I wouldn’t bank on a business allowing refunds on a gift card, writes Australian policy professional Kat George. But if they have misrepresented the terms you may be entitled

Why do so many stores sell gift vouchers that do not correspond with the prices of the items they sell? Often when I receive a gift voucher, I will end up with store credit of only a few dollars remaining, or I will have to spend a bit of my own money if I want to make a purchase, which sort of defeats the purpose of a gift voucher.

If I have $4 of store credit left for a shop where no items cost $4, am I entitled to a refund for the final amount? Is there any other recourse? It seems unfair if a merchant just gets to keep some of the money from a purchase intended as a gift.

Kat George is a board member at Australian consumer advocacy group Choice. Her Guardian column is written in her capacity as a policy expert and does not reflect the views of Choice