Leslie’s, the pool-supply chain with more than 900 stores in 38 states, says every gift card and Pool Perks loyalty benefit will still be honored while it reorganizes in Chapter 11 and closes 76 locations. The company filed prearranged bankruptcy petitions on September 30 in federal court in Texas, backed by a lender agreement that wipes out about 90% of its funded debt. An unspent gift card is a debt the retailer owes the cardholder, and a bankruptcy filing is the moment such promises get tested. Leslie’s has given customers its answer in writing, but it has not yet said which stores are the ones closing.
What Leslie’s has promised customers
For anyone holding a Leslie’s gift card or a balance of Pool Perks rewards, the question is whether it still works and whether it should be spent sooner or later. The company’s answer is yes to the first part, with one practical wrinkle for the 76 stores that are closing: a card is only useful where there is a store or website to use it. Cardholders near a closing location are the ones facing a deadline they cannot see yet, because the closing dates and the list of stores have not appeared on the customer page.
The 76 closing stores is the number to watch at Leslie’s, since the company has not published which locations they are and the next court hearing is October 27.
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On its customer information page, Leslie’s says gift cards can still be used under its existing policies, members keep earning rewards on every purchase, and returns, exchanges and free in-store water testing continue. The company says it is not going out of business and that all remaining stores are open and fully operational. It expects to emerge from Chapter 11 in early 2027, and the page says there are no changes to the loyalty program.
The wording is stronger in the company’s bankruptcy announcement, which says that all gift cards and loyalty program benefits will continue to be honored. CEO Jason McDonell said in the same release that “Leslie’s is here to stay.” Leslie’s also filed first-day motions to keep paying wages and benefits, maintain customer programs and honor vendor obligations, which is the court-approval step behind promises like these.
The case website kept by claims agent Kroll lists the filing under case number 26-90795 in the Southern District of Texas, with Judge Alfredo R. Pérez presiding. A first-day hearing took place on October 1, and a final hearing on certain first-day motions is set for October 27. The site does not say which motions are on that October 27 list, so whether the customer-program request is among them is not public yet.
Pool Perks points and what they are worth
Pool Perks is a points program, and the numbers show how small most balances are. When Leslie’s refreshed the program in May 2025, every member earned 1 point per dollar spent, and the base tier paid a $1 reward for every 50 points. A member who had spent $200 would hold 200 points, worth $4 in rewards at that tier.
Higher tiers pay more per point. Perks Elite members get a $5 bonus reward on joining and then $1 for every 33 points, while Perks MVP members get a $10 bonus and $1 for every 20 points. Those were the terms Leslie’s published in 2025, and the company now says the program has not changed, so a reward balance built under those rules is covered by the same promise as a gift card.
Because Leslie’s also sells through digital platforms, a store closing does not by itself strand a points balance, which can still be redeemed on later purchases. A gift card is a different case for anyone who lives near one of the 76 closing stores and shops only there. The company has not said whether closing locations will keep taking gift cards through their last day, so the safer reading of its statement is that cards work at the stores and online channels that remain.
Why the chain is in court
Leslie’s reached the filing with its lenders already on board. The restructuring agreement cuts about $685 million of funded debt, roughly 90%, and includes $90 million in new-money debtor-in-possession financing, a $60 million equity financing and a separate $225 million asset-based facility from existing lenders. The company expects to emerge under majority ownership of a group of its current lenders.
The same announcement says Leslie’s remains fully operational and committed to serving customers without interruption across its physical stores and digital platforms, with all other stores staying open. The 76 closures follow what the company described as a review of how to align its store network with customer demand, and Leslie’s said it is still evaluating the rest of its real estate during the case.
If a gift card goes unspent
The Bankruptcy Code gives a form of priority to ordinary consumers. Under section 507(a)(7), unsecured claims of individuals that arise from money deposited before a filing for goods or services that were never delivered rank seventh, up to a per-person cap. Judicial Conference adjustments raised that cap from $3,350 to $3,800 effective April 1, 2025. The statute’s text speaks of deposits and does not use the words gift card.
Leslie’s has pointed stakeholders to Kroll for case documents, at (844) 408-3397 in the U.S. and Canada or LesliesPoolInfo@ra.kroll.com, and the company’s own information page is the place where any change to gift card policy would appear first. Holders of cards from the 76 closing stores have the most to watch, since no closing-sale terms or last-day dates have been published.
The next public checkpoint is the October 27 hearing, and the company has promised in writing that all gift cards and loyalty benefits will be honored. Its plan has lenders taking majority ownership when it emerges in early 2027, so the promise made now will be tested by the owners who come out of the case, not the ones who filed it.
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This article was prepared with AI assistance and reviewed against the cited public sources.
