If you want to buy an iTunes gift card but are debating between iTunes or Google Play, iTunes is a better choice. It’s true that Android is dominating the mobile market right now. Apple has one-third of the market share while Android has the remaining share.
But the App Store has double the revenue of Google Play.
What does this mean? If you’re buying an iTunes gift card, the recipient will be far more likely to use the card.
Everyone has heard of the App Store and iTunes – it’s huge.
But there are a few things that everyone should know when they get an iTunes gift card.
Scam Central: What You Should Know When You Get iTunes Gift Cards
Scams are everywhere. I have been lucky enough to stay ahead of scammers, but I have heard horror stories of people that have been scammed out of their gift card. The scammers have a great routine that they follow to scam people.
They’re slick, and they know how to swindle anyone out of their money.
As long as people continue to fall for these scams, they will continue to be popular. You can spot the most common scam from a mile away once you know what the scam is all about.
Most Common iTunes Scam
Scams follow a certain M.O. Your phone rings, and the person on the other end of the line often acts as a utility company or a creditor. The person is convincing, and they may even know your name and address.
The caller will do everything they can to seem legitimate.
When the person starts talking, they’ll use fear to get you to give out your gift card information. The caller may claim:
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[list_item]You’re 30 days late on your electric bill and the lights will be shut off immediately if we do not receive payment. We accept gift cards now to satisfy your balance. This is serious. If you do not pay us right now, your lights will be turned off tonight.[/list_item]
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Adding to the fuel, you have kids and even though you’re positive you paid your bill, you go ahead and read them the gift card information. You figure that you’ll call the electric company afterward to find out what happened to your last payment and receive a credit for the gift card you just gave to their representative.
But when you call the company, you’ll be met with a representative that is bewildered.
You acted out of fear. You did not think straight. The person on the other end of the line now has your gift card information and you have little recourse.
The person acted on your fears.
You’ve been scammed.
The scammer may also ask you to go out and purchase App Store and iTunes Gift cards at your nearest retailer. Everyone is selling these gift cards, so after instilling fear, they cause you to frantically buy a gift card that they can offload fast.
You won’t get your money back.
Once you share the code(s) on the card, the person will hang up. A lot of people never even realize that they’ve been scammed.
Gift cards are involved in most scams these days.
A few of the most common scams involve scammers calling as:
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[list_item]IRS officials. You owe taxes. You’re faces fines, penalties and even jail time if you don’t jail.[/list_item]
[list_item]Family members or friends of family members that alert you that our friend is in an emergency and needs money now.[/list_item]
[list_item]Officers asking you to post bail or send money to someone before they “go to jail”.[/list_item]
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But you may also receive a call with good news: you’ve won something. A cruise awaits you and three other family members. You might not remember participating in the contest, but you’re going to have the time of your life.
The only thing is that you have to pay fees or taxes relating to the contest.
You better hand over the code on the back of your iTunes gift card to pay these fees immediately.
Everything is an emergency situation, and the scammer will make your payment seem urgent. In a situation where time is of the essence, people often don’t think straight and will do silly things like give over their personal information to someone they don’t even know.
Website Scams are on the Rise
You might not fall into a scam from someone calling you. People call all the time, and I know that I never answer phone calls from someone that I don’t know. I actually hate when people call me on the phone.
I am a person that is on the computer a lot and will make online purchases often.
But there are a lot of scam websites waiting to steal your information and your iTunes gift card, too. A lot of younger people are savvy to these scams, and the elderly are the ones that seem to fall for these gift card scams most often.
The way this works is that you go to purchase someone or “trade” your card for another one.
You go on the page, and there is a form asking for all of your card’s information. Once you hit submit, the information may be stolen. Some of these forms are so sophisticated that they will capture form information as it’s being typed.
The capturing will capture a person’s gift card information even if they don’t hit submit.
Perhaps you started filling out the form and realize it’s a scam. These scammers already have your information if they capture the data while it’s being typed.
You may be able to use your balance fast before the scammer does.
And if you can, at least you have “scammed” the scammer and beat them to depleting your gift card.
Otherwise, these scammers act quickly and you’ll have no means of being able to redeem your gift card’s balance.
What Attracts Scammers to iTunes Gift Cards
Scammers target gift cards because they know that they’re difficult or impossible to track. You have little to no recourse, and it’s difficult to prove that you didn’t give the card to someone else.
