I got a gift certificate to a downtown Baltimore spa for my birthday back in March. The procrastinator that I am, I never got around to using it, and it’s set to expire in September.

I was getting anxious trying to figure out when I would have time to go until someone pointed out to me that legally it can’t expire that soon.

The General Assembly passed a law in 2006 that said gift certificates and gift cards bought for a specific store couldn’t expire until four years after the date it was bought. National gift cards, such as ones issued from Visa and Mastercard, can expire sooner. But the expiration must be clear on the card or certificate.

I called the Maryland Attorney General’s Office to make sure and spokeswoman Shanetta Paskel confirmed the law to me.

“They would not be able to expire in a year,” Pascal said. “If some company is doing that or some specific restaurant is doing that, then that is illegal in Maryland.”

After talking to Paskel, I thought about several gift certificates I bought from Restaurant.com. I bought them last October and the certificates said they expire a year after purchase. I still have about four left and was wondering when I’d use them all. Paskel said if they’re for a specific restaurant they can’t expire in a year.

 I called Restaurant.com to ask them about the expiration dates and am still waiting word. A spokeswoman is looking into it. I’ll let you know what they say.

In the meantime, this is just a friendly reminder to consumers to remember your rights when it comes to gift cards and gift certificates. Many businesses obviously don't know the rules. Stand up for your four years.