Consumers stand to lose billions on gift cards this year. Here are four things you must do to make sure you get your money's worth.

Gift card sales are down this year because of the economy. Still, millions of consumers are spending a lot of hard cash, on the pre-paid plastic.

And if past years are any indication, retailers and banks will end up keeping billions from gift cards that are never used.

According to the research firm, TowerGroup, gift card sales this year will total more than $88 billion.

But TowerGroup's earlier research shows as much as $8 billion of those dollars will not be used by the consumer holding the card.

Some of the money will be eaten up in hidden fees and service charges.

KOMO viewer Marta of Seattle says she just got stung on a $100 VISA gift card that doesn't expire until next September.

"I tried to use it, but it was rejected," she emailed the Problem Solvers. "They told me the card was only worth $49 after service charges."

Service charges are a big complaint with credit card company gift cards. But charges and fees aside, the tanking economy has more retailers facing bankruptcy, leaving the fate of some retail gift cards in jeopardy. In the past, retailers in finical trouble have sold their store gift cards right until the time they went belly-up.

To avoid a gift card "gotcha":

1. Research the retailer before you buy. Do a Google search of the store name, along with the key words 'financial trouble 2008.' Read the articles carefully, and you'll get a feel for how the retailer is doing financially.
2. Regardless of whose card it is, if you get a gift card, use it right away. The faster you use the card, the less you have to worry about the card losing value.
3. Read all the fine print about fees and charges.
4. Keep the receipt.

A Consumer Reports survey found more than one in four people who got gift cards during the holiday had still not used one or more of them, one year later. So again, if you get a gift card this year, use it immediately.

And if you have a gift card you haven't used, make tracks to the store and spend it.