In one of its
latest decisions the Higher Regional Court of Linz (Austria) ruled
that vouchers are generally valid for 30 years.
The practice of limiting a grocery store's voucher card to a
validity period of three years has been declared invalid by the
Higher Regional Court of Linz. The Association for Consumer
Information ("VKI") sued a supermarket on behalf of the
Ministry of Social Affairs, resulting in a legally binding verdict
by the Higher Regional Court.
"In principle, the right to purchase goods with a voucher
expires after 30 years. For a shorter validity period of the
voucher, a sufficient objective reason must be present. The shorter
the expiration period is, the more valid this justification must
be", explained the responsible VKI lawyer. The supermarket
justified the three-year time limit with safety concerns, which the
court did not accept as sufficient justification. The court also
could not identify any other justified reason for the given
