Businesses offering gift cards should be aware of amendments to the Fair Trading Act. from March 2026, all gift cards must prominently display an expiry date of at least three years from sale. Read more below to know...

If your business offers gift cards (or vouchers) which can be used by consumers to buy goods or services, then you should be aware of amendments to the Fair Trading Act which were passed late last year. The change relates to the expiry date or the date by which the card must be used.

Retailers in particular should be aware that from March 2026 all gift cards must have an expiry date which appears prominently on the gift card. And the expiry date must be at least 3 years from the date of the sale.

Specifically the gift card must state the expiry date by prominently displaying one of the following:

  • The actual expiry date.
  • The month and year the gift card ceases to be redeemable.
  • The date the gift card is sold and a statement that clarifies the period during which the gift card is redeemable.

Cards or vouchers that are for a one-time event or part of a loyalty programme are excluded. Cards sold principally to raise funds for charities are also excluded.

The wording of the amendment specifically refers to gift cards sold to consumers. (A consumer is described as a person who acquires from a supplier goods or services of a kind ordinarily acquired for personal, domestic, or household use or consumption).

Source: Keith Norris, February 2025