Martin Lewis shares shopping deadline to make one small purchase | Personal Finance | Finance

Martin Lewis has issued a tip to shoppers as a quick purchase could spare you missing an important end date. The financial journalist was speaking about various topics on a recent episode of his BBC podcast.

The focus of the show was tax, including the rules around inheritance tax, the looming self-assessment deadline, and tax on pensions. Another topic that came up for shoppers to bear in mind is how gift cards work.

You may think this is a nice way to show your love for a friend or relative, giving them the chance to buy whatever they want from a big-name shop. But Mr Lewis said plainly that he is ‘anti gift card’, with one reason being that once the item has expired, you have “no legal rights” to claim a refund.

Explaining his misgivings about, he said: “Not just the fact that if the firm goes bust, they are worthless, but many of them have expiry dates now.”

However, he said that the person who bought the gift card should have been told about the expiry date. Mr Lewis said: “The information about expiry dates should have been given before the purchase. It’s good practice from the companies to have it printed on the card or the voucher, or on the email that you get.

“If expiry is based on clear terms and conditions, that is fine. When the date starts also needs to be clear – is it from activation, or is it from gift.”

The consumer expert shared a simple tip for anyone with a gift card that is expiring soon. He said: “If you’ve got gift cards and not used them, try spending a little on them before they expire. They then often give you a new gift card for the remainder and that should hopefully have a longer expiry date.”

For example, if you have a John Lewis or Waitrose gift card, the rules state that the card will expire 24 months after the card was purchased or last used. But if you make a purchase or an enquiry about the balance, this 24-month period refreshes.

Primark has the same rules, with a 24-month window to use the card which renews when you make a purchase or check the card balance.

If you have a gift card that has expired, you may still be able to use it. Mr Lewis said: “With bigger stores, I’d ask them for an extension, particularly if it’s a big brand.

“But if it was unclear about the expiry date, you could complain to your consumer rights, then they could be in breach of the law for lack of transparency about the expiry date and you might get your money back.”

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