pointless, as it then ties up the money until it is used, and usually it may only be used at one store. Furthermore, not all gift cards issued are redeemed. In 2006, the value of unredeemed gift cards was estimated at almost US$8 billion. Another disadvantage of gift cards is that some issuers charge "maintenance fees" on the cards, particularly if they are not used after a certain period of time; or the card will expire after a given period of time. Some provinces and states in North America (e.g. California, Ontario, Massachusetts, Ohio, Washington) have enacted laws to eliminate non-use fees or expirations, but because the laws often only apply to single-merchant cards buyers have to review the gift card conditions prior to purchase to determine exact restrictions and fees. Additionally, if a retailer goes bankrupt, gift cards can suddenly become worthless. Even if stores do not close immediately, the company may stop accepting the cards. This became a significant issue during the global financial crisis of 2008–2009, prompting the Consumers Union to call upon the Federal Trade Commission to regulate the issue. Land scrip (United States) Land scrip was a right to purchase federal public domain land in the United States, a common form of investment in the 19th century. As a type of federal aid to local governments or private corporations, Congress would grant land in lieu of cash. Most of the time the grantee did not seek to acquire any actual land but rather would sell the right to claim the land to private investors in the form of scrip. Often the land title was finalized only after the scrip was resold several times utilizing land agents also called warrant brokers. These grants came in the form of railroad land grants, university land grants, and grants to veterans for war service. See also Assignat Canadian Tire money Capitol Hill Babysitting Co-op Chiemgauer Cincinnati Time Store Coal Scrip Colonial Scrip Complementary currency Detroit Community Scrip Disney Dollar Electronic money Frequent-flyer program Gift voucher reseller Ithaca Hours Local currency Luncheon Voucher Medium of exchange Microsoft Points Military payment certificate Private currency School voucher Scrip of Edo period Japan Scrip issue Specie (disambiguation) Spintria Store of value Stored-value card SVM (company) Truck system Wii Point Virtual currency References External links Depression Scrip of the 1930s Exonumia Freiwirtschaft Payment systems