I know, it's unbelievable that they can get away with this. I mean, it's your money you used to put in the gift card and there going to charge you for it? That's like charging you a tax on using the restroom after you eat. Once again NO regulation on something that really needs to be regulated. God Bless America, Land of the overcharged an under serviced..............
Tara
· 11 months ago
The Visa gift cards also have a processing fee but they are good about showing that on their packaging. Sucks though.
Happy Holidays!
Ness
· 11 months ago
Amex ha ha
Jack
· 11 months ago
Just go the extra mile and give their parents money to deposit into their checking account. It's a nice surprise, trust me. PS Thanks Mom!
Solvate
· 11 months ago
In case you already have an AMEX gift card and are having trouble using it, we've published a how-to of how to restore your balance if your card is declined or past the "Valid Thru" date-- including how to get the service fees wiped if you are in a state that prohibits them.
Thanks Solvate! What states prohibit gift card fees?
Solvate
· 11 months ago
It's not a simple question! First you have to distinguish between "single merchant" gift cards (like a Best Buy card) and "multiple merchant" or bank-issued cards like the AMEX gift card. California for example restricts fees on the former; Connecticut restricts fees on both. Then you have to consider by-state court cases for interpretations of the law. We have links to a few sites with state-by-state legal reviews in our post on AMEX gift cards; also info on states that some AMEX gift card agents have been trained to approve fee removals for. As for how AMEX determines whether you are a resident of one of those states? Working on it. (link again is http://tinyurl.com/7jk57m)
Chad
· 11 months ago
Dang, I did not realize it was that complex of an issue. Thanks for all the great info, I'll check out your site.
All Comments
Happy Holidays!
Hope this is helpful! http://tinyurl.com/7jk57m