Minuto vouchers are only valid for a limited period. Why is that so and what are the advantages and disadvantages of limited validity?

Notice: The information about the validity applies to Germany and Switzerland. For other countries please check the legal notice at the end of this article.

How long are Minuto vouchers valid?

Every Minuto voucher expires at the end of the 5th year after it is issued. At the top left of each voucher you will see the relevant year, which the creator entered when issuing the voucher.

The calculation is simply the year of issue plus 5, for example 2025 + 5 = 2030.

Minuto vouchers issued in Germany or Switzerland can therefore be valid for 5 to 6 years, depending on the date of issue.

Minimum validity

As in Germany and Switzerland, Minuto vouchers are legal documents, the relevant legal provisions apply to them, particularly with regard to minimum validity:

The laws in those countries have provisions for the minimum validity for vouchers in general:

Vouchers issued in Germany must usually be valid for at least 3 years from the end of the year of issue, see § 195 and § 199 BGB.

In Switzerland, the legal minimum validity for vouchers for smaller goods and services is 5 years from the date of issue, see Art. 128 OR.

In both countries, the validity of Minuto vouchers is therefore higher than the legal minimum validity. This is relevant for Minuto vouchers in the following case:

You may only put Minuto vouchers issued by you into circulation (for the first time or again) if they are valid for at least three years (Germany) or five years (Switzerland) - unless the recipient agrees to the shortened validity.

To learn more about the rules of Minuto check out the Minuto wiki.

Advantages and disadvantages of limited validity

Now, let's take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of the limited validity of Minuto vouchers.

Advantages

• Revitalization: The limited validity ensures that Minutos are not hoarded for long, but are put back into circulation. This promotes the exchange of services and goods and revitalizes the region.
• Increased turnover: Service providers can generate more turnover as voucher holders have to act quickly to redeem their vouchers.
• Customer loyalty: It can contribute to voucher holders becoming loyal to the voucher issuer as they have to hurry to use the voucher.
• Limitation of power: Voucher holders (creditors) cannot accumulate wealth in the long term and therefore cannot exercise power over the voucher creators (debtors).
• Better planning: Voucher issuers are able to better plan their working time for redeeming their debts and reduce the burden.
• Reduced losses: If Minuto vouchers are lost or stolen, the amount of loss for issuers is limited.

Disadvantages

• Effort/costs: For issuers and guarantors, it is a certain amount of work to manage several vouchers and validity periods and to issue new vouchers. This is partially offset by the fact that some vouchers are never redeemed by the issuer.
• Limited value retention: Saving minutos is not possible in the long term, only useful in the short or medium term, for example for larger purchases.
• Annoyance: Voucher holders can get annoyed if they cannot use the expired voucher. However, the issuer can be accommodating and still accept it at full or partial value in order to still be able to make a sale and keep the voucher holder happy.

Conclusion

The fact that Minuto vouchers are only valid for a limited period has more advantages than disadvantages. Moreover, it corresponds to the processes of all life on this finite planet. The only thing that is unlimited is infinity.

For Germany:
Information on the validity of vouchers in general can be found in this knowledge article in German by the consumer advice center (Verbraucherzentrale).

For Switzerland:
Ten general questions answered about vouchers in this article in German by K-Tipp Rechtsschutz.

Legal notice

This is not legal advice and the information is without guarantee. Everyone who uses Minuto is responsible for checking and complying with applicable laws. If you want to issue and/or use Minuto vouchers in other countries than Germany or Switzerland you should check the applicable legal provisions or consult a lawyer and a tax advisor.

Thanks for reading and till next time,
David

Image credit:
Own work, Minuto voucher by minutocash.org under Copyleft licence