Have a gift voucher of a store that has closed?

Hira Siddiqui from Citizens Advice Bureau Pakuranga/Eastern Manukau

💳🎁If you have a gift voucher or card for a shop that has closed down, you may not be able to use it or claim your money back. If there is a receiver, you could try and ask to use your voucher or make a claim as an unsecured creditor.

Receivers do not legally have to accept your voucher, but they might agree to if you ask. An unsecured creditor is someone who is owed money by a person or a company. The business will have to prioritise paying back their secured creditors, so you will only get what you are owed if there is enough money left after the secured creditors have been paid.

If the gift voucher was paid for by credit card, then the person who paid for the gift voucher can ask their credit card company for a chargeback.
To minimise the risk of losing your money, if you are given a voucher use it as soon as possible.

If you are buying a voucher:
👉pick vouchers that work across multiple retailers or services - for example, fuel vouchers or trade-association vouchers
👉ask the store if they have a trust account to protect voucher holders in the event of the store closing down.

For more information, visit cab.org.nz/article/KB00000401

[Image description: A ‘Sorry We are closed’ sign hanging on a door. Text reads, "I have a gift voucher to a shop that has closed down. What are my rights?"]
Original post credit: Citizens Advice Bureau: cab.org.nz