Update! Thanks to a commenter below, your Google search is not in vain: This PDF has descriptions for the laws related to gift certificate expiration for all 50 states. Read it, or read my summary below.
Like many people, I get gift certificates occasionally — for birthdays, as thank yous, at Christmas, whatever. Unfortunately, I often don’t use them right away. I keep them around for when I need them and sometimes I forget about them. Then comes the day I want to use it and, lo and behold, it has expired.
Expired? How can a gift certificate expire?
Well, let me tell you.