Par4QC
Laws were changed up here some 15 years ago so that under the Consumer Protection Act gift cards from almost all retailers are no longer allowed to have expire dates on them .
prepaid Visa type cards are different and can still have an expiry date.
The law banning expiry dates is for reasons that you allude to, people forget about them etc and they might not get used. A friend moved 3 years ago and found about a dozen amazon and other gift cards in a drawer . They were all still good to use.
Many People forget or just don't use them right away . This is the reason so many places give credits versus refunds. At my course if you book a 4-some and only show up with 3 golfers , you are still on the hook for that 4th spot ( $89/$99 plus tax). They are charged and given a credit/rain check to use another time. Only about 50% ever get used.
there is a service up here called Underpar golf that sells off discounted green fees , usually a 2 for 1 type deal. This is often done in the off season. We've used them in the past as it can generate a quick $100k . They have a year to be used but many end up being not used .
As for the doctored Gift cards at retailers, that has been a problem up here for several years and has required changes in how the gift cards are made ( many are in cardboard sleeves or have a protective strip over the band/code and in some cases they are stored behind the counter. Often it's an inside job