New York’s Hidden Gift Card Money Could Pay You

If you’ve ever had a gift card tucked into a drawer, a wallet, and completely forgotten about it, you’re not alone.

And according to CNY Central, that little piece of plastic might actually be worth real money that you can still get back.

The New York State Comptroller’s Office says millions of dollars in unused gift card balances get handed over to the state every single year. In 2025 alone, more than $28 million in gift card money was turned into the state’s unclaimed funds system simply because people didn’t use their cards.

How the New York 5-Year Gift Card Law Works

Here’s how it works. Under New York law, if a gift card goes unused for five years, retailers have to transfer whatever money is left on it to the state’s Office of Unclaimed Funds. That office then holds the money for the rightful owner, no matter how much time passes.

“The law is really about protecting people’s money and making sure they always have the right to claim it,” Kelly Kuracina, director of the Office of Unclaimed Funds, told CNY Central.

In other words, even if your gift card is long gone, the money attached to it might not be.

Simple Ways to Protect Your Gift Card Balance

Kuracina says the easiest way to avoid losing track of gift cards is also the simplest: use them. But if you’re saving it for later, she recommends registering the card as soon as you get it. Most gift card companies let you do this online or by phone, and it links the balance to your name, making it much easier to recover if the card is lost or forgotten.

Even if you never registered the card and paid for it in cash, there’s still hope. If you have the card number or even a copy of the card, the Comptroller’s Office can usually track it down.

“If someone has a card and they never registered it, they can still call us or write to us,” Kuracina said. “With that account number, we can find it and get it back to them.”

How to Search the NY Unclaimed Funds Database

To see if New York is holding money that belongs to you, all you have to do is search the Comptroller’s unclaimed funds database using your name and ZIP code. If something pops up, you can file a claim online for free. If it’s approved, the state sends you a check.

Last year alone, more than 150,000 New Yorkers got unexpected money back this way. So if you’ve got a pile of old gift cards, or even just a feeling that one got forgotten along the way, it might be worth a quick search.