Rhode Island
For Rhode Island, expiration rule is unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation of any kind to charge any surcharge or additional monthly or annual service or maintenance fees on gift certificates or to limit the time for the redemption of a gift certificate or to place an expiration date upon the gift certificate; dormancy/service fee rule is charge any surcharge or additional monthly or annual service or maintenance fees on gift certificates; cash redemption threshold is less than one dollar ($1.00); statute citation is R.I. Gen. Laws § 6-13-12, recorded from its source on 2026-10-05.
- State
- Rhode Island
- Expiration rule
- unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation of any kind to charge any surcharge or additional monthly or annual service or maintenance fees on gift certificates or to limit the time for the redemption of a gift certificate or to place an expiration date upon the gift certificate verified
- Dormancy/service fee rule
- charge any surcharge or additional monthly or annual service or maintenance fees on gift certificates verified
- Cash redemption threshold
- less than one dollar ($1.00) verified
- Covered instruments
- This section shall not apply to the following: (i) Gift certificates that are distributed to a consumer pursuant to an awards, loyalty, or promotional program without any money or other thing of value being given in exchange for the gift certificate by the consumer. Any restrictions or limitations that such gift certificates may be subject to must be disclosed to the consumer, in writing, at the time the gift certificates are distributed to the consumer. (ii) Prepaid wireless telephone service or prepaid wireless telephone card. “Prepaid wireless telephone service” means wireless telephone service that is activated in advance by payment for a finite dollar amount of service or for a finite set of minutes that terminate either upon use by a customer and delivery by the wireless provider of an agreed-upon amount of service corresponding to the total dollar amount paid in advance or within a certain period of time following the initial purchase or activation, unless additional payments are made. (iii) Gift cards or prepaid or store value cards that are issued by state-chartered financial institutions and credit unions or that are issued by third-party issuers usable at multiple, unaffiliated merchants or service providers; provided that said financial institutions, credit unions, or third-party issuers comply with the guidelines on disclosure and marketing as published by the office of the comptroller of the currency. verified
- Statute citation
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 6-13-12 our reading
Verified
Review by
Values marked our reading are our classification of what the source says — the source does not print them in those words. The quote below is the evidence for each one; judge it yourself.
What the source says
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation of any kind to charge any surcharge or additional monthly or annual service or maintenance fees on gift certificates or to limit the time for the redemption of a gift certificate or to place an expiration date upon the gift certificate. No gift certificate or any agreement with respect to such gift certificate may contain language suggesting that an expiration date may apply to the gift certificate. Any person, firm, or corporation who or that shall violate the provisions of this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than two hundred dollars ($200). Due to the unlimited redemption period, the division of taxation shall not escheat the funds paid for those unredeemed gift certificates. Any unused portion of a redeemed gift certificate shall be afforded to the consumer by reissuing the gift certificate for the unused amount or providing cash where the balance due the consumer is less than one dollar ($1.00).
— webserver.rilegislature.gov, retrieved 2026-10-05
Where each value comes from
The value above is stated away from the sentence quoted with the answer, so the passage that states it is shown here too.
Covered instruments
This section shall not apply to the following: (i) Gift certificates that are distributed to a consumer pursuant to an awards, loyalty, or promotional program without any money or other thing of value being given in exchange for the gift certificate by the consumer. Any restrictions or limitations that such gift certificates may be subject to must be disclosed to the consumer, in writing, at the time the gift certificates are distributed to the consumer. (ii) Prepaid wireless telephone service or prepaid wireless telephone card. “Prepaid wireless telephone service” means wireless telephone service that is activated in advance by payment for a finite dollar amount of service or for a finite set of minutes that terminate either upon use by a customer and delivery by the wireless provider of an agreed-upon amount of service corresponding to the total dollar amount paid in advance or within a certain period of time following the initial purchase or activation, unless additional payments are made. (iii) Gift cards or prepaid or store value cards that are issued by state-chartered financial institutions and credit unions or that are issued by third-party issuers usable at multiple, unaffiliated merchants or service providers; provided that said financial institutions, credit unions, or third-party issuers comply with the guidelines on disclosure and marketing as published by the office of the comptroller of the currency.
— all from webserver.rilegislature.gov, retrieved 2026-10-05
Source
- webserver.rilegislature.govhttp://webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE6/6-13/6-13-12.htm