The design is signed off. The front panel looks exactly right. Then someone opens the back panel and notices there is no expiry line anywhere, and the first run of 500 vouchers is about to go to print with a problem baked into every card.
Gift voucher terms and conditions are usually treated as an office policy. Once the wording is set down on the card stock, it becomes an artwork requirement. Under the Australian Consumer Law, vouchers sold from 1 November 2019 onward carry a minimum three-year redemption period, and the expiry has to be displayed on the card itself. That is not a policy you keep in a drawer. It is ink on the back panel, and it cannot be corrected after 500 copies come back from the printer.
This article translates the rules into what must be printed, where that wording fits on a DL or A6 back panel, and how to handle a per-voucher issue date. This article is general information about what to print on a voucher, not legal advice. Confirm your obligations with the ACCC, your state consumer body or your own adviser.
The short version
- A voucher sold from 1 November 2019 onward must keep a redemption period of at least 3 years.
- The expiry has to be shown on the card, either as a date or as a period next to the issue date.
- A voucher with no expiry date must say so in words on the card.
- No post-purchase fees, such as activation or account keeping, may be charged.
- Paper vouchers are treated the same way as plastic gift cards.
- Some voucher types are exempt from the three year rule.
- The ACCC can investigate and take compliance or enforcement action.
The 3 years rule for printed vouchers
The rule is short. Per the ACCC, any gift card supplied or purchased from 1 November 2019 has a redemption window of at least 3 years from that day.
The start date matters because every voucher you sell from that point forward carries the same requirement. A printed paper voucher is treated the same way as a plastic gift card under the rules, so saying “we only do paper vouchers” is not an exemption.
Three years is the floor, not the ceiling. You can offer four years, five years, or a voucher that never expires, but the minimum stays the same.
What the expiry date rule means on the card
The ACCC says the expiry date must be prominently displayed. In a printed format, that means readable at the size you are actually printing, not six point grey type in a corner. The back panel is where this lives on almost every design.
The table below sets out what the rules require and how each requirement usually translates onto the card.
| Requirement | How it appears on a printed voucher | Where it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Expiry date prominently displayed | Fixed date, or a valid period shown with the date of issue | Back panel, near the issue date or redemption details |
| Issue date when using a period | Date of issue printed alongside the validity period | Back panel, directly under the expiry line |
| No expiry date | Words such as “No expiry date” | Back panel, in the same terms block |
| No post-purchase fees | No activation, account keeping, balance inquiry or inactivity fee wording | Back panel terms block, with that wording omitted |
Three ways to show expiry with an issue date
Fixed expiry date. This is the simplest to read. The card names a specific calendar day, so the holder sees one clear deadline. It is also the hardest to print on a static run, because every card in the stack carries the same date.
Period plus issue date. This is the option that suits a printed run. The period stays the same on every card, and only the issue date changes. The ACCC gives the format directly: “Valid for 4 years from the date of issue. Date of issue: March 2021”.
No expiry date. The card must say so in plain words; the ACCC uses “No expiry date” as the wording. It removes the printing problem entirely, because there is no date to vary. The trade is commercial: an unredeemed voucher never falls off the books, which matters when you reconcile sales and plan cash flow.
Fees that must not appear in your voucher terms
The ACCC’s position is that any gift card purchased after 1 November 2019 cannot carry fees or charges for the recipient after purchase. That includes activation, account keeping, balance inquiry and inactivity charges.
Consumer Affairs Victoria says the same rule at state level: businesses cannot impose post-purchase or administration fees that reduce the value of the gift card. Payment processing, card replacement and international transactions remain the narrow exceptions.
The printing consequence is direct. A terms block that mentions an administration or reactivation fee is a terms block that contradicts the law. Before the back panel is set, it is worth reading any inherited wording for old fee clauses.
Which vouchers are exempt from the 3 year rule
| Exempt category | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Reloadable or top-up cards | The three year minimum does not apply to this voucher type. |
| Promotional donations | Vouchers given as promotional donations sit outside the three year rule. |
| Limited-period cards | A card sold for a limited period is not covered by the three year minimum. |
| Genuine discount cards | The rule does not apply to a genuine discount card. |
| Employee rewards | Employee reward vouchers are outside the three year requirement. |
| Loyalty programs | Loyalty scheme vouchers are not covered by the three year rule. |
| Second-hand cards | A second-hand card is outside the three year minimum. |
| Temporary marketing promotions | Temporary promotional vouchers are exempt from the three year requirement. |
| Cards supplied to certain charities or government agencies | These cards are outside the three year rule. |
An exemption is narrow. It attaches to the voucher type, not to the whole business. A salon that gives away a free promotional voucher and also sells vouchers over the counter is running two different objects with two different rules.
The ACCC can investigate and take compliance or enforcement action if a business breaks the rules.
