I Just Got an iTunes Gift Card, Now What?

If you've got an iTunes gift card burning a hole in your pocket, you're probably anxious to get started buying stuff right away. Before you do that, though, you need to make sure you've got the basics covered.

If you primarily use an iOS device — the iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad — you can skip this step. The iTunes Store, App Store, and Apple Books apps that come pre-installed on those devices are all you need. You can move on to the next step.

On the other hand, if you're using a desktop or laptop computer, the first thing you have to do is install iTunes. That program is your gateway to all the music, movies, TV shows, and other great things you can buy with your gift card. If you don't already have iTunes, you can learn how to get it by reading these articles:

• Install iTunes on Mac
• Install iTunes on Windows

Whether you're using a gift card or just a regular credit or debit card, in order to buy things from Apple — from the iTunes, App, or Apple Books Stores — you need an account. In this case, the account is called an Apple ID. 

You may already have an Apple ID. It's used for all kinds of things — iCloud, FaceTime, Apple Music, and much more — and you probably have created one when you set up your device.

If you've got already one, great. You can skip this step. If not, follow the steps in the linked article to create your Apple ID.

Now it's time for the good stuff! In order to add the money stored on the gift card to your Apple ID, you need to redeem the card. You can do this either on a desktop computer or use an iOS device, whichever you prefer. Either way, follow the steps in the linked-to article to transfer the money from the gift card to your account so you can start shopping.

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Part of what makes the iTunes Store so useful — and fun — is the huge amount of content in it. From 50 million-plus songs, tens of thousands of movies, TV episodes and ebooks, and over 1 million apps, the selection is virtually endless.

Get step-by-step instructions on how to buy different kinds of content at the iTunes and App Stores in these articles:

• Buying Songs from the iTunes Store
• Buying Apps at the App Store
• Buy eBooks at the Apple Books Store
• Using iTunes Movie Rentals

In this era of Spotify and streaming music, a lot of people don't buy songs anymore. Instead, they prefer to subscribe to streaming services. A standard iTunes Gift Card can't be used to pay for for an Apple Music subscription. There are, however, Apple Music Gift cards that can be used for that. If you have a preference, make sure the people giving you gifts know it.

Once the gift card funds are used up, you can cancel your subscription or keep paying for it with a debit or credit card.