How to get money back for your low value gift cards

Some of you might find having a gift card with just a few dollars of value left on it, inconvenient and not worth keeping.

But Richard Holober of Consumer Federation of California says don't throw it away.

"In California you have the right to cash it in once the value is below $10," he said. "And also, they cannot charge fees for like the card being dormant and things like that which are charged in other states, but not in California."

He emphasized that retailers in California can't drain the value of the card simply because you're not using it fast enough.