Gift cards: Ample opportunity for customers to recover unused money, says Amazon

Customers can simply and easily contact our customer care team for reactivation, says company in response to AP Deputy CM’s call

Amaravati: Following Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan’s call for simplicity, transparency, and equity in recovering the balance of expired gift cards from e-commerce players, Amazon stated on Tuesday that it offers ample opportunities for customers to recover their money and adheres to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines.

Pawan Kalyan on Monday alleged that the process was seamless when adding money to an Amazon gift card but the opposite when trying to recover money from an expired one.

He said users were compelled to contact customer service, explain their situation, and go through a lengthier and complicated procedure, instead of the unused balance automatically going back to the linked bank account.

“Gift card issuer sends two reminders to the gift card purchaser before the expiration date. Even after the expiration, customers can simply and easily contact our customer care team for reactivation, if needed,” Amazon said in a statement.

Besides adhering to the relevant regulations and guidelines of the RBI, Amazon said its co-branded gift cards can be redeemed on its e-commerce platform and across more than 10,000 apps for everyday use cases.