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Q. I got an iPhone in December, my first one, and for Christmas I got a gift card from iTunes from a buddy who also suggested some apps. I found those apps and some other apps I wanted to get but when I tried to buy them there was no way for me to use the gift card. I tried on the computer and on my iPhone but I couldn’t figure it out. I don’t want to ask my friend and look like a dope. So how can I use my gift card to buy apps?
A. Congratulations on getting your iPhone! Great idea to use that iTunes gift card for apps (you could also use it for movies, music, iBooks, TV shows).
You’re right, it’s confusing to use a gift card on iTunes. When you buy an app, there is no place to redeem the code from the card.
To redeem a gift card, scratch off the strip on the back of the card, revealing your code.
Redeeming a Gift Card in iTunes
Go to the iTunes Store home page and find Redeem at the top of the right hand column.
Click on Redeem and then enter your code from your gift card. Your account will be credited with the amount on the gift card. After you have redeemed the gift card, the balance of the gift card will appear at the top right hand corner of the iTunes screen next to the email address of your account.
Redeeming a Gift Card on the iPhone
To redeem an iTunes Gift Card on your iPhone, go to the App Store app, go to Featured, scroll to the bottom and press Redeem. (Well-hidden, isn’t it?)
This also tells you the balance remaining on your account.
Purchasing Apps with the Gift Card
After you have redeemed your gift card, you will have a balance on your account. When you purchase an app (or anything else from the iTunes Store), the amount of the purchase is deducted from that balance. After your balance is used up, any purchase you make is charged to the credit card you have registered to your iTunes account.
Have you ever wondered how to redeem an iTunes Gift Card? Do you enjoy seeing a balance from a gift card on your iTunes account? Let us know in the Comments section below!
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* iTunes Gift Cards image by yum9me
** iTunes Gift Card back (original, unaltered) by SimonQ้ซๆฟ่ญ๏ฃฟ
You always make things easy for us Carolyn. I admit, I had run into this same thing so I just bought what I wanted instead of using the card. Now I know what to do the next time… You are a life saver.
Have a fabulous day young lady and enjoy your weekend.
๐
Hi Adrienne, I’m so glad that you found this helpful. Apple doesn’t make it easy to redeem gift cards. It’s funny because they emphasize their products being so easy to use, but they don’t make it clear at all how to redeem their gift cards.
I hope you’re able to use your gift card to load up your iPod Touch with great apps. Be sure to let us know if you find any fun or useful apps!
I hope you have a wonderful weekend too, Adrienne! :-bd
I totally agree with Adrienne here Carolyn!
I guess most of us would truly be lost had it not been for your informative posts about various gadgets, and so many goodies you share with all of us. The best part is the explanation that is so simple to follow ๐ {Not to mention that the way you put up the post- makes one feel like buying all those things also!! ๐ }
Thanks so much for sharing and have a wonderful weekend ๐
Hi Harleena, thank you kindly. Iโm so glad you enjoyed this post. Sometimes people feel as if theyโre the only ones who donโt know something but thatโs never true. We all need to learn!
I hope if you ever do get a gadget and have questions, youโll feel free to ask questions, Harleena!
Have a lovely weekend, my friend. ๐
Sheesh, I wish you had posted this about six months ago! I have redeemed iTunes gift cards to use for apps – it took me several tries though before I got it right! It was even more challenging to have my seven year old son staring me down wondering why it was taking me so long!
Hi Ruth, You’re right, I should have written this a while ago. Sometimes we don’t know what other people don’t know until it’s asked of us. So please feel free to ask me if you have any tech questions. If your seven year old isn’t around, that is! ๐
Carolyn – I have to agree that Apple made the UI for iTunes a little different than what we had for all the Windows Apps before.
Most of us got confused how to use it, how to upload songs, how to create playlists etc. The only easy thing to do was Buy an App, they did make that a lot easier and with just a few clicks, your account is charged and you got the app sitting on your home screen ๐
I never really tried to redeem a iTunes Gift card as of now, but am pretty sure how difficult it will be for anyone to navigate through these options and get going. You have made it very easy and simple for everyone following this post.
Hi Praveen, Yes, the user interface is quite different for redeeming iTunes Gift Cards. It’s not apparent when you go to buy an app (or music, movies, etc.) how to redeem a gift card.
It’s funny because I started out on iTunes with a gift card way back when iTunes was brand new and not that many people had heard of it. I got my first iPod and I went to eBay and bought a $100 iTunes Gift Card for $75. It was easy to do in those days because people who got them as gifts didn’t necessarily want them so they sold them at a discount on eBay. Those days are gone, lol!
Because the first songs I bought on iTunes were with a gift card so I never thought about the fact that it’s not apparent how to redeem them until I got this question. I’m very grateful to the readers who ask me these questions and inspire topics for articles that help everyone! ๐
As an app, we do send promocodes to many users, and it also uses the same redeem button. So many times, I have to send a note “How to redeem” to users after I send them a promocode. Dunno why Apple keeps it kinda hidden!
FYI, the iTunes giftcard balance also works towards Mac AppStore. (if you have a Mac, i.e.).
Hi iRewardChart, Great point, this advice works for promo codes from developers too. A promo code is like a gift card for a specific app. You get a code, similar to the code on the back of an iTunes Gift Card. You redeem a promo code the same way, by entering into iTunes on your computer or the App Store app on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. But instead of receiving a credit, you will be downloading the app into iTunes or onto your device.
Thanks also for the great advice about the Mac App Store. Another awesome comment from iRewardChart! ๐
Thanks for this because I just got my first Apple the other day. I was a Blackberry fanatic for years and left the darkside after 6 years. You will be an iTune junkie soon like me. Thanks for the tips because I need to redeem some myself.
