If you plan to buy a Google Play gift card online, the holidays are the perfect time. Why? You’ll save a lot of money on your purchase, paying far less than the marked value on the gift card. It’s the perfect opportunity to buy a gift card for that special someone in your life, or that extra-picky person on your shopping list that you always cringe at buying gifts for during the holiday season.
Google is a massive company, and thanks to their dominance online, they offer one of the best gift cards available. When you buy a Google Play gift card, you’re purchasing a card that can be used for:
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[list_item]Games. Gift cards can be used to buy games or add-ons inside of games. What’s nice is that Google will sometimes run a promotion where you can receive extra bonuses for games. Clash of Clans is offering a significant bonus of up to $100 per now, but I don’t expect the deal to last too long.[/list_item]
[list_item]Music. Google has their own music library, and you can even use a gift card to access Google Play Music – a vast library of tens of millions of songs. You can also opt to purchase music individually, or you can subscribe to the Google Play Music service. What’s very nice about this service is that you can invite people to it, too. This means that you can add friends and family to the account to enjoy Google’s music service.[/list_item]
[list_item]Movies and television. The hottest movies and television shows are available, too. You’ll be able to buy all of your favorite movies and access them at any time on your account. It’s entertainment unlocked.[/list_item]
[list_item]Books. Do you like to read? Google also sells books on their Play Store. You’ll be able to read all of the best-sellers along with books from millions of authors right on your favorite devices.[/list_item]
[list_item]Magazines. Want to read your favorite publication? No problem. You can sign up for any magazine service and start reading everything from GQ to Reader’s Digest or any magazine that you can think of.[/list_item]
[list_item]Apps. Of course, the Google Play Store is where all Android users go to download apps. You can buy a Google Play gift card to use for all of your app purchases. You can also use your card to purchase in-app items, so it’s one of the most versatile gift cards you’ll ever use.[/list_item]
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Google Play is an amazing service, too. Not only will you be able to access your content on all devices, but all of your content will work on all screen sizes. You can access the same content on Android or iOS, Chromecast or even the web and enjoy 100% easy-to-read, fluid content.
And all it takes is just a few seconds to redeem your card.
When a person receives their gift card, they also won’t have to use a credit card to redeem it. Some services will require this, but not Google Play gift cards.
Avoid Scams
Before we move any further and you decide to buy a Google Play gift card online, it’s important to know how to avoid common gift card scams. Google has been very proactive in this spectrum, and they have guidelines that you can follow to avoid scams.
A few of the recommendations from Google on how to avoid scams are:
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[list_item]Never share your gift card code[/list_item]
[list_item]Never try using your gift card outside of Google Play[/list_item]
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If a person asks for a picture of the gift card where the code is located, this is a major red flag. You have to be very cautious because anyone will be able to use the gift card if you provide too much information.
Now, there are also steps you can take online to avoid buying a fake gift card or losing your money, and these steps include:
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[list_item]Always do your own research on the company that you plan on buying your gift card from if it’s not a well-known retailer.[/list_item]
[list_item]Read reviews and testimonials online for the company, checking to make sure that no one has been scammed out of their money in the past.[/list_item]
[list_item]Check to make sure that the site wasn’t recently sold or made a drastic change to what they offer. A site like archive.org can help you identify a site that was recently sold and may have become a non-trustworthy site under new ownership.[/list_item]
[list_item]Check to make sure that the site is using a payment processor that is legitimate, or that the site is using SSL. You can tell if a site is secure because it will have “https” rather than “http” in the URL.[/list_item]
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If you follow just these steps above, you’ll be able to avoid many of the scams you find online. When selling a gift card yourself, you’ll want to make sure that you don’t send too many detailed pictures of the back of the card.
All it takes is for the person to see the card’s code, and then they will be able to redeem the card without paying you a dime.
The person may even ask for a picture of the code so that they can check the card’s balance, but this is most likely a scam and one that you’ll want to be very cautious of when trying to sell your gift card.
Buy a Google Play Gift Card for Others
Maybe you don’t want to use a Google Play card for yourself. That’s fine. You have a lot of options, but a great idea if you do find a card for cheap is to give it to others. So many people are using Google Play and Android, so it makes sense that they’ll be able to enjoy the card if you won’t.
