SOM State of Michigan Gift Card Balance

SOM - State of Michigan

State of Michigan - State of Michigan

Gift Cards & Gift Certificates

Purchase Gift Cards State Park and Harbor Gift and eGift Cards. Michigan state park and harbor gift cards are the perfect gift for your favorite camper, boater or outdoor enthusiast. Gift cards can be used to make reservations online or in the call center, as well as at Michigan state-park operated campgrounds and harbors.

It is hard to understate the popularity of gift cards. As of 2015, more than 90% of Americans surveyed had purchased a gift card. And by 2018, the total volume of gift cards is projected to reach $160 billion.
State and federal consumer laws offer gift card consumers many protections, including required disclosures, limits on fees and expiration dates, and access to replacement cards. This Alert explains the different types of gift cards and the rules designed to protect consumers. It also provides guidelines for purchasing gift cards and tips for spotting and stopping different gift card scams.
There are also two broad categories of gift cards:
Consumers who purchase merchant-issued gift cards indicate how much they want to spend and, in return, the merchant should disclose any applicable fees, charges, expiration dates, and other restrictions.
The gift recipient may then use the gift card toward purchases at that merchant or other participating merchants.
Some gift cards have pins on the back of the card that should only be revealed by the purchaser or recipient when the card is redeemed.
A gift card issued by a bank or other financial institution contains an identity symbol for a card network such as American Express, VISA, or MasterCard.
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), has gift card disclosure guidelines that national banks and federal savings associations must follow.
Michigan law defines “gift certificate” to include not only a written promise representing the right of the person named on or holding it to present the certificate to the referenced merchant(s) for goods or services, but also includes a gift card or other electronic device that: is usable at a single retailer or affiliated group; is issued in a specified amount; may or may not be increased in value or reloaded; is purchased or loaded on a prepaid basis for the future purchase or delivery of goods or services; and is honored upon presentation.
It does not include a general use, prepaid card or other electronic device that is issued by a financial institution in a predetermined amount and is usable at multiple, unaffiliated retailers or at an automated teller machine.  In other words, a reloadable prepaid card that is intended for use as a checking account substitute or cards that are given as a reward or as a promotion are not “gift certificates” or “gift cards” under Michigan law.
For purposes of this Alert, a “gift card” includes a “gift certificate” as defined by Michigan law.
Purchase or use restrictions. Some merchants may only allow you to use the gift card at specific store locations. Others may allow you to use the card at different merchants or online. Some merchants have limited-use cards—for example, cards that can only be used to buy gas; or cards that cannot be used to buy alcohol or tobacco. Become familiar with restrictions before you buy a gift card.
Expiration dates. Like location restrictions, expiration dates on gift cards can create an unwanted hassle. Find out if a merchant or gift card issuer places expiration dates on their gift cards before you purchase. If there is an expiration date, reconsider whether purchasing a gift card from this particular merchant is worth potential future problems.
Even if there is no expiration date, encourage recipients to use the gift cards shortly after receiving them. After a few months, it is increasingly likely the certificate or card will be lost or forgotten!
Consider purchasing gift cards directly from the merchant or issuer, either online or at their brick-and-mortar locations. Avoid purchasing from a merchant that is struggling to stay in business or has filed for bankruptcy.
A receipt will be critical if the card is lost or stolen and important in case a merchant indicates that there is less value on the card than you anticipated (for example, if you use a gift card that should have $50 on it, but the merchant informs you that the card is empty).
For example, you see a watch that you would like to buy, but the watch costs $50 and you received a $25 gift card for your birthday.
The merchant must accept the $25 gift card (assuming you comply with all other terms and conditions to use the card) and apply it towards your $50 watch purchase—which means you still owe the merchant $25, plus tax.
Also, a merchant cannot charge an inactivity or other service fee and deduct it from the value of the gift certificate. However, merchants can charge a fee in connection with purchasing the card, but they can’t deduct it from the value of the card.
Thus, a merchant can charge you a $1 gift card purchase fee at the time you buy a $25 gift card, but they can’t deduct this fee from the value of the card (i.e., they can’t give you a $25 gift card with only $24 on it). If you buy a $25 gift card, $25 should remain on the card unless you use it to purchase something.
Financial institutions are also prohibited from charging inactivity or service fees on gift cards that they issue within a year of purchase. After a year of purchase, they may charge fees, but they cannot charge more than one fee per month.
The number one reason people lose money with gift cards is because they lose them or forget to use them. Use gift cards as soon as you can, even if there is no reason to suspect the merchant is having financial difficulties.
Here are answers to frequently asked questions about Michigan and federal rules regarding gift cards:
In general, gift cards (including both merchant and bank-issued cards) purchased after August 22, 2010, cannot expire within five years of purchase. That means a merchant that issues a gift card cannot refuse to accept it “for personal, family, or household use” if you present it within five years from purchase or when value was added. But a merchant can refuse to accept a gift card that was issued more than five years ago, if the terms and conditions were clearly and conspicuously disclosed and one of those terms and conditions was an expiration date of at least five years.
You should contact the merchant to determine if it is still accepting gift cards. This information may also be available on the retailer’s website. Even if the merchant is not currently accepting gift cards, it may resume doing so later, so you should check periodically. The merchant’s competitors may also be willing to honor the gift card.