Gift cards are more popular this year and are easier to use, thanks to key rulings by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and efforts by a number of states to regulate them, several retail experts said.

“As recently as three years ago, nobody paid any attention to them,” said Ellen Cannon, managing editor of Bankrate.com. “I guess there was enough of an outcry that states started putting in laws.”

Although the gift card industry has become more regulated, many consumer advocates still say people should be vigilant when buying and using cards.

Consumers should be particularly wary of cards purchased from the big four credit card issuers and major shopping mall operators, because such cards are not as well regulated and tend to have expiration dates and maintenance fees or dormancy fees, they said.

Consumers also have to be take more responsibility, experts said.

“If you are the recipient of a gift card, use it promptly because if you don’t, it may devalue or, more likely, you may lose it,” said Jack Gillis, a spokesman for the Consumer Federation of America. “It seems clear that these companies are benefiting from the fact that a lot of gift cards simply don’t get used for whatever reason.”

A recent survey by Consumer Reports found that many gift cards go unredeemed; 27 percent of respondents had not yet used gift cards received last year. Tower Group, a research and advisory firm in Needham, Mass., found that $7.8 billion in gift card value will go unused this year. Last year, the firm’s study showed that $8 billion had been left unspent.

Consumer advocates advise gift givers to make sure they buy cards from a business the recipient will actually want to go to.

For the recipient, the advocates advise registering the cards with the issuers if they can, in case they get lost or damaged. In addition to using the cards promptly, they recommend spending them to the last penny.

Greg Daugherty, executive editor for Consumer Reports, recommends steering clear of gift cards.

“One of the reasons I think gift cards are appealing is that they’re shiny and pretty and seem like more thought went into them,” he said. “But money is more convenient and doesn’t expire and has no maintenance fees.”