Many of us give gift cards over the holidays. But do you read the fine print before you buy one? Consumer Reports tries to keep us all informed of the best and worst, but really, shouldn't all gift cards be the same?
Make sure your gift cards are worth what you paid for them!
Gift cards should be simple. If we put $50 on a card, we expect our loved ones to be able to use the card to buy $50 worth of stuff. Not $45 or $30...or if the store goes out of business, maybe nothing. And if we buy the card with rewards points, it should work the same as a card we buy with cash.
This is the common-sense framework we would get if the Gift Card Consumer Protection Act passes this holiday season. Tell your Senators to co-sponsor this simple bill to protect the value of gift cards.
Dear [Decision Maker],
As I get ready to shop for friends and family, I want to know that the gift cards I purchase will be worth to my loved ones what I spent to buy them. Therefore I ask that you cosponsor the Gift Card Consumer Protection Act!
Support legislation just filed in the Senate to improve gift cards by:
* eliminating expiration dates;
* eliminating the deduction of fees for not using the card;
* protecting the card's value if the retail store files for bankruptcy;
* protecting the value of cards created from loyalty or rewards points.
[Your comment will be added here]
Gift cards are electronic cash, and should work as much as possible like cash. If I give cash to my loved one, he or she can spend all of it, with no fees and no expiration dates. This new bill makes certain that consumers are not short changed when giving or receiving gift cards, so I hope you will cosponsor the bill and support it when it comes to the Senate floor for a vote.
Sincerely,
[Your name here]
