Consumer · Gift Cards
Can a Gift Card Expire in Wyoming?
Whether a store gift card can expire in Wyoming, 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 Wyoming
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 | Wyoming 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. |
| Fees follow federal law only | Wyoming 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 | Wyoming sets no dollar threshold at which a holder may demand the remaining balance in cash. |
| A clean card, and small balances, escape escheat | A card with no expiration date and no fee is exempt from escheat, under Wyo. Stat. § 34-24-114(e), and the abandonment rule reaches only balances over 100 dollars. |
| When it is different | What it means |
|---|---|
| Paper certificates are unregulated | Federal law does not cover paper-only gift certificates, and Wyoming 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 Wyoming. This is consumer information, not legal advice.
- Count on five years, not a printed date
Wyoming sets no minimum, so the federal five-year floor overrides a shorter printed date on a covered card. A paper certificate is not federally covered.
- Prefer a dateless, fee-free card
A Wyoming card with no date and no fee is exempt from escheat, so the balance stays with the merchant indefinitely.
- Do not confuse the two five-year figures
Wyoming's five-year figure is the state's escheat clock, not a guarantee the card stays good. The consumer five-year floor comes from federal law.
- Complain if a card is dishonored
File a complaint with the Wyoming Attorney General, Consumer Protection Unit.
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.
→ Wyoming Attorney General · 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 Wyoming gift-card holders get wrong
Wyoming's only gift-card rule has a price tag on it: the state does not care about unredeemed balances of 100 dollars or less. Under Wyo. Stat. § 34-24-114(a), the abandonment rule reaches only balances greater than 100 dollars, and above that it waits five years after the later of issuance or the owner's last activity. The trap for writers is that the same five-year number looks like a consumer protection but is actually the state's clock for claiming the money, not a promise that your card stays good. Wyoming has no state law limiting gift-card expiration dates or fees, so a consumer's only protection is the federal CARD Act: a covered card cannot expire earlier than five years, and no dormancy fee is allowed before twelve months of inactivity. Wyoming's statute makes fees relevant only to escheat: under § 34-24-114(e), a card with no expiration date and no fee, other than an initial charge up to face value, is exempt from the abandonment rule, so the merchant keeps the balance. For an ordinary shopper the practical answer is the federal five-year floor. This page was read from the official Wyoming Title 34 statute file.
Common questions
Does Wyoming limit gift-card expiration dates?
No. Wyoming has no consumer gift-card statute, so the federal five-year minimum is the only expiration protection for a covered card.
My Wyoming gift card has 40 dollars left and I forgot about it. Can the state take it?
No. Wyoming's abandonment rule reaches only balances over 100 dollars, so a 40 dollar balance is outside it.
Why do Wyoming gift cards say no expiration date, no fees?
Because § 34-24-114(e) exempts exactly those cards from escheat, so merchants keep the balance by leaving off the date and fee.
Is Wyoming's five-year rule the same as the federal five-year rule?
No. Wyoming's five years is the state's escheat clock for claiming an unredeemed balance. The consumer five-year floor comes from the federal CARD Act.
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.