Best and worst gift cards this Christmas from Ikea to JD Sports

GIFT cards seem an easy option as a present this Christmas if you have a picky friend or relative – but make sure they spend them quickly.

That’s because they can soon become worthless.

More than £7billion will be spent on gift cards this year, according to the Gift Card And Voucher Association.

But one top-selling gift card devalues by 90p a month and many expire after one year.

Others may end up being useless within months if a retailer goes bust, which can often happen in January if the store has had poor sales over the festive period.

Here, Dan Jones looks at how different cards stack up and how to safeguard your cash.

Get organised

SOME people are notoriously hard to shop for and end up becoming gift card ­magnets.

If that’s you, take some time on Boxing Day to take stock of your haul.

Check the expiry dates on each card and set an alert on your phone to spend it before its ­validity runs out.

Many cards are only good for 12 months and some stores start counting down from when the card is purchased.

So, if Grandma starts her Christmas shopping in October, then you might have only ten months to use her gift card present.

And be extra-careful with cards for experience days as they have a deadline by which the card must be used and another by which the activity must take place.

Some retailers have different terms for their physical and e-gift cards.

For example, Argos physical gift cards are good for three years, but some of their e-gift cards are only good for two.

Cash is king

WHILE gift cards might seem like a more thoughtful gesture, if you want to make sure your loved ones will definitely get their gifts then cash is king.

Just include a card saying you know how forgetful they are and that this £50 note will never expire — and is for a new jumper.

If you’re really sensible and the gift is for a youngster, stick some money in a savings account for them.

They may not like you for this over Christmas but you’ll be their favourite when they turn 18.

Spend it quick

THERE are a few gift cards such as the Starbucks card, Theatre Tokens and the One4all gift card that do not have an expiry date.

But they are very much the exception and not the rule — and can still have caveats.

The One4all card may not officially expire, but you will be charged a 90p per month “inactive balance charge” if any funds remain 18 months after purchase.

This would completely wipe out a £10 gift card within a year of the fee kicking in.

Forgotten gift cards are also massive victims of inflation. That £100 Ikea gift card from Christmas 2018 may not have expired, but it’s only worth about £80 of Swedish furniture today.

And if a retailer goes bust, your gift card won’t be protected even if it is still in date.

Expiry dates

Countdown starts on date of purchase and will not renew:

• JD Sports – 12 months
• Ryanair – 12 months
• Ticketmaster – 12 months
• Pandora – 12 months
• Sunglasses Hut – 12 months
• Westfield – 12 months
• Pizza Hut – 24 months
• Ted Baker – 24 months
• Argos – 3 years (2 years on some e-gifts)

Countdown starts on date of purchase and renews with each use:

• Costa – 12 months
• Vue – 12 months* 
• Greggs – 12 months
• Accessorize – 24 months* 
• Pizza Express – 24 months
• Boots – 24 months
• John Lewis – 24 months* 
• WH Smith – 24 months
• Asda – 24 months
• River Island – 5 years*  (may reinstate unused ­balance on expired cards)
• *Balance inquiry counts as use

No expiry date:

• Ikea
• Starbucks
• Theatre Tokens
• TK Maxx
• One 4 All (but ­charges 90p/month starting 18 months after purchase)