As with the expiration date, exchanging a gift card for cash can be done by the merchant. Rules and regulations may differ per country. For instance, in Canada, you can exchange your gift card for money if there is a balance of less than $5. States in the U.S. have different regulations as well. California can be exchanged with a balance of less than $10, while other states may not allow exchanges. You may need to check on the specific regulation of your country/state.