vpFREE2 Forums

Nevada law regarding gift cards/certificates...

#1

Disclaimer: The site below is maintained by a lawyer firm, NOT by the Nevada
State govt.

_http://www.loeb.com/CM/news/news204.asp_
(http://www.loeb.com/CM/news/news204.asp)

Here is another link, site is the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce's.

_http://www.lvchamber.com/government/2005_legislative_issues.htm_
(http://www.lvchamber.com/government/2005_legislative_issues.htm)

The relevant text is at the bottom of the pages, for both links.

Personally, I have never had a gift card obtained in Nevada expire, though
I've obtained more than $50K worth of them in eight years of VP play. I have
used Dillards and Macys gift cards as long as three years after earning them,
with no problems.

I have also never had a fee subtracted from a card's balance, and this
practice is specifically not allowed in Nevada for the first 12 months, per the
above links.

I have always believed that expiring gift cards is a silly business
practice. The person who received the card may be a new customer to that store--what
kind of first impression will he get if told that his card has expired? Will
he EVER shop there again if this happens? I know I wouldn't!

It certainly can't hurt to check the cards for expiration dates, or to call
the 800 number on the card and see if/when it might expire. If this is a
concern for you, you can do this BEFORE you play to earn them!

Brian

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

#2

<<Personally, I have never had a gift card obtained in Nevada expire, though
I've obtained more than $50K worth of them in eight years of VP play. I have
used Dillards and Macys gift cards as long as three years after earning them,
with no problems.>>

The ones I have had that have expiration dates and/or fees include the Fashion Show mall cards and the Boulevard/Meadows Mall certificates. Seems to me the Fryes gift certificates also had expiration dates.

One other important one is the gift card (issued by Discover) you can buy or get with your points at the Palms. There is a fee for phone inquiries after the first free one; online checking is free. Expiration date is on the front and "may be subject to a fee of $2.50/month deducted from Card Balance beginning the 7th month after purchase date, where permitted by law."

Occasionally (read the fine print) there is an address on a certificate and
information that tells you how you can get a full refund for the certificate. Might be handy for certificate you get from a casino but don't want to use for that outlet.

···

________________________________________
Jean $�ott - http://www.FrugalGambler.biz
  for VP software and strategy cards.
  NEW - Blackjack Strategy Cards +
              Updated Second Edition of
             "The Frugal Gambler."

#3

bjaygold wrote:

I have always believed that expiring gift cards is a silly business
practice. The person who received the card may be a new customer to
that store--what kind of first impression will he get if told that
his card has expired? Will he EVER shop there again if this happens?
I know I wouldn't!

Yeah ... if you're talking about a policy such as "use it in 12-mo or
lose it", it would be foolish.

But most expiration policies aren't an attempt to screw the customer
-- they're accounting driven and there's ample time to redeem the cards.

Short of some type of expiration system, writing off cards that have
been lost (and unreported), or otherwise won't ever be used, is a
tricky and cumbersome business. It may be necessary to carry a
liability for years ... something that could quickly mount up --
especially when you consider token $5 and $10 cards given as premiums
that tend to find their way into bureau drawer bottoms to never resurface.

A monthly inactivation fee serves two purposes: it allows the firm to
get those small cards off the books within a couple of years when it's
clearly unlikely that they'll ever be redeemed and it's very effective
as a prompt to get customers to use up their cards rather than letting
them sit witout use.

Of course, management is motivated by one key goal: taking advantage
of every opportunity to add to the bottom line -- the sooner forgotten
cards can be removed from the system the better.

- Harry

#4

I was able to check the balances on the Bank of America gift cards that
were given by Coast on B of A's web site. However, with regard to the
US Bank cards given by Rampart/Cannery, I was unable to find anything
on US Bank's web site. Does anyone know how to check the balances on
those cards?

Hask

One other important one is the gift card (issued by Discover) you

can buy

or get with your points at the Palms. There is a fee for phone

inquiries

···

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "Jean Scott" <QueenofComps@f...> wrote:

after the first free one; online checking is free.

Jean $¢ott - http://www.FrugalGambler.biz
  for VP software and strategy cards.
  NEW - Blackjack Strategy Cards +
              Updated Second Edition of
             "The Frugal Gambler."

#5

can buy or get with your points at the Palms.

Jean,

Is this card good for purchases just in the Palms?

Don the Dentist

···

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "Jean Scott" <QueenofComps@f...> wrote:

One other important one is the gift card (issued by Discover) you

#6

<<Is this card good for purchases just in the Palms?>>

Yes. Below is a paragraph from an upcoming FF column.

<<The most versatile Palms gift card can be "bought" at the gift shop with your points. There is a daily limit - you can use your points to buy no more than a total of $100 in gift cards in any one day. This card can be given to another person and they can use it in any Palms outlet that would take the Discover credit card, which includes all the restaurants (except in the food court), the spa and salon, and the gift shop. They could also use it to pay for a hotel bill.>>

···

________________________________________
Jean $�ott - http://www.FrugalGambler.biz
  for VP software and strategy cards.
  NEW - Blackjack Strategy Cards +
              Updated Second Edition of
             "The Frugal Gambler."