Simon Gift Card Visa ripoff Indianapolis Indiana

I have purchased Simon gift cards every holiday for many years. The fees are not "hidden". It is clearly stated in the rules you are given when you purchase the card. Simon is not the only company that does this fee thing. MANY companies do this! I received a gift card from someone and immediately read the rules. There, in black and white, it stated that after month 7 of non-use, a 2.50 fee would be charged to the balance of the card.

This is why it is soooo important to read the material given when a purchase is made.

I agree with the original poster. You buy a gift for someone, and then you have to give them a piece of paper with terms on how to use the gift? That doesn't seem quite right. I think it makes more sense for the company to make it good for a specific period of time. Such as, good for 1 year, have it printed on the card, and then if you don't use it by then, it isn't any good. They would still make money off that, because I know gift cards get lost or forgotten about. I've done it myself!

When I got the card as a gift , all I got was the card and not a piece of paper to go along with it.. So how could I have known..

It is still not right to take a gift that was give to you in the first place..

OK I had to jump on this one. First yes there is a charge of normally $1.50 - $2.50 on a gift card if it is not used for like 7 or 8 months, if it is not used at all!! you can spend $1 and that will refresh that 8 month period.

So you got a gift card for a present and you go 8 months with out useing it and now you say that they are taking your gift away form you?? Do you really care about the gift in the first place if you have it just sitting around for 8 months. And also maybe you read the back of the card but it is a VISA card with Simons name on it.

If you watch TV and see a VISA commercial you would know that Visa is accepted hundreds of thousands of places around the world. Buy gas with it if you need to don't let a perfectly good gift sit around for 8 months then complain when the charge a fee because you didn't care about it in the first place.

They have to charge a fee, if you don't use the card they still have to keep record of you card and keep the account open for that card and PAY someone to maintain your account. The charge is for that reason and plus that way if you did loose your card and will finally be deleted from there account. Can you imagine how may open accounts they would have in their data base if they didn't charge that fee. Your card may be in their 40 years after you loose it, is that fair to VISA?

SO then somone respoded on have a 1 year limit on the card then it exp's. Lets say you have a card for $100, maybe you lose it or something a year goes by and you find it under your dresser, the card has now exp'ed and you are out $100. If it were just the fee you would still have about $92 left on it. Which one sounds better to you??

Simon cards will usually have a non-use fee starting at the 7th month of inactivity AND the card dies after a year. Read the fine print on the back of the card or visit Simon on the web.

You can complain, but if you cannot spend $100 in six months you must be a monk in Tibet.

The other option is to use a retail store gift card, such as Target for one example. The retail store cards have NO time limits and NO fees. But guess what? You gotta use them in that store.

Another alternative is to give cash. In real paper bills. Run them through your washing machine if you think money is dirty. Don't tell the Feds that you are money-laundering.