Where does the unspent money go, then? Apparently, in some cases in the US, it goes to the state, but not in all cases. See http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2011/

Where does the unspent money go, then? Apparently, in some cases in the US, it goes to the state, but not in all cases. See http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2011/12/24/number-of-the-week-billions-in-gift-cards-go-unspent/ http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2011/12/24/number-of-the-week... Best Buy, for example, sets that level at about two years. In fiscal 2011, the electronics company recorded $53 million in income from gift-card “breakage,” or cards that are unlikely ever to be redeemed, up from $43 million a year earlier.