All-Access Gift NetSpend Corporation Your $ are already being flushed down the toilet by the time you give this gift card to someone! Austin, Texas

Good news is that I found a $25 gift card I received but had lost.  The bad news is that it expired 3 years ago.  It turns out that All-Access charged $4.95 (now its $5.95) a month just for the privilege of me having it, so it became worth nothing.

Many people believe that the consumer-friendly law in California requires gift cards not to expire and not to be eaten away with fees.  This is true for normal one-store or one-chain gift cards.  But for "multiple seller" gift cards, like Visa gift cards, this law does not apply for some reason. 

When I called customer service, the lady dutifully read her scripts for each question.  However, she seemed unaware of and had nothing to address the questions about California law.   

In effect, her response was, oh well, the confiscatory maintenance fees drained your account, so you're left with nothing.  I know if the person I received the card from had known about this huge rip-off at the time of purchase, he would have just given me cash instead. 

There are other one-store gift cards that have no expiration date.  If you still want to give a Visa Gift Card with an expiration date, pick one that charges no fees.  

Just make sure you don't buy an All-Access card, because in a few months it's "No Access" for you, but "Our Access" for them.