Last updated: April 2026
Canadian gift card laws protect consumers by prohibiting expiry dates and fees on prepaid purchase cards in all provinces and territories. Under federal and provincial consumer protection legislation, any gift card bought with money must retain its full value indefinitely, with no maintenance, dormancy, or service fees deducted at any time.
No. Gift cards purchased in Canada cannot have an expiry date. This rule applies in every province and territory, without exception.
Provincial Consumer Protection Acts across Canada explicitly prohibit expiry dates on prepaid purchase cards. Whether you buy a gift card in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Alberta, or any other jurisdiction, the full balance must remain available to the cardholder indefinitely. A merchant cannot set, print, or enforce an expiry date on any gift card sold for money.
The only narrow exception applies to promotional cards given entirely for free (with no purchase or consideration), which some provinces treat differently. Any card purchased with real money is fully protected.
No. Maintenance fees, dormancy fees, service fees, inactivity fees, and balance inquiry fees are all prohibited on gift cards in Canada.
Provincial consumer protection legislation in every jurisdiction bans post-purchase fees on prepaid purchase cards. The full face value of a gift card must be preserved from the moment of purchase until the cardholder redeems it, regardless of how much time has passed. No amount may be deducted from the balance for any reason other than a legitimate redemption by the cardholder.
This includes fees that may be described as account maintenance fees, monthly service charges, dormancy or inactivity charges, balance check fees, or reactivation fees. None of these are permitted under Canadian law.
Every Canadian province and territory prohibits expiry dates and fees on purchased gift cards. The table below summarizes the key legislation and any additional requirements in each jurisdiction.
| Province | Key Law | Expiry? | Fees? | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario (ON) | Consumer Protection Act, 2002 | No | No | English | Strongest consumer protection framework. AODA accessibility requirements. |
| Quebec (QC) | Consumer Protection Act (QC) | No | No | French required (Bill 96) | French must be at least as prominent as English. OPC enforces actively. |
| British Columbia (BC) | Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act | No | No | English | Prepaid purchase cards cannot expire or carry fees. |
| Alberta (AB) | Gift Card Regulation (Consumer Protection Act) | No | No | English | Specific gift card regulation under the Consumer Protection Act. |
| Saskatchewan (SK) | Consumer Protection and Business Practices Act | No | No | English | Prepaid purchase cards protected from expiry and fees. |
| Manitoba (MB) | Consumer Protection Act (MB) | No | No | English | Gift card protections align with federal standards. |
| New Brunswick (NB) | Consumer Product Warranty and Liability Act | No | No | English / French | Officially bilingual province. Gift card protections in place. |
| Nova Scotia (NS) | Consumer Protection Act (NS) | No | No | English | Gift cards cannot expire or carry fees. |
| Prince Edward Island (PE) | Consumer Protection Act (PE) | No | No | English | Standard consumer protection provisions apply. |
| Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) | Consumer Protection and Business Practices Act | No | No | English | Prepaid purchase cards protected under provincial law. |
| Northwest Territories (NT) | Consumer Protection Act (NT) | No | No | English / Indigenous languages | Territorial consumer protection rules apply. |
| Yukon (YT) | Consumer Protection Act (YT) | No | No | English / French | Gift card protections aligned with federal standards. |
| Nunavut (NU) | Consumer Protection Act (NU) | No | No | English / Inuktitut / French | Territorial consumer protection rules apply. |
Quebec has the strictest consumer protection regime in Canada. In addition to the standard no-expiry and no-fee rules, Quebec imposes significant language requirements under Bill 96 (the Charter of the French Language).
Cadeau is built bilingual from the ground up. The platform automatically detects Quebec-based merchants and defaults the gift card interface to French. Both French and English are always available, with French displayed at equal or greater prominence for Quebec consumers. All transactional emails, gift card delivery messages, and balance notifications are sent in the appropriate language.
If you sell gift cards in Canada, compliance is not optional. Every merchant must ensure that gift cards they issue do not carry expiry dates or post-purchase fees. Violations can result in fines, regulatory action, and reputational damage.
Cadeau handles compliance automatically at the platform level. The system enforces no-expiry and no-fee rules for every gift card issued, regardless of merchant configuration. Merchants cannot override these protections. This means businesses using Cadeau can be confident they are compliant with Canadian gift card laws from day one.
No. Canadian consumer protection laws prohibit any fees related to gift cards, including balance inquiry fees. You can check your gift card balance at any time, free of charge.
If a merchant permanently closes, your gift card balance may be at risk because the merchant is the issuer of the gift card. Depending on your province, you may be able to file a claim through consumer protection agencies or bankruptcy proceedings. Contact your provincial consumer protection office for guidance.
Yes. Promotional gift cards given for free (not purchased with money) may have different rules. Some provinces allow expiry dates on promotional cards that were given without consideration (no money exchanged). However, any gift card purchased with real money is fully protected under the no-expiry, no-fee rules.
Generally, yes. Gift cards are issued by the merchant and can typically be used at any of that merchant's locations across Canada. The consumer protection laws of the province where the card was purchased apply to that card.
If a merchant refuses to accept a valid gift card, first contact the merchant directly to resolve the issue. If that fails, file a complaint with your provincial consumer protection office. In Ontario, contact the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery. In Quebec, contact the Office de la protection du consommateur (OPC).
Cadeau is a Canadian digital gift card platform built specifically to comply with federal and provincial consumer protection laws. Compliance is enforced at the platform level, not left to individual merchants.
Merchants using Cadeau do not need to build or maintain their own compliance systems. The platform handles it automatically.
Visit our FAQ for detailed answers about buying, using, and managing gift cards on Cadeau.
View FAQ