Don’t panic! Yes, it’s officially the last minute to shop for gifts, but you still have time to be the hero and attain great gift karma. Giving a last-minute iTunes gift certificate or card is fast, easy and will definitely be well-received. Gifts can be redeemed for anything in the iTunes store, including music, TV shows, movies and, of course, iPhone and iPad apps.
You don’t even need to head to your local store for an iTunes gift card. Just launch iTunes on any computer. Click the Buy iTunes Gift link on the right under Quick Links on the homepage of the iTunes Store. Then, choose whether you want to email an iTunes gift certificate to the recipient, print a certificate for hand delivery, or have Apple send the recipient a physical iTunes gift card in the mail. For emailing, of course, you’ll need the email address of the receiver. For sending a card, you’ll need the street address. For each of these options, you’ll choose a value for the card anywhere from $10 to $50 in $10-dollar increments.
If you’re especially brave, choose to send a specific app, song, movie or even create a playlist of your favorite mix. For individual items, select the drop-down arrow next to the Buy icon, and select Gift This App (or movie, song, playlist). From there, choose whether to email or print a certificate. For playlists, create a playlist as you normally would, then click the arrow next to Source List at the bottom of the playlist and select Give Playlist as Gift. Note: playlists may include music, audiobooks and iPod games, but not apps.
For international friends, keep in mind that gift certificates can only be redeemed in the iTunes store in which they were created.
Redeeming an iTunes gift certificate couldn’t be easier. On the homepage of the iTunes Store, click Redeem — the first link under Quick Links. Enter your Redeem Code, and press Redeem. If you already have an iTunes account, you’ll be asked to log-in. If not, the store will walk you through setting one up. From there, you can purchase anything with the gift’s monetary value or download the specific item gifted.
Take a deep breath! There’s still time! Happy holidays!
Steps for great gift karma:
1. Launch iTunes on any computer.
2. Click Buy iTunes Gift on the store’s homepage.
3. Choose to email or hand-deliver a gift certificate, or have Apple send a gift card.
4. Select monetary value and recipient details.
5. Relax, you’re done!
Special note: For giving specific apps or other items, perform Step 1, navigate to item, click the arrow next to Buy, choose Gift This, and follow the instructions.
