JD Sports has agreed to reissue nearly €250,000 in unspent gift card credit to Irish consumers, after the company had sold gift cards to them with incorrect expiry dates.
This decision follows engagement by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) with the UK sportswear retailer on the issue.
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.
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.
The affected gift cards were all bought online from late 2019 to late 2025, but 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.
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."
The consumer watchdog said JD Sports "co-operated fully" with it and has until 4 January 2027 to contact all affected consumers and re-issue their gift cards.
