Sometimes finding a gift for a loved one can be one of the hardest decisions you'll make but now with a new law it may be more enticing to purchase a gift card.

Typically a gift card is looked at as not a "thoughtful" gift but Aubuchon Hardware Employee, Patrick Hussey, talks about how gift cards can be a nice present.

"If you know a consumer likes to shop at a certain place it makes sense to get them a gift card. You know gift cards are not a real glamorous gift they're a useful gift, they're a practical gift so you know that's why I think they're so popular."

Gift cards are an easy gift to give since it gives the power for the recipient of the gift card to buy whatever they want. There is one hitch with a gift card and that's an expiration date. Hussey talks about other stipulations with gift cards.

"Normally they are a one year expiration date on them. There are no service fees that I'm aware of but there is an expiration date on them."

In the U.S. only 20 states have no expiration dates on gift cards before 2 years. Now all 50 states will no longer be able to enforce expiration dates. A new rule developed by the United States federal reserve mandates that consumers must have at least five years to use a gift card before they expire. Also gift card service fees and inactivity fees can only be enforced if the gift card hasn't been used for over a year and the consumer has been given clear terms of use. No more than one fee can be charged per month after a year of inactivity. Hussey thinks that the new gift card rules will benefit the consumer.

"Well I think it's good for the consumer You know a lot of times when people buy gift cards they're not sure what they want and it takes a while for them. It's nice that they can have some time to think about what they want and when they want to use it."

Current Vermont law says that all gift cards have to be valid for at least three years. The new national gift card regulations will only help bolster Vermont's law. The new national rules will be in effect in August.