Hi Sonia, Congratulations on getting an iPhone! Make sure to check out other Wonder of Tech articles for great apps, tips and tricks. If you got an iPhone 4S, make sure to check out articles about Siri for helpful advice.
Let me know if you have any questions about using your new iPhone. Remember, The Wonder of Tech is here to help! ๐
Okay, Carolyn, this is now saved so that when I get my iPhone and people shower me with gift cards, I will know how to use them. Thanks much.
By the way, did you happen to see Saul’s post the other day “How to Eat, Talk & Know Philly?” If and when I ever do visit Philly, it seems like I am going to have to take language classes to understand what is being said.
Best wishes for a fabulous weekend. Aloha. Janet
Hi Janet, You’re right, once you get an Apple device, an iTunes Gift Card is always a welcome present to receive! Chances are they will be flooding in after you get your new iPhone.
Yes, I did see Saul’s excellent post on Philly and I commented that I thought he might be a wee bit homesick for the City of Brotherly Love. I’ve been to Osaka and let me just say the cheesesteaks are much better in Philly! ๐
Hi Carolyn, I need to send this to my mother. My parents bought a Mac a couple of years ago and still don’t know how to turn it on! I’ll go visit them and the laptop is still on the counter with cobwebs on it because it’s been unopened since the LAST time I was there. ๐
Seriously, I sent my mom a movie on iTunes once since I live 800 miles away and waited. I NEVER got a response saying she had opened it (though she thanked me by phone).
I love iTunes gift cards! They are seriously my favorite gift for Christmas by anyone. I save and store up my iTunes money and then I’m oddly selective about what I download. I hate paying for things. ๐
Hi Bryan, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! You’re right, your parents might be a bit intimidated by tech, but that’s exactly who this blog is written for. There are many people intimidated by tech, but most are reluctant to admit it for fear of seeming ignorant. But we all need to learn at some point because tech is becoming a bigger part of our lives every day. Many people were hesitant to use ATM machines when they first came out but by now almost everyone uses them. Same with cell phones. I imagine in the next few years the majority of cell phone owners will own smartphones.
I understand what it’s like to live far away from your folks and it’s very cool to be able to send movies across the miles instantly. I hope that your mother is able to use your gift. Once she learns how to watch a movie online, she will be able to enjoy many movies instantly without the need to return a CD. A whole new world will open up to her.
Thanks for stopping by The Wonder of Tech, Bryan, and leaving your helpful comment! ๐
Hi Carolyn,
Loved this post! You always bring informative and helpful information! I don’t have an iPhone, but I’m sure a lot of my readers, followers, friends, and family do. For them, I say thank you! Definitely sharing this one!! ๐ Thanks!!
Reply ยป
Carolyn Nicander Mohr
January 7, 2012
Hi Deeone, Iโm so glad you loved this post. Thank you for your kind words, they mean a lot. I also appreciate you sharing this with others. There are lots of people out there who use iTunes but havenโt known how to redeem a gift card.
Who knows? You may get an iPhone or iPod someday!
Hope you have a great weekend, Deeone!
Guess what one of the things I got my wife for Christmas? iTunes gift card and this will be great to share because she asked me the same question. Talk about timely, this is great.
Thanks for sharing, I hope you are having a great weekend.
Hi Bill, I can only imagine the delight in your wife’s eyes when she unwrapped your thoughtful gift! But if her delight was tinged with a hint of confusion, as in, “Uh oh, I really want new apps but I have no idea how to use this,” you and she are in luck!
I hope she thoroughly enjoys her wonderful gift, Bill!
Hi Carolyn,
This tutorial makes it looks very easy to redeem a gift card in iTunes. I have never received one. And I still remember what it was like when I received the gift card from you at Amazon and the one I’ve received for an iPad app. I had no idea what to do, so I had to look it up ๐
Hi Jens, Someday you will probably get an iTunes Gift Card since you use your iPhone and iPad so much. I hope you do need these instructions at some point in the future, Jens! ๐
Hi Carolyn,
Whenever I come across a technie problem I instantly turn to your site, thank you so much for making me independent and knowledgeable (we mothers have our pride, too!).
I would be so thrilled to get a iTunes gift card for my birthday! Love your subtle sense of humour, you even make redeeming it a funny story.
Have a wonder filled week!
I was given an Itune gift card. When I got to the website to use it; I get a screen where I have to pay and join for a period of time. I don’t want to do that I just want to buy a few songs with my gift card.
Hi Asian wedding videos, Make sure you received a legitimate iTunes Gift Card and are using the authentic iTunes Store. iTunes does not make you pay money to join for a period of time. You only pay for the content you buy, there are no subscription fees. If a site is trying to charge you a subscription fee, then it’s not iTunes.
I am so new in my iPhone. I still couldn’t use much of it because I do not have time to learn it properly. Thanks for this – u saved me lots of time and good luck with yours!
Hi Anna, Make sure you check out today’s post on closing the apps on your iPhone. That will help you use the phone more effectively. ๐
good for apple users. what was the worth of the card u received?
Hi Faran, I was very fortunate to receive two $15 gift cards for Christmas. Always a great present for me! ๐
No reason why this should be such a painstakingly difficult process. Thanks for the clarification. It’s simple, once you’ve given some proper guidance…
Hi Bizz, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! I agree with you. I don’t know why Apple doesn’t make it clearer how to redeem iTunes gift cards, or to let you enter the code during checkout. But once you know how to redeem the card, it’s really quite easy to do! ๐