Restaurant gift cards look simple until you need to use one and run into a validity date, a fee, or a venue that no longer exists. This page covers what Australian consumer law actually requires of gift cards, what to check before buying one, and what your options are if the restaurant on the card has closed. Jamuan Melbourne does not sell gift cards and this page is general information rather than advice about a specific card.
What the law requires
Under the Australian Consumer Law, gift cards and vouchers sold in Australia from 1 November 2019 onward must come with a minimum three-year expiry period from the date of purchase, and that expiry date must be clearly shown on the card. If a card printed with an earlier expiry date is sold after that date, the three-year minimum still applies regardless of what is printed on the card itself. Cards sold before 1 November 2019 keep whatever expiry terms applied at the time they were purchased, so an older card may genuinely have expired under its original terms.
Fees to watch for
Businesses are not allowed to charge fees that eat into the value of a gift card after purchase, which rules out activation fees, account-keeping fees and balance-enquiry fees. Some other fees are still permitted, including card-replacement fees for a lost or damaged card, payment-processing surcharges, and fees related to using the card overseas. If a card's terms and conditions conflict with these rules, the legal minimums apply regardless of what is printed on the card or its packaging.
Exemptions worth knowing
The three-year minimum does not apply to every voucher. Cards sold as part of a genuine discount promotion, or vouchers given away as part of a limited-time offer, are generally exempt from the standard rule. If you received a card as a promotional gift rather than buying it outright, it is worth checking the specific terms rather than assuming the three-year minimum automatically applies.
What to check before buying a gift card for someone
- The exact expiry date printed on the card or stated in its terms
- Whether the card can be used for a function or banquet booking, or only against a standard à la carte bill
- Whether the full value can be used in one visit, or whether it only partially covers a larger bill
- Whether the card is redeemable online, by phone, or only in person at the venue
- What happens if the balance is not fully used in one visit
If you are buying a card specifically for a group celebration or a larger booking, it is also worth checking the venue's policy on applying a gift card to a function, since our guide to group dining and banquets in Richmond notes that some venues cap how a single voucher can be applied against a larger group bill.
If the restaurant has closed
A gift card is only as good as the business that issued it. If a restaurant closes, any unredeemed gift cards generally become worthless unless another business has formally agreed to honour them, which is uncommon and not something to assume without confirmation. This is a genuine risk with any restaurant gift card, and it is the situation anyone holding an old JAMU gift card from Palmer Street would now be in, since that restaurant is no longer trading and this site, as an independent guide, has no ability to honour or redeem a card from the former business. If you hold a card from a closed restaurant and believe you have a legal claim, for example if the business closed shortly after selling the card, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and Consumer Affairs Victoria are the right bodies to contact, rather than the restaurant's old website or social media pages, which are usually no longer monitored once a business has closed.
Buying a gift card you will actually use
If you are choosing a restaurant to buy a gift card for, it is worth picking somewhere you know is actively trading and checking its current booking and gift card process directly on its own site, rather than relying on an older listing. Our guide to booking a restaurant in Melbourne covers how to confirm a venue is currently taking bookings, and our food guides and dining updates section is a reasonable place to find current Southeast Asian restaurants worth considering.