MITCHELL, S.D. (MITCHELLNOW) About 25% of all gift cards go unused after a year. However, we Americans are pretty good about using them eventually, because only about 5% are never redeemed. South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley says there is a practical and legal difference between a gift certificate and a gift card.
Jackley says that a gift certificate is always specific to a single business while that may not be true of a gift card, like a VISA gift card for example. State law says that gift certificates must be honorable for three years and gift cards are usually good for five years.
Jackley says that most businesses are cooperative, because they want to keep your business and hope you will be a repeat customer. However, if you do have trouble, Jackley says to call the South Dakota Consumer Division of the Attorney General’s Office at 1-800-300-1986. Jackley says that the Consumer Protection Division receives about 64,000 complaints, about various issues, every year.