Pa. bill would eliminate gift card fees, expiration dates

A Pennsylvania senator has introduced legislation to eliminate expiration dates and inactivity fees that lower the value of gift cards.

Sen. Rob Teplitz (D-Dauphin/Perry) said his proposal would go beyond the protections of the federal Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act of 2009.

The CARD Act says money on store-issued and bank-issued cards cannot expire before five years and inactivity fees are prohibited unless the card is not used for 12 months.

Teplitz’s measure, Senate Bill 150, would prohibit the sale of gift cards and gift certificates that have an expiration date, service charge, dormancy fee, account maintenance fee, cash-out fee, replacement card fee or activation or reactivation fee.

Pa. bill would eliminate gift card fees, expiration dates