Consumer · Gift Cards
Can a Gift Card Expire in Utah?
Whether a store gift card can expire in Utah, 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 Utah
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 |
|---|---|
| No printed date means no expiration | A gift card that does not print an expiration date readably on the card, packaging, or record does not expire at all, under Utah Code Ann. § 13-11-4(4)(a). |
| An unprinted fee cannot be charged | A fee to be deducted from the balance must be printed readably, and a card that does not carry that printed information is not subject to the fee. Utah sets no dollar cap. |
| Federal five-year floor for dated cards | Utah sets no minimum term, so if a date is printed, the federal CARD Act five-year floor is the operative expiration limit for a covered card. |
| No cash-back right | Utah sets no dollar threshold at which a holder may demand the remaining balance in cash. |
| When it is different | What it means |
|---|---|
| Open-loop cards with a printed date | A card usable at multiple unaffiliated sellers that prints an expiration date drops out of Utah's fee rule, under § 13-11-4(4)(c), but remains under federal rules. |
| Other card types | The statute is silent on promotional, loyalty, charity, employer, and telephone cards, so those turn on the general Consumer Sales Practices Act. |
What you can do right now
Concrete, neutral steps if a gift-card balance is dishonored in Utah. This is consumer information, not legal advice.
- Check whether a date is printed
If your Utah gift card has no readably printed expiration date, it does not expire under § 13-11-4(4)(a). If a date is printed, the federal five-year floor still overrides a shorter covered-card date.
- Refuse an unprinted fee
A fee that was not printed readably on the card cannot be deducted from your balance.
- Watch open-loop cards
A multi-seller card that prints a date drops out of Utah's fee rule, so check its terms and the federal rules.
- Complain if a card is dishonored
A violation is a deceptive act. File a complaint with the Utah Division of Consumer Protection.
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.
→ Utah Division of Consumer ProtectionThis 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 Utah gift-card holders get wrong
Utah wrote a disclosure rule that behaves like a substantive one. It sets no minimum life for gift cards, but under Utah Code Ann. § 13-11-4(2)(v) and (4)(a), it makes selling one a deceptive practice unless the expiration date and any fees are printed readably on the card, its packaging, or the record, and the punishment for skipping the print is dramatic. A card with no printed expiration date does not expire at all, and a fee that was not printed cannot be charged or deducted. It is one of the only states where the consumer's protection is defined entirely by what the merchant forgot to print. Because Utah imposes no minimum term, a card that does print a date is governed by the federal CARD Act five-year floor for covered cards. One interaction worth knowing: an open-loop multi-seller card that prints an expiration date drops out of Utah's fee rule under § 13-11-4(4)(c), though it remains inside the federal rules. Utah sets no cash-back right. This page was read from the official Utah code and enacting bill text.
Common questions
My Utah gift card has no date on it. When does it expire?
It does not. Under § 13-11-4(4)(a), a gift card that does not print an expiration date readably does not expire.
Can a Utah retailer take a monthly fee out of my balance?
Only if the fee was printed readably on the card. Under § 13-11-4, a card that does not carry that printed fee information is not subject to the fee.
Does Utah's rule cover Visa or Mastercard gift cards?
Partly. An open-loop multi-seller card that prints a date drops out of Utah's fee rule under § 13-11-4(4)(c) but stays under the federal rules.
Utah has no minimum years, so what stops a 90-day gift card?
For a covered card, the federal five-year floor overrides a shorter printed date. And if no date is printed, the Utah card does not expire at all.
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.