Generally how long can you keep a gift card?

How long can you keep a gift card before it expires? Do gift cards even expire? I'm planning on asking for gift cards to Best Buy for my birthday, and some remaining Christmas gifts that I might be getting, so I can save use them to buy an iPod Touch. My birthday isn't for another few months and I still have some gift cards left over from Christmas. So how long can I keep these.

I buy Best Buy gift cards for a few of my family members every year for Christmas and there is no expiration dates on them
http://www.bestbuy.com
Click on gift cards at the top of the page.
It really depends on the individual gift card. Some actually have expirations dates on the cards. Some don't expire at all.

It's best to use gift cards right away. Some actually charge fees after a certain period which eats up the card. The stores don't want outstanding gift cards on the books.

Your best bet would be to call Best Buy and ask if their policy on gift cards.
it depends on the store, ask b4 u buy
i ould suggest u get to spending those gift cards real soon. but urself an early bday present
lots of stores r going bankrupt and do NOT have to honor any cards at all
It depends on the company who issues the gift card. Beware that there may also be a monthly charge for not using the gift card. Its like a service charge, though there may be state laws against this.

You shouldn't have a problem keeping the cards for a few months til your birthday, but keep on eye on which stores are going out of business. Thats the first thing that they refuse to accept.