We all know a friend that has an iPhone but doesn’t pay for apps and music and gets them through other ways instead (**ahem** jailbreak **ahem**). But now that buying an Apple gift card is an option in India, we can surprise our friends with a little allowance for iTunes, App Store, Apple Books, and subscriptions like Apple Music or iCloud storage available in the Apple universe.
On its page, Apple says that the gift cards are country-specific, which means gift cards purchased in India are valid only in India. No gifts for friends abroad.
Going Shopping
Although the official page for the gift cards says that it’s also available on Amazon and PhonePe, we could only get our hands on it through Paytm. The Amazon page shows the gift cards are currently unavailable, and PhonePe doesn’t show the codes among their roster of other gift cards.
On Paytm, App Store Codes offered by Apple are in denominations of ₹100, ₹200, ₹500, ₹1,000, ₹2,000, and ₹5,000. They also give you cashback. The higher the amount of the gift card, the better the offer.
Alert! Alert!
The company warns that Apple gift cards are not redeemable for cash, resale, or shipments outside of India, and no refunds or exchanges can be made (except as required by law). Thus, the page warns users about scams and urges them to report anything out of place to the local authorities immediately. (Police department, trade commission, etc.)
The gift cards can only be used to purchase Apple-specific goods and services and cannot be used for any other payment.
Unwrapping the Gift
What if you’re the one getting the gift? How do you redeem the app store codes? Just follow these simple steps.
If you’ve got a physical card, then:
- Look for the 16-digit code on the back of the card. Sometimes, you might need to gently scratch off the label to see the code.
- Go to the App Store app on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch.
- Tap the sign-in button (or your photo) at the top of the screen.
- Click Redeem Gift Card or Code. Just sign in with your Apple ID if you don’t see a Redeem Gift Card or Code option.
- Tap Use Camera and follow the steps on the screen. If you are having trouble redeeming the card, you can choose to enter the code manually.
- Tap Done.
If you received your code in the email, then just open the mail and click the Redeem Now button.
And that’s it! You have successfully redeemed your gift card. Spend it on apps or books, your choice. Fun fact: even Android users can use an Apple gift card in India. However, they are limited to only Apple Music subscriptions, as App Store, Apple Books, and the like require an Apple device. It’s still pretty cool, though, isn’t it?