NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — If you're like a lot of people, you probably got a gift card for Christmas...and if you're like a lot of people, you probably still have gift cards you got last Christmas or even before.
The National Retail Federation says there are tens of billions of dollars worth of gift cards out there just waiting to be used. But you don't want to wait too long to use them, because a lot of them have expiration dates.
Under federal law, you have five years from the time of purchase to use gift cards. Some states like New York have made it even longer.
Folks in New York have nine years. But here in Tennessee, we have five.
Some companies like Visa or Mastercard have inactivity fees that accrue if the card is not used for a year.
If the gift card is never used, about 19 states require companies to work with unclaimed property programs to return the money.
You can check missingmoney.com to see if you have any unclaimed money.
Owning a small business is not for the faint of heart, especially in this economy. Jason Lamb's story with Uncle Pete reminds us of where our dollars are spent truly impacts our community and neighbors. But beware -- you'll be hungry for some home cookin' after watching this story!
-Carrie Sharp
