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Occasionally, gift card companies may try to charge you a fee for failing to use your card within a year. Federal law prohibits these types of charges. You cannot be charged an inactivity fee until after you have not used the card for a year and the card cannot expire for at least five years. You should also check your state laws regarding gift card fees and expiration dates as some states have banned these practices. You can review state and federal law regarding gift cards at: http://www.ncsl.org/research/financial-services-and-commerce/gift-cards-and-certificates-statutes-and-legis.aspx People are increasingly making large purchases over the internet. There are a number of things you can do to protect against fraud and consumer rights violations. One of the most important things that you should do is use a credit card when making online purchases. Credit card companies are responsible for fraudulent purchases over $50, whereas a debit card does not offer the same protection. Before making an online purchase, you should read the website's security policy and how it handles disputed charges. Some websites, such as eBay, offer customers a money back guarantee is a seller is unable to resolve an issue with your transaction. Whenever an Amazon account holder goes to purchase an item, the website automatically shift the person's account to an encrypted server to protect his or her payment information. Amazon also allows you to dispute any unauthorized charges through Amazon directly with the company. If you make a purchase that you regret or felt pressured into, under federal law consumers have the right to cancel the purchase by midnight of the 3rd business day after the sale. Your purchase must be for $25 or more in order for the cooling off rule to apply. While federal and state laws place requirements on retailers regarding refunds, one of the best ways to protect your consumer rights is to ask a retailer to explain their return and refund policy before you make a purchase. It is more likely that a large retail operation will have posted their refund policies, however smaller retail operations or individuals may not. In addition to asking a retailer to explain their policy, you should review your state's laws regarding refunds. You can find a summary of state refund laws at: http://consumer.findlaw.com/consumer-transactions/customer-returns-and-refund-laws-by-state.html.

Summary:
Challenge fees charged by gift cards. Use a credit card when making online purchases. Use the "cooling-off" rule. Ask a retailer to explain their return policy.