To expect change on a gift card?

[Puddleclucks]

Or am I completely out of touch?
We had a lovely £100 gift card for a local restaurant for Christmas. Went at lunch as it's such good value thinking we could go twice, but no! The waiter said they'd not transfer any leftover balance on to a new card. Use it or lose it set of thing.
I was a bit put out, I've never had a issue doing it before. No T's and C's anywhere staying this couldn't be done.

It use to be common back in the day for paper gift vouchers to work like this. I got in a right tizz as a teenager trying to make sure I spent the full amount in a department store but I've never had it with a plastic gift card, the balance remained unless it had an expiry date.

Is it a physical card or one they’ve printed themselves? I have a £50 for my favourite local restaurant and I know it’s going to be a spend it at once job as they won’t want to mess about with remaining balance and new bits of paper etc. they’re only a little independent place.

I would expect they could transfer, yes.

However, as they said no and it's a gift, could you ask the restaurant if they could add on a bottle of wine to make it up to the minimum spend? That is what I do for corporate events when I haven't met the minimum spend at a venue.

If it's a normal gift card and not a prize that had terms attached to it then anything you use should be left on the card til next time.
Was it a chain or an independent?

Ask them to show you in the T&Cs where it says you lose the unspent balance. They will be delighted to do this as it will shut you up. If they can’t do this, then they need to honour the balance.

Ask them to at least issue another gift card for the remaining balance.

Thanks for the opinions. It was a local independent Indian restaurant, Michelin star no less so you'd think they'd have good customer service.
Maybe I should have asked for the small print staying no change given, that might have helped my case.
I was loathe to ask for a bottle of wine or suchlike, I don't drink anymore and you usually end up with an £8 bottle for £30,which I only would have given to someone for a birthday or something.
I thought I was being super savvy getting two visits out of the voucher, never mind, we'll have to go back and have a blow out one evening.

I've had that so I ordered extra food, then asked for it to be packaged up and took it home, froze it and ate it the week after.