Gift Card Policy

Purpose

Missouri State University Bookstore gift cards provide customers with prepaid purchasing value that may be used toward eligible merchandise and services offered by the Missouri State University Bookstore and participating Bookstore locations.

This policy establishes the terms for the purchase, use, redemption, expiration, replacement, and refund of Bookstore gift cards.

Use of Gift Cards

Missouri State University Bookstore gift cards may be used toward the purchase of eligible merchandise and services at locations and through sales channels authorized by the Bookstore.

Eligible purchases may include, but are not limited to:

Certain products, services, charges, or transactions may be excluded when the transaction cannot be processed through the Bookstore's gift-card payment system.

No Cash Redemption

Bookstore gift cards are intended for the purchase of eligible goods and services and are not cash accounts.

Gift cards:

Cash redemption will be permitted only when specifically required by applicable law.

Federal Regulation E, 12 C.F.R. §1005.20, defines a store gift card as prepaid value redeemable at a merchant or affiliated group of merchants for goods or services. Federal law establishes consumer protections for gift cards but does not create a general requirement that merchants redeem store gift cards for cash.

Missouri law also recognizes gift certificates, credit memos, and credit balances that are redeemable in merchandise only.

Student Account Transfers

A Missouri State University Bookstore gift card represents prepaid purchasing value with the Bookstore. It is not a deposit into a student's Missouri State University account.

For that reason, gift-card balances may not be transferred to a student's University account as a general credit or used to create a refundable credit balance on the student's account.

Gift-card value may not be converted into University account credit that could subsequently be refunded to the student as cash.

StreamlinED and Inclusive Access Course Materials

StreamlinED Inclusive Access materials are handled differently from traditional Bookstore purchases.  When a student is enrolled in a participating course, qualifying digital course materials may be made available electronically and the related charge may be placed directly on the student's University account.

Because these transactions are processed through the University's student-account and course-material systems rather than through a standard Bookstore point-of-sale transaction, Bookstore gift cards cannot currently be applied directly to StreamlinED charges.

Future Payment Option

The Bookstore may evaluate whether its financial and technology systems can support the use of gift cards as payment specifically toward eligible Bookstore-generated StreamlinED charges. If such an option is implemented, redemption would be limited to payment of the qualifying Bookstore charge and would not convert the gift card into unrestricted University account credit or cash. Until such a process is formally established, gift cards may not be applied to StreamlinED charges appearing on a student account.

Traditional Textbooks and Course Materials

Gift cards may be used for eligible textbooks, course materials, access codes, supplies, and related educational products when the purchase is processed directly through an authorized Bookstore sales channel and the Bookstore's payment system accepts gift cards for that transaction. The fact that a product is required for a course does not automatically make it eligible for gift-card payment. Eligibility depends upon how the particular product or charge is processed.

Expiration of Gift-Card Funds

The Bookstore will comply with applicable federal requirements governing gift-card expiration.

Under Regulation E, the underlying funds associated with a consumer gift card generally may not expire earlier than five years after the date the card was issued or, for a reloadable card, five years after funds were last loaded, as applicable.

Lost, Stolen, or Damaged Gift Cards

Gift cards should be treated like cash and protected accordingly. If a gift card is lost, stolen, damaged, or otherwise unusable, the Bookstore may replace the card when sufficient information is available to verify the card and its remaining balance. Customers may be asked to provide information such as:

Replacement is subject to verification that an unused balance remains on the card. The Bookstoreis not responsible for funds used by an unauthorized person before the card is reported lost or stolen unless otherwise required by law.

Returns of Merchandise Purchased With a Gift Card

When merchandise purchased with a Bookstore gift card is eligible for return under the Bookstore's applicable return policy, the amount originally paid with the gift card will generally be refunded to:

A gift-card purchase will not ordinarily be converted into a cash refund merely because the merchandise is later returned. If multiple forms of payment were used for the original purchase, refunds may be returned to the original methods of payment in accordance with Bookstore procedures.

Purchasing Gift Cards With Other Gift Cards

Bookstore gift cards may not be used to purchase additional gift cards, prepaid cards, cash-equivalent products, or other stored-value instruments unless specifically authorized by the Bookstore. This restriction is intended to protect customers and the University from fraud and improper conversion of stored value.

Online and In-Store Use

Gift cards may be redeemed through Bookstore sales channels that are technically capable of processing the applicable gift-card program. Availability may differ between:

If a particular sales channel cannot process Bookstore gift cards, the inability to use the card through that channel does not entitle the cardholder to a cash refund.

Fraud Prevention

The Bookstore reserves the right to refuse, suspend, or investigate a gift-card transaction when there is reasonable concern regarding fraud, alteration, unauthorized use, payment reversal, theft, or other misuse. The Bookstore may require identification or proof of purchase when reasonably necessary to investigate a disputed or unusual gift-card transaction.

Remaining Balances

Customers may use a gift card for multiple eligible purchases until the available balance has been exhausted. If a purchase exceeds the remaining gift-card balance, the customer may pay the remaining amount using another payment method accepted by the Bookstore.

Small remaining balances will remain available for future eligible purchases and will not be converted to cash except where required by applicable law.

Changes to This Policy

The Missouri State University Bookstore may modify this policy prospectively to address changes in law, technology, University procedures, or Bookstore operations.

Changes will not reduce rights applicable to previously purchased gift cards when doing so would violate applicable law or previously disclosed terms and conditions.