Have a gift card to a store that closed? You have more options in WA than you might think

Gift cards are notorious for going unused. In fact, a 2023 consumer survey found that at nearly half of American adults have an unused gift card.

So what are your options if you have a gift card to a store that closed? Here’s what to know.

File a gift card claim

Washington state’s Department of Revenue instructs closing businesses to report unused gift cards as unclaimed property. Of course, not every business does this.

But the consumer can take matters into their own hands and send DOR an email with their name, phone number, address, the store the gift card came from, the card number, and how much money is left on the card. They’ll check if the card was reported and if a refund is possible.

If the unclaimed money on the card was reported, the card can be mailed, along with a claim form and a copy of your ID, to DOR, according to a spokesperson. You’ll get back the full amount remaining on the card, as reported by the business.

Other gift card refund options

If the card wasn’t reported, DOR won’t be able to help, but you still have a few options. According to Dale Dixon, who is chief innovation officer at the Better Business Bureau’s Great West and Pacific branch, the best thing to do is try to track down someone from the business.

“The first thing is to establish communication with the business if there is a way to get a communication going,” Dixon said. “If it’s a local single outlet type of store, it’s going to be a difficult hill to climb. If you’re dealing with a chain that has multiple outlets, then you have a few more options.”

In the case that the store filed for bankruptcy when it closed, you can file a claim. However, that doesn’t guarantee you’ll get your money back – claims that small go to the back of the line, and won’t be addressed until bigger creditors are paid. In general, gift cards aren’t worth the cost of taking legal action, according to Dixon.

“Usually with a gift card, you’d be looking at something in the small claims arena… As a consumer, you have to weigh the amount of effort you’re going to put in to getting that money back,” Dixon said.

You can also ask your credit card company to reverse the charge, but that depends on company policy.

Since none of these methods are foolproof, Dixon recommends only buying gift cards from businesses you know you can trust.

“Research the business ahead of time, you want a business with a really good reputation – length of time they’ve been in business, how they respond to customers, how it honors promises,” Dixon said. “Those types of businesses are more likely to stand behind a gift card when it’s purchased.”