You can cancel a check or dispute a charge on a credit card.
But with a gift card, you really do not have many options. You have to take the loss. Since gift cards are so popular, people also either have access to cards or can run to the store and purchase a card.
There’s also a lot that you can do with an iTunes gift card.
What You Can Do if You Buy an iTunes Gift Card
When you opt buy an iTunes gift card, you’re making a smart choice. There are millions of apps and games that can be purchased. You’ll find that there are a lot of people using Apple products, too.
If you’re opting to use these cards as a last-minute gift, the only thing that you have to do is making sure that the recipient is an Apple user.
A few of the many things that you can do with a gift card include:
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[list_item]Subscriptions. When you redeem your gift card, you’ll be able to use your balance for whatever you deem fit. One of the best ways is to use your balance to renew your subscription services, such as Hulu. I often decide to renew subscriptions when I don’t know what else to buy. There are times when I really don’t need a new app or game, so I renew my subscriptions because it’s one less bill that I am going to have to pay.[/list_item]
[list_item]Apple Music. I know, Apple Music is technically a subscription, but a lot of people seem to forget about it with Spotify and Google Music. Apple Music is a treat for students at just $4.99 per month, and if you’re a non-student, you’ll pay $14.99 per month. There’s also a three-day trial that everyone should try. The music streaming service has 50 million songs and allows you to listen to music on all of your devices.[/list_item]
[list_item]iCloud. I have only been able to backup my iPhone one time since I purchased it. My iCloud is full, and I have everything I really need saved in other locations. But for most people, this backup service is an affordable option that is offered in tiers and allows the person to backup their entire phone, pictures and all of their contact information. Anyone that is always on their phone will want to have the option of using the iCloud.[/list_item]
[list_item]In-App Purchases. Buy an iTunes gift card, redeem the balance and start making in-app purchases. The balance of your account can be used to make in-app purchases and also purchase virtual currency. For example, you can purchase V-Bucks in Fortnite with a gift card. If you’re playing Clash of Clans and want to purchase gems, you can also purchase gems right with your balance. It’s a great way to allow kids or others to limit their purchases.[/list_item]
[list_item]Games. Games are a great way to pass the time. If you’re bored on the bus or train, open up your phone and start playing games. There are more games on the App Store than you’ll ever be able to play. Download games, give them a try and purchase the ad-free or premium version of the game. You can also use the card to make in-game purchases as discussed in our last point.[/list_item]
[list_item]Apps. Games are fun, but apps can make your life more productive and a lot easier. There are apps for everything from scheduling to tracking your weight loss. Premium apps are always the best because they allow you to support the app’s developer. Developers that make users pay for apps will update their apps more often, fix bugs faster and develop a reliable product. Freemium apps are great, but if the developer isn’t making enough revenue, you never know if your favorite app will be around for long or not.[/list_item]
[list_item]Movies. One of my favorite things to do around the holiday season is to purchase all of my favorite movies and binge watch them. I am a cord cutter, so I usually buy movies off Amazon or whenever they’re on sale. Apple has a large selection of movies that you can purchase, including all of the holiday greats, such as Jack Frost, A Christmas Story and Home Alone. There are also television shows that a person can purchase using the iTunes gift card.[/list_item]
[list_item]Audiobooks. I tend to use my library’s free audio collection to listen to audiobooks, so I am not sure about all of the audiobook options on Apple. What I do know is that Apple has a lot of Disney audiobooks, so if you want to listen to books from Disney you can, or if the person you’re gifting the card to has kids, audiobooks may be a great option for them to purchase.[/list_item]
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You or the person that you purchased the gift card for should be able to use these gift cards for a lot of different things. Gift cards open up the possibility for people to try something new – they’re not paying for it anyway.
Apple has done its best to be able to compete against Google Play, and the company has introduced audiobooks, games, apps and other options that help them offer one of the best experiences possible on mobile.
If you’re stuck and not sure what to buy someone, buy an iTunes gift card.
But wait just a minute.
I want you to get the best price possible on your iTunes gift card. You don’t want to purchase your card when it’s not on sale. There are a lot of times during the year when you can get a gift card on discount.
I have seen $100 iTunes gift cards for sale for $85 – $90.
If you’re smart, you’ll purchase during these discounts and pay for your subscription services with the card. You’ll be saving a significant amount of money if you choose to purchase on discount and pay off your services.
