Starting March 16, new regulations will require gift cards to have a minimum three-year expiry period.
The Commerce Commission has clarified that all gift vouchers or cards—whether bought with cash, loyalty points, or bundled with purchases—must comply with the new three-year minimum expiry rules.
Prepaid top-up cards for telecom services, public transport, electricity, gas, or water are exempt from the changes, but all other prepaid top-ups must follow the new three-year minimum expiry rule.
Loyalty points remain unaffected. Free gift cards are exempt from the new rules.
“This clarification is useful for retailers to understand what is captured by these new rules. While it might not be the news that some businesses will have been hoping for or expecting, it provides clear guidance that they can now use to make the relevant adjustments,” Retail NZ chief executive Carolyn Young said.
“We are heartened to hear that the Commerce Commission will be taking a pragmatic approach to enforcement as retailers work to update their programmes.”
The Commission clarified that vouchers automatically issued to consumers upon hitting a minimum spend or loyalty points threshold are exempt from expiry rules, as they are generated automatically rather than as part of a sale.
The Commerce Commission stated that gift cards without an expiry date have no time limit for use.