HOW TO REDEEM ITUNES GIFT CARDS & CHECK THE ITUNES CARD BALANCE
If you're here, you've probably been given an iTunes gift cardand now it's time to redeem it. It's also possible that you've already redeemed your iTunes gift card and simply want to check the remaining Apple gift card balance or add more money to your iTunes balance. You're in the right place; we're going to cover everything you need to know about your Apple gift card. Once you see the steps, it'll be easy to redeem your iTunes gift card, check your iTunes gift card balance, and add money to your iTunes account. We'll also explain the difference between an iTunes gift card, an Apple Store gift card, and an Apple Music gift card and show you a few other things to make the whole process of learning how to use an iTunes gift card as smooth as possible.
How do you redeem an iTunes gift card and what can you use it for? In short, an iTunes gift card is used toward the balance of purchases from the iTunes, App, Mac App, and Apple Books stores on your iPhone, iPad, or Macbook. It cannot be used in the Apple Store online or in person. We’ll also cover how to add your Apple iTunes gift card to your Wallet app on the iPhone, which will allow you to easily check the remaining iTunes balance, and how you can add money to your iTunes Pass for use in all the same stores as listed above. Here’s how to redeem an iTunes gift card, and more.
HOW TO USE ITUNES GIFT CARDS
There are some basic things you need to know about Apple gift cards and iTunes gift cards in particular. Let’s go over the important points:
You can use your iTunes gift card to shop for digital products such as apps, songs, and e-books at any of Apple's mobile stores, which include the iTunes Store, App Store, Apple Books Store, and Mac App Store.
To use your iTunes gift card for the stores listed above, you must be logged in with the same Apple ID that you used when redeeming your iTunes gift card.
You can't use your iTunes gift card to buy Apple products from the Apple Store.
There is a difference between an Apple Store gift card, an iTunes gift card, and an Apple Music Membership gift card. Gifts cards for the Apple Store can only be used to buy Apple hardware and accessories, while the Apple Music gift card can be used for...yeah, you guessed it—an Apple Music membership.
However, if you decide not to use an Apple Music gift card toward membership, it can be applied to your Apple ID account and used as an iTunes gift card, and vice versa—an iTunes gift card can be used to pay for Apple Music.
Now! Let’s jump into part two. We’re saving how to redeem an iTunes gift card for part three, because we want to show you how to add your iTunes gift card to the Wallet app on your iPhone first. That way you can easily check your iTunes balance.
HOW TO ADD APPLE/ITUNES GIFT CARD TO WALLET
Open the App Store app.
Scroll down to the very bottom and select Redeem.
Below the option to Redeem your iTunes gift card, you'll see a Wallet app icon and the wordsiTunes Pass. Tap on Get Started.
Tap Add iTunes Pass to Wallet.
Once the iTunes store card pops up, tap Add.
Note: You can add your iTunes Pass to the Wallet PP before OR after redeeming your iTunes gift card. Since the gift card’s balance is associated with your Apple ID, the Wallet app will be able to look at the iTunes balance you have and include it in your iTunes Pass.
HOW TO REDEEM AN ITUNES GIFT CARD ON YOUR IPHONE
You have plenty of choices when it comes to where to redeem your iTunes gift card. Ultimately it won’t really matter where you choose. But you can redeem your iTunes gift card in the App Store or the iTunes Store on your iPhone (we're using the App Store in our example). You can also redeem your iTunes gift card in the Mac App Store on your Macbook.
Regardless of where you redeem your iTunes gift card, you’ll be able to use the balance in any of the listed stores so long as the same Apple ID is associated with all of them. So, to redeem an iTunes gift card:
Open the App Store app on your iPhone.
Scroll down to the very bottom of the page and select Redeem.
Tap Use Camera and scan your iTune gift card code with your iPhone’s camera,
OR Tap “You can also enter the code manually,” to do so. Use the iTunes redemption code on the back of the gift card.
The iTune card's balance will then be added to your Apple ID account and will appear in the Wallet app via your iTunes Pass.
When you are ready to make a purchase, the amount due will automatically be deducted from your iTunes balance. Any remaining amount due will be charged to the credit card you have associated with your Apple ID.
WHAT IF I RECEIVED AN ITUNES GIFT CARD VIA EMAIL?
Redeeming an iTunes gift card via email is even easier. To redeem an iTunes gift card sent by email on your iPhone:
Open the Mail app and open the email with your gifted iTunes card.
Tap Redeem Now.
If you have Face ID or Touch ID set up, you can redeem the iTunes card that way. Otherwise, you’ll be prompted to enter your Apple ID password.
Once you’ve redeemed the iTunes gift card, you’ll get a notice that the balance has been added to your account. It will also now show up in your Wallet via your iTunes Pass.
Now you’re ready to spend that Apple gift card! If you spend more than the Apple gift card’s balance, the remaining amount will be charged to the credit card associated with your Apple ID.
HOW TO CHECK AN ITUNES GIFT CARD BALANCE
The reason we added an iTunes Pass to our iPhone Wallet app was so that we could easily check our iTunes gift card balance and add more money to it down the line. If you haven’t already, use part two on how to add your iTunes Gift Card to Wallet on iPhone above before using this tip to check your iTunes gift card balance.
Open the Wallet app on your iPhone.
Under Passes, select the iTunes Pass.
You’ll see your balance in the top right corner of the iTunes Pass under Balance.
HOW TO ADD MONEY TO YOUR ITUNES ACCOUNT OR APPLE ID
You can add quickly add money to your Apple ID account via the App Store or iTunes Store, or via your iTunes Pass in the Wallet app. These days it's very simple to top up your iTunes account by adding money to your Apple ID. But it used to be that if you wanted to add money to your iTunes account, you had to buy and redeem more iTunes gift cards or go to an Apple Store to get the QR code on your iTunes Pass scanned. You can still do those things, but this is much easier.
Scroll down to the bottom of the screen in the App Store and tap Add Funds to Apple ID.
OR open your iTunes Pass and tap on the three dots in the bottom right corner and then tap Add Funds to Apple ID
After you have selected Add Funds in either the App Store or iTunes Pass, choose the amount you wish to add and then tap Next.
Confirm your payment with Face ID, Touch ID, or you Apple ID password and the amount will be added to your Apple ID account.