The holiday shopping season is underway, and gift cards promise to be a popular gift item once again. But Katie Gerst, assistant professor of marketing at Temple's Fox School of Business, says they will be more consumer friendly this year due to the new Credit Card Disclosure Act. "The provisions say the gift card cannot expire in any amount of time less than five years from the purchase date, and it also restricts banks from charging dormancy fees until the card has been inactive for at least 12 months."