The holidays are right around the corner. Have you thought about what you’re going to give your friends and loved ones this year? Why not gift them an iTunes gift card?
It’s easy to get an iTunes gift card online, and the recipient will be able to use it for all kinds of things, from music to apps and other entertainment.
Why You Should Gift an iTunes Gift Card This Holiday Season
Still not convinced that you should gift an iTunes gift card? Here are more reasons to give this gift card a try:
Works on Both iOS and Android
Most people assume that an iTunes gift card can only be used on iOS devices, but this isn’t necessarily true. Even Android users can use these gift cards in some way.
It’s true that Android doesn’t support iTunes, but it does support Apple Music. You can buy some songs from Apple Music with an iTunes gift card as long as the person has the Apple Music app installed.
Apple Music Has More Than 50 Million Songs
Do you know a music junkie? Did you know that iTunes gift cards can be used to pay for Apple Music subscriptions?
Just redeem the card as you normally would, and then you can start an Apple Music subscription using iTunes. Apple will simply deduct the subscription cost from your iTunes balance each month.
Apple Music is just $9.99/month, or $4.99/month for students. A subscription offers many benefits, like:
[list style=’regular’]
[list_item]Access to more than 50 million songs[/list_item]
[list_item]Ad-free music and music videos[/list_item]
[list_item]Listen online or offline[/list_item]
[list_item]Original shows, exclusives and concerts[/list_item]
[list_item]Access across multiple devices[/list_item]
[list_item]Download 100,000 songs to your personal library[/list_item]
[list_item]On-demand radio shows and Beats 1 live[/list_item]
[/list]
Right now, Apple lets you enjoy a three-month free trial. If you give this as a gift for the holiday, the recipient could enjoy at least 4 months of streaming music for free.
Many Websites Now Accept iTunes Gift Cards
Because iTunes is so popular, many websites are now accepting these gift cards. Just beware that some sites are scamming people by accepting gift cards as payment and never actually send the product.
I’d recommend doing a lot of research before using an iTunes card on other websites. You never know who might be scamming you. If you’re giving the card as a gift, you may also want to warn the recipient of these potential scams.
Some scammers pretend to be from the IRS and claim that you owe them money that you can pay with an iTunes gift card. The IRS would never accept any kind of gift card as a payment. These are obvious scams, but others are less obvious.
Again, do your research. There are sites that accept these gift cards as payment, but they’re not very common.
Can be Sold for Cash or Exchanged for Another Card
What if the recipient doesn’t have an Apple device and may not want to subscribe to Apple Music? They can sell the card for cash.
Apple devices are some of the most popular in the world, so these gift cards are always in high demand. Worst case scenario, the recipient of the card should have no problem selling it for the value of the card. It’s a win-win.
I don’t recommend selling a card on eBay or Craigslist – it’s too risky. Find a reputable place to sell cards.
There’s also the option of exchanging the card for another card, and many of these sites also give you the option of selling the card for cash. Maybe your friend would rather have a Steam or restaurant gift card. There are gift card exchanges out there that allow you to trade one card for another of equal value.
It’s important to find a reputable gift card exchange for this. You don’t even need a physical card to redeem gift cards anymore – all you need is the code. It takes just seconds for the balance to be wiped out from a scammer.
There are legitimate exchanges out there. Read reviews, and make sure that you do your research before even thinking about exchanging cards. The last thing you want is for someone to take your code, use it and give you nothing in return.
There are Thousands of Apps, Games and Movies
It doesn’t matter if your friend or family member isn’t a fan of Apple Music – or music in general. They can use their iTunes gift card to buy apps, games, movies, TV shows and more.
The iTunes store offers so many different types of content that you can enjoy. There are thousands of apps and games, so the recipient is sure to find something they like. If the person is a game lover, they can use their iTunes gift card to make in-game (or in-app) purchases.
There’s an endless selection of games on the iTunes store, from popular titles – like Pokémon Go, Clash of Clans and Clash Royale – to indie games. Whether the person likes puzzles, action, RPG, word, card or board games, there is something for everyone.
Apps and games are just a few of the things that you can buy on the iTunes store. You can also purchase movies and TV shows. What’s great about iTunes is that they have a wide selection of different types of movies, from the usual genres to Korean, Japanese, Russian, Special Interest, Indian, Musicals and more.
You can even use your iTunes gift card to buy the latest seasons of your favorite TV shows.
What if the recipient is a bookworm? No problem. You can buy books and even audiobooks through iTunes.
In fact, iTunes has a huge library of books to choose from, with dozens of sub-genres in each category. Their audio book selection is a bit smaller, but the recipient shouldn’t have any issues finding an audiobook that they’ll enjoy.
