8 Ways to Spend the iTunes Gift Card You Unwrapped Today

Tuesday December 25, 2018 3:00 AM PST by Joe Rossignol
App Store & iTunes gift cards have been a popular tech-themed stocking stuffer for years. If you unwrapped one today, we have eight ideas for what to buy across the App Store, iTunes, Apple Books, and beyond in 2018.

Start with Apple's instructions for redeeming App Store & iTunes gift cards.

1. Apple Music subscription


App Store & iTunes gift cards can be used to fund an Apple Music subscription, which costs $9.99 per month for individuals, $4.99 per month for students, and $14.99 per month for families of up to six people in the United States. Apple Music offers a free three-month trial in most countries.

Apple Music provides unlimited streaming of over 50 million songs with an active subscription and is available on an iPhone or Android smartphone, iPad, Mac or PC, Apple Watch, Apple TV, HomePod, Sonos, and Amazon Echo speakers.


To pay for Apple Music with an App Store & iTunes gift card, simply redeem the card and the monthly or annual subscription cost will be drawn from any store credit tied to your Apple ID. If the balance is zero, then Apple Music will be billed to another valid payment method on file, such as a credit card.

2. Other subscriptions


App Store & iTunes gift cards can be used towards a variety of other subscription-based services available on the App Store, such as Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, ESPN+, Tidal, and Dropbox. These subscriptions are available within the apps.

Note that Netflix has experimented with removing the option to pay for a subscription via iTunes for new customers in certain countries.

3. iCloud storage


When you sign up for iCloud, you automatically get 5GB of free storage for photos, videos, and other files. If you need more space, you can upgrade to a larger storage plan, including 50GB for 99 cents per month, 200GB for $2.99 per month, or 2TB for $9.99 per month in the United States. Prices vary in other regions.


To pay for iCloud storage with an App Store & iTunes gift card, simply redeem the card and the monthly cost will be drawn from any store credit tied to your Apple ID. If the balance is zero, then the iCloud storage plan will be billed to another valid payment method on file, such as a credit card.

4. Popular paid apps and games

Nowadays, many apps and games are free and rely on in-app purchases, but these are some of the most popular paid titles on the App Store:Prices are based in U.S. dollars and vary in other regions.

5. In-app purchases and game currencies


Spend your App Store & iTunes gift card balance on in-app purchases and game currencies, be it V-Bucks in Fortnite, PokéCoins in Pokémon GO, extra moves in Candy Crush Saga, gems in Clash of Clans, or something else.

6. Holiday movies on sale in iTunes


Many holiday movies are on sale in iTunes for a limited time, including classics such as Home Alone and A Christmas Story.

$7.99:
  • Arthur Christmas
  • Gremlins
  • The Night Before
  • A Christmas Carol
  • Edward Scissorhands
  • Happy Christmas

$9.99:
  • Home Alone
  • Elf
  • National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
  • Die Hard
  • A Christmas Story
  • The Polar Express
  • How the Grinch Stole Christmas: The Ultimate Edition
  • The Santa Clause
  • It's a Wonderful Life
  • Planes, Trains and Automobiles
  • A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas
  • Jack Frost
  • The Nativity Story
  • Miracle on 34th Street
  • The Nightmare Before Christmas
  • Scrooged
Prices are based in U.S. dollars and vary in other regions.

7. Disney audiobooks


Disney has a variety of audiobooks available on the Apple Book Store, with some free and others priced under $20 in the United States.

8. iMessage sticker packs



If you still have a dollar or two left in store credit after working through this lift, elevate your iMessage game with some sticker packs.
If you have any other ideas, let us know in the comments section!

Tag: iTunes
17 comments


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simonmet
26 weeks ago
In-game currencies? You mean borderline gambling! No, these should not be supported and I’ve long argued Apple are abhorrent for allowing them in the App Store. They’ve ruined the ability to find decent games that don’t use them.

Subscriptions and expansions sure, but don’t support scammy freemium in-game currencies MacRumors. Take a stand!
Rating: 5 Votes
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B4U
26 weeks ago
It is sad to have to advertise for Apple Music like this!
The number 1 should have been In-app purchases, given the crappy business model of the gaming industry right now.
Rating: 1 Votes
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ZZ Bottom
26 weeks ago

How about transferring to and from my Apple Pay Cash account?


Likely not since these cards often sell for 10-15% off. Apple is fine with that since they get ~30% cut of store sales, but if you could buy an App Store card for 15% off, then convert to currency, you’d be instantly getting 15% free. Obviously Apple’s not interested in giving money away.

I’m bummed they still can’t be used for Apple Store purchases, but it’s the same reason as above.
Rating: 1 Votes
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pat500000
26 weeks ago
Great way to spend that gift card? Mail it to me.
Rating: 1 Votes
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ZipZap
26 weeks ago
I would add info on how to pay for Apple Music on a yearly basis at the end of the trial, which saves money.
Rating: 1 Votes
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