Laying out the back panel of a two-panel voucher
Custom gift vouchers are printed flat in DL (99 x 210 mm) or A6 (105 x 148 mm). The front is the design panel. Front only printing is the standard, so the reverse stays unprinted. If the terms and conditions need to sit on the back, choose the Front & back option in the Printing group at $0.20 per voucher. The printed back can then carry the terms, redemption details or a personalised To and From section.
The realistic content budget is tighter than most artwork files allow. Expiry statement, redemption instructions, business name and contact, and a voucher number already fill most of a DL back panel. Our DL and A6 size guide walks through that space trade in more detail. The minimum order is 25 vouchers, so the back panel copy is worth settling before the run begins.
The trade to name honestly is this: a busy front design plus a full terms block is what usually pushes a voucher from DL to A6.
Using Variable Data for per-voucher issue dates
Variable Data is the direct answer to the period-plus-issue-date format. Each voucher can carry unique content, sequential numbering, unique voucher codes, recipient names or personalised amounts. You supply the data in a spreadsheet and Paperlust merges it into the design. The cost is $0.40 per voucher inclusive of GST, added to the base order total.
The same mechanism gives sequential numbering or unique codes, which is what makes a voucher reconcilable at the till. Every personalised voucher receives an individual quality check, and any voucher affected by a data error on Paperlust’s side is reprinted at no charge.
The proof includes a data-merge sample, so you can see exactly how the variable fields land before the order prints. Nothing prints until you approve the proof.
The honest limit is this: if you do not know the issue dates in advance, a period-from-issue line with the date left to be written or stamped at the point of sale is the practical alternative.
What to check before you print
A short ordered check on the back panel before the PDF gets approved:
- Does it carry an expiry statement in one of the three permitted forms: fixed date, period plus issue date, or a stated no-expiry line?
- Does it avoid any post-purchase fee wording, including activation, account keeping, balance inquiry or inactivity charges?
- Does it name the business and explain how to redeem the voucher?
- Is the type big enough to read at the actual printed size?
The proof is the last free correction point. Nothing goes to print until you approve it, and any wording problem caught now is a change to a PDF. The same problem caught after production is a reprint of a few hundred vouchers.
For the broader artwork and format decisions, our gift voucher printing guide covers the planning steps. This guide is general information about voucher artwork and copy, not legal advice. Confirm your own requirements with the ACCC, your state consumer body or an adviser.
Frequently asked questions
How long must a gift voucher be valid for in Australia under the 3 years rule?
Under the Australian Consumer Law, a gift voucher or gift card supplied or purchased from 1 November 2019 onward has a minimum redemption window of 3 years from that day. The ACCC treats three years as the floor, not the ceiling. A business can choose four years, five years or an open-ended voucher, but three years is the shortest allowed period.
Does the expiry date have to be printed on the voucher?
Yes. The ACCC says the expiry date must be prominently displayed on the card. It can appear as a fixed date. It can also be shown as a period of time next to the issue date, in the format ‘Valid for 4 years from the date of issue. Date of issue: March 2021’. If the voucher has no expiry, the card must state ‘No expiry date’ or similar wording.
Are paper gift vouchers covered or only plastic gift cards?
Paper gift vouchers are covered the same way as plastic gift cards. The rules are written for gift cards and vouchers together, and Consumer Affairs Victoria also addresses the two as a single category. A business cannot avoid the requirements by saying it only prints paper vouchers. If the voucher is sold to a customer, the same expiry and fee rules apply.
Can a business charge fees to reactivate an expired voucher?
No. Under the ACCC rules, a gift card purchased after 1 November 2019 cannot include post-purchase fees or charges. Activation, account keeping, balance inquiry and inactivity charges are all prohibited. Consumer Affairs Victoria adds that payment processing, card replacement and international transactions are the narrow exceptions. A reactivation fee would reduce the value of the voucher and is not one of the permitted charges.
Which gift vouchers are exempt from the three year rule?
Exempt voucher types include reloadable or top-up cards, promotional donations, limited-period cards, genuine discount cards, employee rewards, loyalty programs, second-hand cards, temporary marketing promotions, and cards supplied to certain charities or government agencies. The exemption attaches to the voucher type, not to the whole business. A business can sell a standard voucher and give away an exempt promotional voucher at the same time, with different rules applying to each.
What happens if a business gets it wrong under the ACCC rules?
The ACCC can investigate and take compliance or enforcement action if a business breaks the gift card rules. There are penalties available, but no penalty figures are published on the source page used here, so no amount should be assumed. The practical risk for a printed voucher is simpler: once a run is printed with incorrect wording, the cards cannot be corrected without a reprint.
How do you print a different issue date on every voucher with Variable Data?
Variable Data lets each voucher carry unique content such as an issue date, sequential number, unique code, recipient name or personalised amount. You supply the data in a spreadsheet and Paperlust merges it into the artwork. The cost is $0.40 per voucher inclusive of GST, added to the base order total. The proof includes a data-merge sample, and every personalised voucher receives an individual quality check before the order is approved.
