14 DAY TRIAL // iTunes Gift Cards are a great way to surprise someone. Just be careful where you can use them, because the Gift Cards are not available in all countries.
The first thing you want to do is make sure the recipient of the iTunes Gift Card has a U.S. iTunes account. Also, in order to have an iTunes account, you need to be 13 years or older.
All cards turn into iTunes Credit that can be used in the iTunes Store for movies and music, in the AppStore for apps for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, in the iBooks Store for iBooks and Audio Books and in the Mac App Store for apps and games that work on your Mac.
There are a few ways in which you can reward someone with a Gift card. The first one is the classic "snail mail." You order the Gift card on Apple's website and have it shipped to a regular home address or a P.O. Box. You can also call 1-800-My-Apple and have the same done over the phone.
Once you get to the appropriate page, you can select the value for that gift card: $25 (€18.48), $50 or $100. You can also enter a message for the receiver. It can only be up to 350 characters. Apple changes the look of the actual cards every once in a while. The current ones have the Apple logo on a bright color background. There's no Shipping fee for sending these in the U.S. You also have the option to add another message on the envelope.
The easy way is to send the Gift Cards straight from iTunes. The recipient gets the email right away if you choose so, or you can set the exact day when he or she will receive it, up to a year in advance.
All you have to do is fill out a form that needs the recipient email address, a special message and the Selected amount. You have the liberty of choosing between $10, $15, $25, $50, $100 or specify the desired amount from $10 to $100. You also have the option of getting one of the eight themes for the iTunes Gift Cards.
We left the best for last. If you have kids or just want to send regular amounts of money to a family member every month, you can do that with an iTunes Allowance. The AppStore lets you choose the amount ($10 up to $50). You can send the first money right away or wait till the next month, create an Apple ID for the recipient or use an existing one.
You have to understand that the money for the iTunes Gift Card will come out of your bank account, not the store credit you have left so you need to have those funds available.