When you find a great deal, and this may be 10% or more off the face value of the card, you won’t want to pass it up.
People resell their cards online all of the time either on a marketplace or through third-party websites. Some sites will buy cards directly and then resell them to others – it’s great business.
And a few ways that you’ll be able to use these high-in-demand cards include:
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[list_item]Friends. Trust me, a lot of your friends will want this gift card. You can give the card to your friends as gifts, and if they are fans of Android or have a Chromecast, they’ll be able to use the gift card without worry.[/list_item][list_item]Colleagues. Yup, your coworkers will enjoy the gift card, too. Colleagues are going to love a gift card especially if they’re fans of Android. This is a really smart option when someone new enters the office and you have no idea what they would like as a gift. If they have a phone other than an iPhone, chances are they have a phone running the Android operating system.[/list_item][list_item]Gift exchanges. Do you have a gift exchange coming up? I never know what to get, so when I do get something last minute, I normally pick some form of a mobile gift card. Google Play gift cards are really good options because so many people use Google and the Android operating system.[/list_item][list_item]Charities. When charities are accepting gifts, a gift card may be the best option. These cards can be used for nearly anything, and there will be a lot of people that will make good use of them.[/list_item]
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I recommend checking third-party sellers because they’re always going to offer a heavy discount compared to the official store. The official store is making a lot of money, and since the demand for these gift cards is so high, they really have no incentive to discount their products.
Online stores are often reselling their gift cards from others that received a card they didn’t want.
This is why it’s so great when you receive a gift card. You’ll find that even if the recipient doesn’t want the gift card, they’ll be able to resell it quickly. I really like this easy-to-resell option because there are always times when a person may receive a gift card they just won’t use.
I have had that happen so many times, and it’s not that the gift cards aren’t good enough – it’s that I know my buying habits.
Region Locks on Cards
Region locks do exist on Google Play gift cards, and this means that the card will only be able to be used in the same country it’s purchased in. Think of this more as a currency lock than anything else.
If you purchase a card in the United States, it will be a USD gift card.
You won’t be able to redeem the card on a European account or anything similar. Instead, you’ll want to create a new account in the appropriate region if you want to redeem the card. This may not be feasible if you live in another country, so it’s best to consider that all gift cards are region locked.
The good news is when you buy a Google Play gift card online, you’ll be able to choose which currency the card is in.
Choose the card that’s associated with your home country’s currency, and you’ll never have to worry about redeeming it again.
If someone is selling you a gift card for really cheap, ensure that you are able to view the currency it’s in before making a purchase. This is the safest way to be able to avoid a scam.
What Kind of Deals Can You Expect?
You’ll want to find deals on your gift cards, and this will often be the gift card being sold for less than its original value. That is, if the card says it is worth $20, you may be able to get the card for $18 or $15.
It’s important that you don’t fall for a deal that looks too good to be true.
You will never find a gift card that is 50% off the value because everyone jumps on 10% discounts. There would never be a reason to sell off the gift card for such a substantial discount when they sell so quickly.
Look for deals that make sense, and you’ll have a much easier time avoiding scams in the process.
Email delivery may be possible in some circumstances, but you also need to make sure that these stores are real.
How to Redeem the Gift Card
When you finally receive your gift card, or you give it to someone else, they will be able to redeem the gift card easily. You’ll be able to go to the Google Play store and redeem it, or you can search Google for how to redeem your code.
The site will show up with a pop-up, and this will allow you to enter in your Google Play gift card’s code, and redeem your gift card.
You’ll be adding the card to your Google account, so all of the balance will be added to the account. It’s the safest and easiest way to redeem your code, and it will allow you to buy anything that you find on the Play Store.
The card can be redeemed right on your account, on the left side of your account.
There will be a “redeem” link. Click on the link, and you’ll be able to add in your code, redeeming your card in seconds.
Google Play gift cards are a great option for anyone that wants to be able to take advantage of all that Google Play has to offer. You’ll be able to buy apps, movies, television shows, music, books and more.
It’s a gift card that just keeps giving.
When buying your Google Play gift card online, you’ll be able to save money and avoid scams as long as you research the retailer beforehand. There are a lot of retailers that are selling legitimate cards, so once you find one that you trust, buy your card and redeem it in seconds. If you received a gift card you won’t use, offload it quickly on a third-party site.
