JD Sports to return almost €250,000 in unspent gift card credit

Under gift voucher legislation introduced in December 2019, they must be valid for at least five years. However, since the legislation was introduced, gift cards bought online from JD Sports were issued with just a one-year expiry date.

Almost €250,000 in unspent gift card credit from the multinational sportswear retailer, JD Sports, is to be returned to Irish consumers.

The decision follows an intervention by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) with John David Sports Fashion (Ireland) Limited, trading as JD Sports, about reports that gift cards had been sold to Irish consumers with incorrect expiry dates.

Under gift voucher legislation introduced in December 2019, they must be valid for at least five years. However, since the legislation was introduced, gift cards bought online from JD Sports were issued with just a one-year expiry date.

When contacted by the commission, JD Sports “admitted the error and offered to immediately take steps to remedy the losses to Irish consumers”, a commission spokesperson said.

JD Sports will now reissue 5,604 gift cards where an outstanding balance of €10 or more was cancelled on expiry of the card.

The company has until January 4, 2027 to contact all affected consumers and re-issue their gift cards.

'Extra time' to spend vouchers

The affected cards were all bought online between late 2019 and late 2025. 

JD Sports has calculated the expired value of the cards to be re-issued at €246,859.

The commission's chairperson, Brian McHugh, said: “Ireland has stricter gift voucher rules than neighbouring jurisdictions, with a five-year minimum expiry period.

“This case shows why consumers need that extra time to spend gift vouchers. Customers of JD Sports lost out on almost a quarter of a million euro when their gift vouchers expired after only 12 months. Following a CCPC intervention, that loss is now going to be set right.

“JD Sports co-operated fully with the CCPC, and we were glad to be able to move quickly to resolve the issue and confirm this positive outcome for consumers."