
What these pages are, and what they aren't
Each state page is a reference for the gift-card expiration and fee rules and the neutral steps you can take if a balance is dishonored. They are deliberately not advice for your specific card: exceptions for promotional, bank, and charitable cards can change the answer, so each page links to the statute and a consumer complaint route. This is legal information, not legal advice.