What about podcast lovers? The iTunes store also has a wide selection of podcasts. Most are free to download and listen to, but there are paid versions that often include bonus features.
The top apps that people are buying in 2019, and they’ll still be widely popular in 2020, include:
[list style=’regular’]
[list_item]Minecraft. A game that seems to be more popular as the years go on. Minecraft can be purchased with an iTunes gift card. You can craft weapons and armor, play with friends and join a massive community of over 30 million players.[/list_item]
[list_item]Heads Up! I remember having a house party, and everyone was asking to play Heads Up!. I never actually played the game before, but it was one of the most fun times I ever had. One player holds their phone, with the app open, on their head and has to guess what the app says based off of the clues that the others are providing. It’s a hilariously fun time, and it’s a real gift for anyone this holiday.[/list_item]
[list_item]PlantSnap. A popular paid app that allows users to use imagery to detect plants, flowers and trees. The app uses image detection to be able to identify all of the plants, trees and flowers in the image. You’ll start to learn the world around you with one picture at a time.[/list_item]
[/list]
But the recipient can also choose from games, apps, music, movies – there’s just so much content to pick from.
Apple Has a Huge User Base
One great thing about giving an iTunes gift card is that you never have to worry about them going out of business. With other gift cards, you just don’t know what tomorrow will hold. The person may wind up with a card that they can never use.
Apple is one of the biggest companies in the world. They make billions of dollars each year. Their user base is huge.
As of December 2018, Apple Music had 56 million customers. It’s safe to say that their music service is here to stay. And you can be sure that they’ll continue adding more music in the future.
The App Store is probably Apple’s biggest contributor to their revenue. As of May 2018, the store had upwards of 170 billion downloads.
The person receiving the gift card will definitely be able to make use of their card on the app store. Just take a look at the top 50 grossing apps. Each one is either a free-to-play game – which really means that it’s pay to win – or requires a subscription fee. A gift card can be used t to buy in-game items that will give the person an edge over other players. Or, the card’s balance can be put towards a subscription for an app service.
Keep in mind that Apple takes a cut of every subscription or in-app purchase, which further contributes to their revenue.
I think it’s safe to say that Apple will be around for a long time. The person receiving the gift card will never have to worry about not being able to redeem their card, and they will always have a huge selection of content to choose from.
iTunes Store is Accessible on Windows PC
I know what you’re thinking: but what if a person isn’t a fan of Apple? Maybe you want to buy a gift for a gamer or someone that is always on the computer. The person may be a huge fan of Windows and PC gaming.
What use will this person have for an iTunes gift card?
And you would be right for thinking this way.
Apple is a company that uses exclusivity to their advantage, and they want to keep it that way so that they can charge more for their products. People would love to be able to use FaceTime or iMessage somewhere that is not on an iPhone or Mac.
But even Apple knows that keeping iTunes off of Windows would be a big mistake.
iTunes is accessible on a Windows PC, so you’ll have access to all of your iTunes content from PC. When you’re buying someone an iTunes gift card for the holidays, you can rest assured that the individual will be able to access iTunes from their Windows PC.
How?
If the person goes to the official Microsoft page, they’ll be able to look for the iTunes app or program. iTunes does not come bundled in Windows, but you can download the official software from Microsoft.
Note: An official download is the only download that I recommend. If you’re trying to download iTunes from an unofficial source, you never know if you’ll get malware or a virus.
The download is fast and easy, but keep in mind that the person may need to have Windows 10 or higher to be able to run iTunes. If the person has an older version of Windows, iTunes may not work at all.
Ask the person that you plan on buying the iTunes gift card for about the version of Windows that they have so that you know for sure that it will be able to run iTunes.
If it is able to run iTunes, the person will be able to:
[list style=’regular’]
[list_item]Download their favorite television shows[/list_item]
[list_item]Buy movies[/list_item]
[list_item]Rent movies[/list_item]
[list_item]Listen to music[/list_item]
[/list]
The person will have complete access to their iTunes library on all of their devices – it’s perfect.
If you feel bad giving someone a gift card this holiday season, you shouldn’t feel bad at all. One survey found that over 60% of people had their favorite store’s gift card on their wish list. People feel bad asking for gift cards because they seem impersonal, but people want gift cards.
Actually, one study in America found that 27% of people actually preferred a gift card over an actual present. It seems rude and impersonal, but it’s a way for a person to choose their own gift and make sure that they like their present.
When I have to buy a present for my niece or nephew who are in their teens and always changing their minds, I just choose a gift card because I know how picky and indecisive they can be.
An iTunes gift card will be the perfect gift for almost everyone during the holidays.
