7 tips for buying and using holiday gift cards

There’s no way out; the holidays are coming. And you’re procrastinating, right? Well, whether it’s wacky Uncle Joe or Xena your Goth niece, you can take care of each with a gift card or certificate. But before you hand over big bucks (or tuck one you received into a drawer), know your rights. Otherwise, your thoughtful gift could wind up worthless.

1. What’s the difference between paper and plastic?

None. If the gift certificate allows the recipient to shop at a specific store, it can be old-fashioned paper or new-fangled plastic. Same thing.

2. I just bought a gift certificate that says the expiration date is in two years!

From a store in Massachusetts? That’s wrong. Massachusetts law is specific: Certificates expire seven years from the date they’re purchased. The merchant must not be clear on the law. We suggest you go to the attorney general’s website at www.mass.gov, print out the rules and have a friendly chat with the store manager.

3. My Aunt Sally gave me a gift card for a specific store, but there’s no receipt. How long is it good for?

Go to the website or toll free number listed on the card and punch in the card’s identification number. If you can’t determine the date of issuance and expiration, then you win big time! State law says in such a case the card is good forever.

4. There’s no expiration date on my paper gift certificate. …

You win again. Those nice Massachusetts lawmakers changed the rules in 2003. As a result, if a gift certificate is not clearly marked with both a date of issuance and a date of expiration, it’s also good forever.

5. What do I do if a store goes out of business, closes or has a change of management?

You’re doomed. In the past, the value of unused gift certificates could be turned over to the state treasurer’s office where you could get the money back. But that law was changed. Now, if the store goes under, you could be just plain out of luck. So, if you save your certificates for a rainy day, you could be losing big bucks. Use ’em or lose ’em.

6. Speaking of lose ’em, I lost my gift certificate. Can I get it replaced?

Probably not. Yes, we agree it should be easy for the store to know if a certificate has been used, but most refuse to replace them — and that’s perfectly legal.

7. I didn’t use my gift card, and now I’m told there’s no value left!

Yeah, it’s plastic. And, yeah, you got it as a gift. But if it has a Visa or MasterCard logo, or if you can use it at more than one kind of store, like a “mall card,” it’s different. This kind of card is allowed to have a “dormancy fee,” which means money can be deducted if you don’t use the card. The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office is unhappy about it, but right now those fees are legal. Read the fine print on the back of the card.

For even more information, check the attorney general’s website or the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation at www.mass.gov.

And happy holidays from Hank and Mary!

Award-winning investigative reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan is on the air at Boston’s NBC affiliate where she has broken big stories for the past 22 years. She has won 24 Emmys as well as dozens of other regional, national and international honors for her work. Mary Schwager has worked with Ryan as an investigative producer for eight years and has her own shelf of prestigious journalism awards. A 16-year television veteran, she has been a writer, producer and reporter. They can be contacted at hryan@whdh.com and mschwager@whdh.com.