ASB MAGAZINE:  Australian shoppers and gift givers will soon enjoy a lifetime of fairer and simpler shopping when City Beach introduces unlimited expiry date gift cards this week. From Saturday 31 March, iconic Australian surf and streetwear retailer City Beach will dump gift card expiry dates for good. City Beach Chief Operating Officer Anita Dorwald said while New South Wales legislation ruling mandatory three-year gift card expiry terms would come into effect this Saturday, City Beach decided to go one better and remove expiry dates all together.

“Not only are we extending our gift card terms to include a lifetime validity. Expiry dates will also be lifted for City Beach gift cards bought from 1 April 2017,” said Ms Dorwald.

“City Beach first launched in Australia in 1985 and since then we’ve been fortunate to serve millions of Australian shoppers and created thousands of jobs.

The NSW Government is introducing a mandatory minimum expiry period of 3 years for gift cards and gift vouchers sold to a consumer in NSW, as well as a ban on post-purchase administration fees, starting 31 March 2018. The new requirements have been made by amendment to the Fair Trading Act 1987.

The changes aim to strike a fairer economic balance for consumers and businesses in the gift card market. The reforms give consumers access to the full value of their gift card over a reasonable period, while maintaining a workable business model for traders.

 

“We wanted to ensure our simpler and fairer gift card policy would give all our customers the flexibility to use our gift cards as and when it suits them, regardless of where they live.”

City Beach offers customers multiple gift card purchase and redemption points including instore, online, supermarkets and third-party marketplaces.

“We decided to take this as an opportunity to scratch expiry dates all together, nationwide. When we first pitched the idea internally it was met with a resounding yes from all stakeholders,” Ms Dorwald said.

As well as refreshing our gift card design, from 31 March, we will embark on a comprehensive changeout of all old gift cards to make the purchase and redemption experience fairer, simpler and more seamless for all customers.

“Gift card systems have evolved a lot since we first launched ours back in the early 2000’s, with financial structures that better manage the burden for retailers addressing contingent liabilities, so we feel it’s only right we pass these benefits onto our customers.

“When customers purchase a gift card, their intention is for the recipient to be able to enjoy the full value of the gift card.

“This decision removes the terms and conditions that people have traditionally purchased when buying a gift that allows the receiver the freedom of choice.

“Eliminating expiry dates means gift card holders will enjoy complete flexibility to use them as they please, without having to worry about losing any residual balance.” 

 

About City Beach

City Beach is a fast fashion retailer that houses hundreds of the world’s most famous brands across surf and street fashion. We are an iconic Australian retailer that that has built a reputation for creating a unique shopping experience.  Our vibrant appeal and energetic brands encourage a vivid adventure-seeking lifestyle that our customers embody.  Established with one store in 1985, City Beach now has a foot print of 66 stores across Australia with over one million online visitors a week to its website. www.citybeach.com.au

More information about the new laws can be found HERE