This guide sets out what the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) says about gift card expiry, fees and exceptions, and where Queensland consumers can go for help. It names no retailers and recommends none. Every rule below is reported as stated on the cited pages at 10 November 2026, and the wording is kept close to the source because the rules contain qualifiers.
Which law applies in Queensland
The Australian Consumer Law applies Australia-wide, according to the national consumerlaw.gov.au website. The same site says that, for more help with the Australian Consumer Law, you should visit your state or territory’s consumer protection agency website. In Queensland, the Office of Fair Trading’s page says its Executive Director has administrative responsibility for a wide range of legislation, including the Australian Consumer Law (Queensland). The Office of Fair Trading also lists helping resolve marketplace disputes among its functions.
The gift card rules below come from the ACCC’s “Gift cards and discount vouchers” page. At 10 November 2026, that page’s metadata records a modified time of 23 September 2026.
What counts as a gift card
At 10 November 2026, the ACCC says gift cards and discount vouchers are an alternative to cash, and are used to buy products or services from participating businesses. It says a gift card, sometimes known as a gift voucher, is usually loaded with an amount of money. It adds that a gift card may be in physical or electronic form, and may be provided as a card, voucher or a code sent electronically. The ACCC says gift cards can’t usually be exchanged for cash.
What a business must say up front
Per the ACCC page, a business must clearly state the following about a gift card.
- All conditions and restrictions on use of the gift card, including whether there are any limitations on the number of transactions.
- The expiry date of the gift card.
- The activation expiry date for cards that need to be activated.
- Whether the card can be reloaded or topped up.
The page also says the expiry date must be prominently displayed. If expiry is shown as a period of time, it says the issue date must be displayed, so the recipient knows the expiry date. If there is no expiry date, the page says this must be stated on the gift card, for example “No expiry date” or similar wording. The page says the display rule does not apply to second-hand gift cards, gift cards that are supplied to certain charities and government agencies, and gift cards that can be reloaded or topped up.
The three-year minimum
At 10 November 2026, the ACCC says gift cards purchased on or after 1 November 2019 must be redeemable for at least 3 years after the day they were supplied or purchased. The page then lists gift cards to which that 3-year rule does not apply. They are cards that are:
- able to be reloaded or topped up;
- donated for promotional purposes, for example a business handing out $15 vouchers to passers-by for its grand opening;
- available only for a specified period, for example the performance of a visiting ballet company;
- supplied at a genuine discount, for example a $60 card for a massage valued at $100;
- part of an employee reward scheme;
- part of a customer loyalty program;
- second-hand gift cards;
- part of a temporary marketing promotion;
- supplied to certain charities or government agencies.
The ACCC also says businesses do not need to honour the gift card after a valid expiry date has passed. Its page says to check the expiry date on the gift card or voucher carefully.
Fees charged after you buy
At 10 November 2026, the ACCC says gift cards purchased after 1 November 2019 must not include any fees or charges the recipient must pay after the gift card has been purchased. It says businesses cannot have terms and conditions on gift cards that allow them to charge post-supply fees. The page says post-supply fees may include things like gift card activation fees, gift card account keeping fees, balance inquiry fees and inactivity fees.
The page also says what post-supply fees do not include. It says they do not include fees or charges that are booking fees, where those booking fees are the same, or largely the same, as booking fees charged when using a payment method other than a gift card. It says they do not include fees or charges that are for exchanging currencies. It also says they do not include fees or charges that relate to the reissue of a gift card that has been lost, stolen or damaged. The page says the post-supply fee rule does not apply to second-hand gift cards, gift cards that are supplied to certain charities and government agencies, and gift cards that can be reloaded or topped up.
When the business closes, is sold or fails
The ACCC says changes to other circumstances of a business supplying the gift card, gift voucher or discount voucher may affect the rights of the consumer. Where a gift card can’t be used because of a restriction the business placed on its use during a period of restricted trading, the page says the business should provide some form of remedy. It says this can include extending the gift card expiry date to cover the period that the card could not be used.
On a change of owner, the page says the new owner must honour existing gift cards and discount vouchers in certain circumstances. One is where the business was sold as a “going concern”, meaning that the assets and liabilities of the business were sold by the previous owner to the new owner. Another is where the business was owned by a company rather than an individual, and the new owner purchased the shares in the company. If the company operating the business becomes insolvent, the page says the consumer becomes an “unsecured creditor” of the company.
Discount vouchers
The ACCC says discount vouchers offer a discount off specified products and services. It lists shopper dockets and loyalty stamp cards and their online or in-app equivalents among them. It says a business must clearly state all conditions and restrictions on how discount vouchers can be used. It also says to read the terms and conditions carefully before purchasing or using a discount voucher.
If something goes wrong
The ACCC says it does not approve gift cards or vouchers before they are supplied. It also says it does not resolve individual disputes about gift cards or vouchers. It says that if a business breaks the rules about gift cards, it can investigate, and that there are penalties if a business breaks the rules for gift cards. For someone who believes they have been misled by a business supplying a gift card, the page says the first step is to contact the other business to explain the problem. If the business doesn’t resolve the problem, it says there are more steps you can take. The page lists the Treasury Laws Amendment (Gift Cards) Act 2018 under “See also”.
Related reading on this site: Gift Cards and Vouchers: Expiry Rules in Australia and Your Consumer Guarantee Rights When a Purchase Goes Wrong.
Frequently asked questions
How long must a gift card last?
At 10 November 2026, the ACCC says gift cards purchased on or after 1 November 2019 must be redeemable for at least 3 years after the day they were supplied or purchased, and lists gift cards to which that 3-year rule does not apply.
Can a business charge fees after I buy a gift card?
At 10 November 2026, the ACCC says gift cards purchased after 1 November 2019 must not include any fees or charges the recipient must pay after the gift card has been purchased, and that businesses cannot have terms and conditions on gift cards that allow them to charge post-supply fees. The ACCC says the post-supply fee rule does not apply to second-hand gift cards, gift cards supplied to certain charities and government agencies, and gift cards that can be reloaded or topped up.
Does the business have to honour a gift card after the expiry date?
At 10 November 2026, the ACCC says businesses do not need to honour the gift card after a valid expiry date has passed.
What if the business that issued my gift card changes hands?
At 10 November 2026, the ACCC says the new owner must honour existing gift cards and discount vouchers if the business was sold as a going concern, or was owned by a company and the new owner purchased the shares in the company.
