True love and friendship last forever - but gift cards often don't.
Christmas shoppers are being urged to give their loved ones cash, or at least a gift card without an expiry date if they can't decide what to buy them.
A poll by consumer group Choice found 88 per cent of respondents had given or received a gift card during the past year.
But in many cases, gift cards expire before the recipients have a chance to redeem them.
"In effect, consumers are handing back millions of dollars a year to retailers in expired gift cards," spokesman Tom Godfrey said in a statement on Thursday.
"So next time you purchase a gift card, it is worth considering who you are actually giving a present to - the retailer or your loved one."
Book seller Dymocks, cinema chain Hoyts and shopping mall group Westfield sell gift cards with a 12-month expiry date.
Small beauty salons and restaurants offer cards that expire after three to six months.
Consumers are advised to complain to the fair trading or consumer affairs department in their state if a gift card expires before it is redeemed, and a retailer refuses to accept it.
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