Owners of unused gift cards and gift certificates that have been turned over to the Unclaimed Property Division of the Nebraska State Treasurer’s Office can make claims at any time and, with proper documentation, can get their money back, State Treasurer Don Stenberg said.

The owners’ right to the money does not expire at any pre-determined time, the Treasurer said in response to questions about gift cards and gift certificates now that the holiday gift-giving season has passed.

People who think they may have money from unused gift cards and gift certificates—or any unclaimed property for that matter—can check the Treasurer’s website, www.treasurer.org, or call the Unclaimed Property Division at 402-471-8497 or toll free at 877-572-9688.

“Our job is to try to locate the rightful owners and get their money back to them,” Treasurer Stenberg said.

The Unclaimed Property Division has $291,763.23 in unclaimed gift certificates or gift cards in its database. This represents 6,164 cards, averaging about $47 a card. Considering that the database includes more than $100 million worth of unclaimed property, the gift cards make up a very small percentage of the total holdings.

Information available on the Treasurer’s website includes the name of the property owner, the last known address by county of the property owner, and whether the amount is less than or greater than $300. Treasurer Stenberg said that basic information enables Unclaimed Property staff specialists to start processing a claim. More information is available to the owner with proper documentation. This system provides protection against fraudulent claims and assures that the money is returned to rightful owners, the Treasurer said.

The Treasurer’s Office offers these tips for people with unused gift cards or gift certificates:

• If an unused gift card or gift certificate includes an expiration date, check with the store to see if the card or certificate still will be honored.
• If the store will not honor the card, and it has been longer than three years since you have used the card, contact the Unclaimed Property Division. Staff members will search for the property in the Unclaimed Property database.
• If the company has not turned over the unused card or certificate, the Unclaimed Property Division staff will contact the store.
• If the money has been turned over to Unclaimed Property, it stays in the system until the owner or heirs claim it. Every March and April, as required by state law, the Treasurer’s Office publishes a newspaper advertisement of all properties received in the past year, including gift cards and gift certificates. The staff also participates in outreach events to locate property owners.
• The state statute dealing with gift cards and gift certificates can be found here www.treasurer.org/up/certificates-cards.aspx