JD Sports has agreed to reissue nearly €250,000 in unspent gift card credit to Irish consumers after the company sold gift cards with incorrect expiry dates.
This decision follows engagement by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission with the UK sportswear retailer on the issue, reports RTE.
Under gift voucher legislation introduced in Ireland in December 2019, gift vouchers 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, reports RTE.
The CCPC said that when it contacted JD Sports, the retailer admitted the error and offered to “immediately take steps to remedy the losses to Irish consumers.”
As a result, JD Sports is reissuing 5,604 gift cards where an outstanding balance of €10 or more was cancelled on expiry of the card, reports RTE.
The affected gift cards were all bought online from late 2019 to late 2025, though gift cards bought in December 2025 were not affected.
JD Sports has calculated the expired value of the cards to be reissued at €246,859, and said the majority of gift vouchers sold by the company in Ireland had the correct expiry date applied, with affected cards representing a very small percentage of the total, reports RTE.
Commenting on the case, CCPC Chair 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,” reports RTE.
The consumer watchdog said JD Sports “co-operated fully” with it and has until 4 January 2027 to contact all affected consumers and reissue their gift cards.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, the Director of Communications with the CCPC Gráinne Griffin explained how JD Sports had applied British consumer laws to Ireland for some online customers, reports RTE.
“What happened here is that JD Sports treated Irish consumers who bought their vouchers online like British consumers, essentially, and sent out gift cards with just a 12-month expiry date on them.”
Ms Griffin said affected consumers will be contacted by JD Sports over the next number of weeks, reports RTE.
“It is a positive outcome. It’s a lot of money going back to Irish consumers. The consumers will be contacted in batches by JD Sports, several hundred at a time, over the coming weeks,” said Ms Griffin.
She said that all affected vouchers were bought online so there is “a trail behind them” and JD Sports will reissue vouchers to anyone who may have lost money as a result, reports RTE.
“JD Sports, essentially, just have to put the work in, make sure they contact all those consumers, and make sure those vouchers are reissued,” added Ms Griffin.
A spokesperson for JD Sports apologised to those affected, highlighting the issue was “limited to certain gift cards purchased online” and not in store, reports RTE.
“Earlier this year, it was brought to our attention that a small number of gift cards purchased online between December 2019 and December 2025 in Ireland incorrectly displayed a 12-month use period, rather than the 60-month period required under Irish consumer law.
“This issue was limited to certain gift cards purchased online and did not affect gift cards purchased in our stores, reports RTE.
“We apologise to those affected and have started the process of contacting customers to offer them a replacement.
“Our customers are our number one priority, and we recognise that on this occasion we fell short of the standards our customers rightly expect, reports RTE.
“We’re grateful to those who brought the issue to our attention and are pleased to have worked constructively with the CCPC to resolve this for our customers,” reports RTE.
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