# Washington — Gift card expiration, fee and cash-redemption rules by state

For Washington, expiration rule is unlawful for any person or entity to issue, or to enforce against a bearer, a gift certificate that contains: (a) An expiration date; dormancy/service fee rule is (b) Any fee, including a service fee; or (c) A dormancy or inactivity charge; cash redemption threshold is less than five dollars; covered instruments is If a gift certificate is issued with the sale of tangible personal property or services, the gift certificate is subject to subsection (1) of this section; statute citation is RCW 19.240.020, recorded from its source on 2026-08-18.

- **State:** Washington _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Expiration rule:** unlawful for any person or entity to issue, or to enforce against a bearer, a gift certificate that contains: (a) An expiration date _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Dormancy/service fee rule:** (b) Any fee, including a service fee; or (c) A dormancy or inactivity charge _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Cash redemption threshold:** less than five dollars _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Covered instruments:** If a gift certificate is issued with the sale of tangible personal property or services, the gift certificate is subject to subsection (1) of this section _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Statute citation:** RCW 19.240.020 _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_

## What the source says

> it is unlawful for any person or entity to issue, or to enforce against a bearer, a gift certificate that contains: (a) An expiration date; (b) Any fee, including a service fee; or (c) A dormancy or inactivity charge. (2) If a gift certificate is issued with the sale of tangible personal property or services, the gift certificate is subject to subsection (1) of this section. (3) If a purchase is made with a gift certificate for an amount that is less than the value of the gift certificate, the issuer must make the remaining value available to the bearer in cash or as a gift certificate at the option of the issuer. If after the purchase the remaining value of the gift certificate is less than five dollars, the gift certificate must be redeemable in cash for its remaining value on demand of the bearer. A gift certificate is valid until redeemed or replaced.

## Source

- https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=19.240.020

Last verified: 2026-08-18. Review by: 2027-08-18.
Part of [Gift card expiration, fee and cash-redemption rules by state](https://referencesource.org/gift-card-consumer-protections-by-state/).