do gift cards expire or have fees 
depending on the card it s possible that a gift card may expire if the money loaded onto it is not used within a specific time period you may also pay fees to activate a new gift card or reload money onto an existing gift card some prepaid gift cards may also charge monthly or dormant account fees the bottom linegift cards can be useful for shopping online or in stores you may purchase them to give as gifts to friends and family or it s possible that you might earn gift cards as a reward when shopping with a particular merchant understanding how gift cards work and where you can use them is important for avoiding fees or the risk of having a gift card expire at the same time it s important to be on the lookout for gift card scams especially during the holiday season when more people are buying them and using them to shop 