They are easy to purchase, easy to use and completely anonymous, and, now, authorities say, stored-value cards have been used to bankroll terrorism.
The federal intelligence agency AUSTRAC (AWS-trak) has detailed hundreds of incidents involving millions of dollars filtered through the cards.
It says the gift cards have been used for terrorism-related activities, cybercrime and money laundering.
Federal justice minister Michael Keenan says suspects linked with terrorism have used the cards both in Australia and overseas.
"We do know that they have been used by terrorists overseas, particularly in the November 2015 Paris attacks. We do know they've also been used by terrorists in Australia to move money around."
More than 10 million stored-value cards are active in Australia, worth over $1.5 billion.
Those most vulnerable to misuse are the ones which can be loaded, reloaded and redeemed in cash, such as travel cards.
Mr Keenan says the Federal Government is working with crime authorities overseas to try to combat the problem.
"Clearly, this is a global problem. The organised gangs that launder money do so across borders on a consistent basis. So we do work very closely with our international partners."
AUSTRAC says in a new report that, in a two-year period, over 900 reports of suspicious activity involving the cards were made, the suspected cases totalling over $72 million.
AUSTRAC says it believes most cases involved money laundering, followed by cybercrime, and says a dozen cases are suspected to be related to financing terrorism.
It says over $170,000 has been loaded onto cards in Australia and redeemed in countries bordering Syria, including Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon.
More than 60 transactions were identified in countries deemed to be high-risk for terrorism-related financing.
AUSTRAC chief executive Paul Jevtovic (JEV-toh-vik) says the main issue with the cards is that, once they are purchased, the redeemer of the funds is anonymous.
"Once someone purchases a stored-value card, there is then little control to know who is then accessing that stored-value card from that point on."
The Federal Government says a first step in tackling the problem may involve engaging vendors to report and identify any suspicious activities of their customers.
Paul Jevtovic says AUSTRAC also intends to work with the cards' manufacturers to devise ways to make the cards less vulnerable.
"Can technology help us here? Can we use technology in a way that actually mitigates the risks but doesn't increase the burden on good citizens who are using these cards?"
