Check Balance Before Throwing Away Gift Cards

Recently while cleaning out some old files, I found a misplaced gift card that had an expiration date of 2009 - four years ago! I tossed it in the 'trash' stack and later decided to look at it further before throwing it in the trash can. Going online to check the balance, it showed the card number did not exist. However reading the small print, I discovered a number to call to find out the balance on expired cards. If the card had a balance, I could have a new gift card issued for the balance minus a small processing fee and monthly service charges.

I now have a new gift card on the way to me worth $40.00! Never throw away an expired gift card unless you are sure it was fully used by checking to see if there is a way to receive credit for the unused portion!