Gift certificates; prohibit issuer thereof from charging maintenance fee, etc. (HB2552)

Introduced By

Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria)

Description

Gift certificates. Expands the existing provisions regarding gift certificate disclosures to prohibit the issuer of a gift certificate from charging a maintenance fee, service fee, inactivity fee, or other fee on the gift certificate. Gift certificate issuers are also prohibited from placing an expiration date or otherwise limiting the time for the redemption of a gift certificate and from issuing a gift certificate that diminishes in value over time unless the gift certificate was issued pursuant to an awards or loyalty program where no money or thing of value exchanged or was donated to a charitable organization. The definition of a gift certificate is expanded to include any record that contains a microprocessor chip, magnetic strip, or other storage medium that is prefunded and for which the value is adjusted upon each use. The definition also includes card-activated prepaid long distance telephone service. The measures apply to all issuers of gift certificates in the Commonwealth; currently, the gift certificate disclosure requirements apply only to merchants. Read the Bill »

Outcome

History