Consumer · Gift Cards
Can a Gift Card Expire in Missouri?
Whether a store gift card can expire in Missouri, plus the cash-back rule, the fee limits, the exceptions for bank and promotional cards, and how the state compares to the federal five-year floor. Cited to the statute.
The rules and exceptions in Missouri
What the law requires, when it does not apply, and how the state sits against the federal floor.
| The rule in this state | What it means |
|---|---|
| Federal five-year minimum applies | Missouri sets no validity term, so the federal CARD Act controls: a covered gift card cannot expire earlier than five years after issuance or the last load of funds. |
| Fees follow federal law only | Missouri sets no fee cap or waiting period. Under federal law a dormancy fee is barred until twelve months of inactivity, then no more than one fee per month with disclosure. |
| No state cash-back right | Missouri sets no dollar threshold at which a holder may demand the remaining balance in cash. |
| The state may hold it after five years | A merchandise-only balance dormant five years is reported to the State Treasurer at 60 percent of face, but the Treasurer pays a claimant the full face value, under RSMo § 447.505(5). |
| When it is different | What it means |
|---|---|
| Paper certificates are unregulated | Federal law does not cover paper-only gift certificates, and Missouri adds nothing, so a paper certificate has no statutory expiration protection. |
| Loyalty and promotional cards | Cards given away without payment, or as part of an awards or loyalty program, fall outside the federal protections. |
What you can do right now
Concrete, neutral steps if a gift-card balance is dishonored in Missouri. This is consumer information, not legal advice.
- Count on five years, not a printed date
If a covered Missouri gift card shows an expiration under five years, the federal five-year minimum overrides it. A paper certificate is not federally covered.
- Ignore the ban-on-expiration claim
Missouri never passed a gift-card expiration ban. Bills to do so died repeatedly, so do not rely on them as law.
- Claim an old balance at full value
If a card stopped working after five years, the balance may be with the State Treasurer, who pays a claimant the full face value even though the merchant remitted only 60 percent.
- Complain if a card is dishonored
File a complaint with the Missouri Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division.
If a retailer voids a balance or charges an improper fee, a state consumer-protection office can take your complaint and enforce the gift-card rules.
→ Missouri Attorney General · Consumer ComplaintsThis is general consumer information, not legal advice. Card terms and exceptions vary, so check your card and the statute, and use the complaint route if a balance is wrongly dishonored.
What Missouri gift-card holders get wrong
Missouri is the state where the legislative history is the story. Bills to ban gift-card expiration dates and dormancy fees were filed in 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2010 and died every time, so the practical rule in Missouri is still whatever the federal CARD Act says: a covered card cannot expire earlier than five years, and no dormancy fee is allowed before twelve months of inactivity. Missouri's one gift-card statute runs the other way. Under RSMo § 447.505(5), a merchandise-only balance dormant five years is reported to the State Treasurer at 60 percent of face value. The consumer-friendly detail buried in that same sentence is that when you finally claim it, the Treasurer pays you 100 percent of face value, not the 60 percent the merchant remitted. Because Missouri has no consumer gift-card section, a claim runs through the general Merchandising Practices Act, which does offer a real private action with actual damages, discretionary punitive damages, and attorney fees. Secondary sources routinely describe the failed bills as though they were Missouri law. They are not. This page was read from the official Missouri Revisor text.
Common questions
Do gift cards expire in Missouri?
Only under federal law. A covered card cannot expire earlier than five years from issuance or the last load. Missouri has no state expiration rule.
Missouri banned gift card expiration. Did it?
No. Bills to ban expiration and dormancy fees were filed in 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2010 and died every time. None became law.
Can a Missouri merchant charge an inactivity fee?
Only under federal rules: no dormancy fee before twelve months of inactivity, and then no more than one fee per month with disclosure.
My old Missouri gift card does not work. Is the money with the State Treasurer, and how much do I get back?
Possibly. A five-year-dormant merchandise balance is reported at 60 percent, but under RSMo § 447.505(5) the Treasurer pays a claimant the full face value.
Not legal advicePlainStatute provides plain-language summaries of public law for general information only. This is not legal advice. Statutes change; always confirm current requirements with the official source linked above before acting.