Consumer · Gift Cards
Can a Gift Card Expire in Washington?
Whether a store gift card can expire in Washington, 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 Washington
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 expiration date | It is unlawful to issue or enforce a gift certificate that contains an expiration date, under RCW 19.240.020. A certificate is valid until redeemed or replaced. |
| No fees of any kind | It is unlawful for a certificate to contain any fee, including a service fee, or a dormancy or inactivity charge. There is no waiting period, because no fee is permitted. |
| Cash back under 5 dollars, after a purchase | If a purchase leaves less than 5 dollars on the card, the remaining value is redeemable in cash on demand, under RCW 19.240.020(3). The right attaches to the balance left after a purchase. |
| Held in trust in bankruptcy | The value of a gift certificate is trust property held for the holder, and a bankrupt issuer must keep honoring pre-petition certificates, under RCW 19.240.090. |
| When it is different | What it means |
|---|---|
| Loyalty and charity cards | An awards or loyalty program certificate, and a certificate donated for free to a charity that uses it to provide services, may carry an expiration date if disclosed, under RCW 19.240.030. |
| Open-loop bank cards | A card issued by a financial institution and usable at multiple unaffiliated sellers is outside the chapter, under RCW 19.240.100, and follows federal rules. |
| Telecom and payroll cards | Prepaid telephone cards, and cards issued for payment of wages, are excluded. |
What you can do right now
Concrete, neutral steps if a gift-card balance is dishonored in Washington. This is consumer information, not legal advice.
- Ignore any printed expiration date
A Washington gift certificate is valid until redeemed or replaced. An expiration date on a covered card is unenforceable against you.
- Ask for cash under 5 dollars after a purchase
If a purchase leaves less than 5 dollars on the card, you can demand the remaining value in cash under RCW 19.240.020(3).
- Assert trust status if the seller goes bankrupt
The value is trust property under RCW 19.240.090, so a bankrupt issuer must keep honoring certificates sold before it filed.
- Complain if a card is dishonored
An offending term is void and unenforceable. File a complaint with the Washington State 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.
→ Washington Attorney General · File a ComplaintThis 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 Washington gift-card holders get wrong
Washington is a true never-expires, never-shrinks state, and it says out loud why: the legislature traded consumer protection for escheat relief. Under RCW 19.240.020, it is unlawful to issue or enforce a gift certificate that contains an expiration date, any fee including a service fee, or a dormancy or inactivity charge, and a gift certificate is valid until redeemed or replaced. In exchange, merchants keep unredeemed balances rather than escheating them. Washington also does something almost no other state does: RCW 19.240.090 declares gift-card money to be held in trust for you, so a bankrupt retailer must keep honoring cards sold before it filed. There is a cash-back right too, at RCW 19.240.020(3): if a purchase leaves less than 5 dollars on the card, the remaining value is redeemable in cash on demand. The only cards that may carry an expiration date are awards or loyalty certificates and free charity-donated certificates, if disclosed, under RCW 19.240.030. Bank-issued open-loop cards are pushed out of the state chapter and remain governed by federal law. A 2019 rewrite repealed several old subsections, so sources citing RCW 19.240.040 through .070 describe repealed law.
Common questions
Does a Washington gift card ever expire?
No, for a covered card. Under RCW 19.240.020, an expiration date is unlawful and the certificate is valid until redeemed or replaced. Only loyalty and donated charity cards may carry a date.
I have 3.40 dollars left on my card. Can I demand cash in Washington?
Yes, if it followed a purchase. Under RCW 19.240.020(3), if a purchase leaves less than 5 dollars on the card, the remaining value is redeemable in cash on demand.
The store filed for bankruptcy. Is my Washington gift card still good?
Yes. Under RCW 19.240.090, the value is held in trust for you, so a bankrupt issuer must keep honoring certificates sold before it filed.
Why does not Washington's law cover my Visa gift card?
Under RCW 19.240.100, a bank-issued card usable at multiple unaffiliated sellers is outside the state chapter and follows the federal rules instead.
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.