By Liz Pulliam Weston
MSN Money
It's the time of year when we like to focus on the good news, and mine is this: Gift cards are on the wane.
A new TowerGroup report predicts gift card purchases will drop to $87 billion this year, from $91 billion in 2008. Spending on store-branded gift cards is expected to fall 7%, while spending on general-purpose cards likely will rise a mere 3%. TowerGroup's predictions, plus a Consumer Reports poll showing only 15% of adults want gift cards and 25% hadn't used a card from last year, led MediaPost's Marketing Daily to label gift cards as the new fruitcake.
We can blame the economy, rather than a sudden mass realization that gift cards aren't real gifts, for plasticized cash's diminished popularity. But people also might be getting wise to gift cards' many drawbacks, including:
* The possibility of total loss. Any store-branded card can become worthless if the retailer goes out of business. An estimated $100 million in card value vanished with the 2008 bankruptcies of Sharper Image, Linens 'n Things and other retailers, TowerGroup said.
* The probability of waste. The amount lost to bankruptcies pales next to the amount that will never be redeemed. A whopping $5 billion of the money spent on gift cards this year won't get used, TowerGroup estimated. This is a big reason retailers and banks push gift cards with such enthusiasm -- that and the fact that most people who do redeem their cards (65%, according to the Consumer Reports poll) wind up spending more than the cards' value.
* Fees, fees and more fees. General-purpose cards -- gift cards issued by credit card companies -- typically cost $2 to $4 to purchase and then involve additional charges (typically $2.50 a month) after 12 months of inactivity. You might face fees for shipping, checking a balance or replacing a defective or lost card.
* Expiration dates. This is more of a problem for cards issued by smaller retailers, since major retailers tend not to impose expiration dates and the "valid through" dates on general-purpose cards refer only to the expected life of the magnetic strip, not the expiration of any balances on the card, according to a Bankrate.com survey. Several states ban or limit expiration dates, but in other states cards can expire in as little as six months. In most states, cards can still lose all value because of inactivity and maintenance fees.
* Limits on use. CVS gift cards, for example, can't be used online. American Airlines gift cards can be used only online or when you're making phone reservations. They're not valid at airport ticket counters or when you're booking through travel agents.
* The last few dollars might get trapped on the card. Some retailers won't let you use a card unless the remaining balance is enough to cover your entire purchase. They won't let you split a purchase between the card and some other form of payment
Some new consumer protections will go into effect next summer, thanks to the credit card reform law and the Federal Reserve. Those protections -- still undergoing some tinkering -- include rules prohibiting gift cards from expiring for at least five years after purchase and prohibiting card sellers from charging service or inactivity fees in the first year. All fees must be disclosed, and no more than one fee can be charged per month.
MSN Money
It's the time of year when we like to focus on the good news, and mine is this: Gift cards are on the wane.
A new TowerGroup report predicts gift card purchases will drop to $87 billion this year, from $91 billion in 2008. Spending on store-branded gift cards is expected to fall 7%, while spending on general-purpose cards likely will rise a mere 3%. TowerGroup's predictions, plus a Consumer Reports poll showing only 15% of adults want gift cards and 25% hadn't used a card from last year, led MediaPost's Marketing Daily to label gift cards as the new fruitcake.
We can blame the economy, rather than a sudden mass realization that gift cards aren't real gifts, for plasticized cash's diminished popularity. But people also might be getting wise to gift cards' many drawbacks, including:
* The possibility of total loss. Any store-branded card can become worthless if the retailer goes out of business. An estimated $100 million in card value vanished with the 2008 bankruptcies of Sharper Image, Linens 'n Things and other retailers, TowerGroup said.
* The probability of waste. The amount lost to bankruptcies pales next to the amount that will never be redeemed. A whopping $5 billion of the money spent on gift cards this year won't get used, TowerGroup estimated. This is a big reason retailers and banks push gift cards with such enthusiasm -- that and the fact that most people who do redeem their cards (65%, according to the Consumer Reports poll) wind up spending more than the cards' value.
* Fees, fees and more fees. General-purpose cards -- gift cards issued by credit card companies -- typically cost $2 to $4 to purchase and then involve additional charges (typically $2.50 a month) after 12 months of inactivity. You might face fees for shipping, checking a balance or replacing a defective or lost card.
* Expiration dates. This is more of a problem for cards issued by smaller retailers, since major retailers tend not to impose expiration dates and the "valid through" dates on general-purpose cards refer only to the expected life of the magnetic strip, not the expiration of any balances on the card, according to a Bankrate.com survey. Several states ban or limit expiration dates, but in other states cards can expire in as little as six months. In most states, cards can still lose all value because of inactivity and maintenance fees.
* Limits on use. CVS gift cards, for example, can't be used online. American Airlines gift cards can be used only online or when you're making phone reservations. They're not valid at airport ticket counters or when you're booking through travel agents.
* The last few dollars might get trapped on the card. Some retailers won't let you use a card unless the remaining balance is enough to cover your entire purchase. They won't let you split a purchase between the card and some other form of payment
Some new consumer protections will go into effect next summer, thanks to the credit card reform law and the Federal Reserve. Those protections -- still undergoing some tinkering -- include rules prohibiting gift cards from expiring for at least five years after purchase and prohibiting card sellers from charging service or inactivity fees in the first year. All fees must be disclosed, and no more than one fee can be charged per month.
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