Report: Nearly $23 billion in gift card balances goes unspent annually

Don’t forget to spend your gift cards 02:14

MINNEAPOLIS — This last holiday season, Americans spent billions on gift cards.

Whether you’re gifting or getting, they are a popular prize.

“We see over and over every holiday season, gift cards is a top-tier gift,” said Bruce Nustad, president of the Minnesota Retail Association.

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As long as you remember to use them.

“You either put them in your wallet and forget about them or you put them in like your drawer or desk and then they get totally forgotten about,” said Minneapolis resident Mark Sarles.

Data from Bankrate shows nearly half of U.S. adults have at least one unspent gift card or voucher with an average value of $187.

It adds up to nearly $23 billion of unspent funds.

Luckily, they don’t expire in Minnesota.

“Generally in Minnesota, a store-based gift card isn’t going to have an expiration date or a declining balance,” Nustad said. “So it’s kind of a popular gift from that perspective, it will never lose its value.”

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