Diwali Gift Cards and Vouchers: Check the Expiry First
Only 2 of 9 brand gift cards on GiftScene say when they expire, and RBI's one-year rule doesn't cover them. What to check before you buy one for Diwali.
Photo: Tom Eppenberger Jr., CC BY 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
Your cousin gets a ₹3,000 gift card from you at Diwali, saves the email for a sale, and opens it in March. Whether the code still works depends on terms neither of you read.
We read the pages of all nine brand gift cards on GiftScene on 10 October 2026, priced from ₹500 to ₹10,000. Only two say when the card expires: Entisi and Nivarah, and both say never. A third advises you to claim the amount within 30 days without saying what happens after.
That gap matters because the Reserve Bank of India's protections don't reach these cards. RBI's rules for prepaid payment instruments, last updated on 30 September 2026, promise at least one year of validity and a warning before a card expires. But a card a brand issues for its own shop is what RBI calls a closed-system instrument, and RBI says it does not regulate or supervise those.
A brand's own gift card is only as good as the terms on its page, because RBI's one-year validity rule covers multi-brand cards, not a single shop's own.
A brand's own card and a multi-brand card follow different rules
| Brand's own card | Multi-brand card | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it works | That brand's shop only | A group of named shops that accept it |
| RBI's name for it | Closed-system instrument | Semi-closed instrument |
| Regulated by RBI | No | Yes |
| How long it lasts | Whatever the brand says | At least one year |
| Warning before expiry | Not required | During the 45 days before |
| Highest value | The brand's choice | ₹10,000 per gift card |
| Cash back | Brand's terms | Not allowed |
RBI's rules add one more protection for multi-brand cards from non-bank issuers: the issuer cannot book an expired balance as profit for three years, and must pay it into your bank account if you ask.
What nine brand gift cards on GiftScene say about expiry
Seven of the nine don't state an expiry date.
| Card | Values | Expiry on the page | Refund on the page | How it arrives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ugaoo | ₹500 to ₹5,000 | Not stated | Not stated | Emailed to the buyer to forward |
| Kitsters | ₹500 to ₹3,000 | Not stated | Not stated | Emailed to the recipient instantly |
| Nicobar Diwali card | ₹1,000 | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| MAP Shop | ₹1,000 to ₹5,000 | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| akiiko | ₹1,000 to ₹3,000 | Not stated | Non-refundable | Code emailed to the recipient |
| Entisi | ₹1,000 to ₹10,000 | Never expires | Non-refundable, no cash | Recipient's inbox |
| Nivarah | ₹1,000 to ₹10,000 | Never expires | Not stated | Recipient's email |
| Pure Home + Living | ₹2,000 to ₹10,000 | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| The Artment | ₹5,000 | "Claim within 30 days" advised | Non-refundable | 24 to 48 hours |
The gift cards that suit a slow Diwali recipient
A gift card works when the person can use it on their own schedule, and most people don't spend a festive card in the festive week. They wait for a sale, a birthday or a move. Entisi's page covers the questions a recipient would ask: it never expires, leftover balance stays on the card for the next order, it cannot be swapped for cash, and a lost code cannot be reissued, so the email is worth keeping. Nivarah states its expiry plainly too. akiiko and Entisi both say they charge no processing fee. The Artment's advice to claim within 30 days runs the other way, and it also says two cards can't be combined in one order. We would only buy a brand card whose page states its expiry in writing; if it doesn't, email the seller before paying and keep the reply.
Match the card to the person
A brand card works best when you know which shop they already like:
- Plant people: Ugaoo, for plants, planters and plant care.
- Children who like making things: Kitsters, for any of its DIY kits.
- Art lovers: the Museum of Art & Photography's online shop.
- Fashion: Nicobar's ₹1,000 Diwali card.
For someone who would rather have an hour off than another thing, a spa voucher does the same job. Its page didn't show a validity period when we checked, so confirm it at checkout. More are on our spa vouchers page, and the case for experiences is in why an experience beats a third candle set.
Gift cards & vouchers
Spa & massage vouchers
Gift cards for employees and the ₹15,000 rule
Vouchers count as gifts under the new ₹15,000 tax-free limit for employees, while cash is taxed like salary; our guide to the ₹15,000 rule works out what that means at each tax slab. One catch for HR teams: an RBI-regulated multi-brand gift card can hold at most ₹10,000, so a ₹15,000 multi-brand voucher means two cards. For bulk orders, see corporate Diwali gifting.
Before you buy any gift card this Diwali
- Find the expiry in writing, on the page or in an email from the seller.
- Check whether leftover balance stays on the card.
- Check delivery time: The Artment says 24 to 48 hours.
- Ask whether the code goes to you or straight to the recipient.
- Keep the order email; most cards can't be reissued.
Lakshmi Puja falls on Sunday 8 November 2026. Kitsters says its card arrives instantly, but The Artment allows up to 48 hours, so order cards by 6 November. For dates and budgets, see the Diwali gifts 2026 guide, and all cards are on our gift cards page.
Diwali gift cards: common questions
Do gift cards in India expire after one year?
RBI-regulated multi-brand cards must last at least a year. A brand's own card follows the brand's terms; Entisi and Nivarah say theirs never expire.
Can I get cash for an unused gift card?
RBI does not allow cash-out on regulated gift cards. Of the brand cards we read, akiiko, Entisi and The Artment say theirs are non-refundable.
Method: we read the product page and product data of each of the nine brand gift cards on GiftScene on each seller's own site on 10 October 2026; all were on sale at the values shown. "Not stated" means the page said nothing on that point, not that the card has no policy; the seller's general terms may cover it. The RBI rules are from its Master Direction on Prepaid Payment Instruments, as updated on 30 September 2026. Prices change. None of these sellers pays GiftScene.
