Paperchase collapses into administration - use your gift vouchers NOW while you still can

Paperchase sold stationery and gifts both online and across 106 high stores, which will continue trading as normal for now, though they're not part of the sale to Tesco.  

If you're looking to buy stationery for less, see our Cheap online shopping guide to learn top techniques, and consider using cashback sites and cashback credit cards to get maximum value - though only borrow if you can afford to meet repayments in full each month. 

Gift cards and rewards must be spent by 14 February or they'll become worthless

When a firm goes into administration it's up to the administrator, in this case Begbies Traynor, whether gift cards will remain valid. In the case of Paperchase, any unspent gift cards and online gift vouchers must be spent by 14 February after which they won't be valid - so make sure you use them now before they become worthless. 

Any rewards accumulated on the Paperchase loyalty card - for example £5 birthday rewards - must also be spent within this time frame.

You can no longer buy Paperchase gift cards or vouchers either in-store or online. 

Any orders placed before Paperchase collapsed will still be honoured

The administrators say any online orders placed before Paperchase collapsed on 31 January will still be fulfilled.

Online orders can also continue to be placed and will still be honoured for now. In addition, you can still go into Paperchases' physical stores to make purchases as they are currently continuing to trade as normal.

However, be aware that the situation can change quickly when firms are in administration, and you may struggle to get a refund or your money back if something goes wrong or you change your mind. 

If you've changed your mind on a store purchase, Paperchase will no longer offer a refund

Firstly, it's important to distinguish between returns where you've changed your mind, and returns where an item is faulty. 

Where you've changed your mind on a purchase

Here, you only have a legal right to a refund for items purchased online - see our Consumer Rights guide for more on this. The administrators say you have 14 calendar days in which to return goods. You'll be offered a full cash refund if it's in its original condition. 

Goods purchased in store can no longer be refunded if you've decided you no longer want them, however you may be offered an exchange. Previously you could return goods you didn't want to a store within 30 days of purchase.

When an item is faulty

Under consumer rights law, where goods are faulty you should usually be offered a repair, replacement or refund. If these rights aren't being upheld by the retailer, you can complain to the administrator, or try to get your money back via alternative means - see below for more on this.

Paperchase will accept returns of faulty goods purchased both online and in store - in both cases you'll have 30 days to return the item.

How to try and get your money back from your card provider   

If you were planning to return an item for a refund and can no longer do so, an order you placed hasn't arrived, or you haven't had time to use a gift card you may be able to get your money back if you paid using a debit or credit card. 

• If you paid on credit card: Under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, if you pay for something costing between £100 and £30,000 on a credit card, the card firm's equally liable if something goes wrong. See our Section 75 guide for more details. 

• If you paid with a debit card or for an item costing less than £100 on credit card: Under chargeback – which isn't a legal requirement, just a customer service promise – your bank will try to get your money back from the bank of the firm you purchased from. Though be aware that even if you're paid, the firm itself can sometimes dispute it with the bank and the money may later be clawed back. You typically have 120 days from purchase to submit a claim. See our Chargeback guide for full info.

You can still contact Paperchase with any problems

If you need to get in touch with Paperchase for any reason, the administrators have confirmed you can still contact the Paperchase customer services team, for now, via their online chat service.