Why an App Store Gift Card Is a Great Gift

Gift cards have a bad reputation for being boring, thoughtless gifts. However, when buying a gift for a techy person, some free money to spend in Apple App Store or Google Play Store may just be the perfect thing.

Permission to Spend Money

There’s a weird thing that happens to a lot of us when it comes to making purchases in app stores. Many people won’t think twice about buying a $5 coffee every morning, but they can’t justify $0.99 for an app or game.

When so many of the apps and games we use every day are free, even the smallest price tag can be hard to swallow. The same thing applies to streaming services as well. A monthly subscription adds up quickly over time, but since you don’t pay for each movie and TV show, it feels like an open buffet. Buying one movie at a time feels more expensive.

This is why an app store gift card can be a great gift for someone. You’re giving them permission to spend some money on an app or game they’ve been hesitant to buy. And app store gift cards are good for a lot more than just apps these days.

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More Than Apps

There are essentially three main app stores that people use: Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and Amazon Appstore. A gift card to any one of these stores can be used for a wide variety of things.

Apple actually doesn’t have a specific “App Store Gift Card,” there’s just one catch-all gift card for all things Apple. It can be used to purchase apps, games, music, movies, TV shows, eBooks, iCloud+, iPhones, iPad, Macs, and basically anything with the Apple logo on it.

Similarly, Amazon doesn’t have a specific gift card for its Appstore, but the general Amazon gift cards can be used for apps and games along with anything else on Amazon.com. Lastly, Google offers “Gift Codes” that can be redeemed for apps, games, movies, TV shows, and eBooks.

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Where to Buy App Store Gift Cards

Apple, Google, and Amazon gift cards are widely available both in digital and physical versions from many retailers. You can also find them in a variety of different amounts, ranging from around $25 to $100 or more.