If Santa put a gift card in your stocking, New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli is urging you to spend it. According to the financial watchdog’s office, which monitors unused card balances, there are more than $55 million in gift card funds floating around NYC, much of that money dating back to purchases made in 2021.

“Spend those gift cards you get this holiday season, so they don’t become unclaimed funds,” DiNapoli said in a press release. “Also consider taking the extra step of registering the gift card so if you do forget about it, it’s easier to return those funds to you. No one wants to lose money, and we want to make sure if you do, you know you can always claim it by going to our website. Funds sent to our office never expire and are free to claim.”

According to DiNapoli’s office, of the $55.5 million in unused balances, Manhattanites have the most gift card money — $21.8 million, followed by Brooklyn residents with almost $13 million. Queens and the Bronx have an excess of $9.7 and $9.1 million, respectively, while Staten Island totals in at just under $2 million.

“After five years of inactivity, retailers are required by law to turn unused gift card balances over to the State Comptroller’s Office of Unclaimed Funds (OUF), where the money can always be claimed,” the press release said. “In 2025, DiNapoli’s office recovered more than $28 million in unused gift cards that New Yorkers can claim.”

But the comptroller’s office can send a notification only if it knows whom to look for — meaning the consumer must register the card with the retailer or if the gift card can be traced back to a credit or debit card.

“If the owner’s information is not known to a New York retailer, it will report the card details, such as card number and balance, which can be used by the recipient to claim the balance,” the release noted.

Unclaimed funds can be claimed at any time online, by phone at 800-221-9311 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, by mail, or at in-person events, which are held throughout the year across the state. Claims are always free to file, and funds never expire.

DiNapoli reminded gift card recipients to read the fine print on the card for details about any fees and expiration dates.