There is one Apple Gift Card now. Not three. If you remember walking into a CVS and choosing between an iTunes Gift Card, an App Store Gift Card, and an Apple Store Gift Card, that era ended in late 2021. Apple consolidated the lineup into a single product called the Apple Gift Card. The same card pays for an iPhone, a Mac, AirPods, App Store apps, Apple Music, iCloud+, Apple TV+, and Apple Arcade. One balance, one card, one Apple ID.
A lot of buyers still ask the old question. The answer is to grab whatever Apple Gift Card is on the rack. The rest of this writeup covers where to find one and what to check before you pay.
Where to buy in person
Most large US retailers stock Apple Gift Cards on the rack near checkout.
- Walmart: Wide denomination selection. Listing at walmart.com.
- Target: Physical rack carries $15, $25, $50, $100. Also an email-delivery version at target.com.
- Best Buy: Sometimes the only chain with $200 or $500 cards in stock during the holidays. Listing at bestbuy.com.
- Costco and Sam's Club: Multi-packs, occasionally a small discount off face value. Membership required.
- Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid: Pharmacy racks. Reliable for $25 and $50 cards.
- Kroger, Safeway, Albertsons, Publix: Grocery chains. Kroger runs fuel-points promos on third-party gift cards.
- 7-Eleven, Office Depot: Smaller selection but available in a pinch.
Three checks before you pay. Packaging should be sealed, no peeled or scratched silver strip on the back. The activation slip should print successfully when the cashier scans it. Keep the receipt until the card is redeemed. If a card is dead on arrival, the receipt is what the retailer needs.
Where to buy online
Faster if you want the code in your inbox in minutes.
- Apple direct: The cleanest option. No markup, custom amounts, scheduled email delivery or a mailed physical card. Visit apple.com/shop/gift-cards.
- Best Buy Digital: Email delivery, processed automatically.
- Target email delivery: Sent to the email on the order.
- PayPal Gift Cards: PayPal's portal sells Apple Gift Card codes in the US, billed against your PayPal balance.
For an Apple Store walk-in, the locator at apple.com/retail shows the nearest store. For other authorized retailers, locate.apple.com maps stockists.
Denominations and custom amounts
Physical cards in the US come in $15, $25, $50, and $100. The exact mix on a rack depends on the retailer. Some carry $200 cards seasonally.
Digital and Apple-direct purchases are flexible. Apple's store lets you pick any custom amount from $25 up to $500 per card. That is the easiest way to get an odd value like $73 or $137 without buying two cards.
Country lock: redeem in the region you bought it
An Apple Gift Card is tied to the country it was sold in. A US card only redeems on a US Apple ID. A UK card needs a UK Apple ID. A Japan card needs a Japan Apple ID. The currency on the card has to match the storefront on your Apple ID.
If your Apple ID region is the US, buy the US card. If you are abroad with your Apple ID set elsewhere, switch back to your home region before redeeming, or buy a card from your current region. A mismatched card throws an error, and Apple Support cannot move balance between regions.
The 16-character alphanumeric code is on the back of the card, under the gray scratch-off strip. For digital cards the code arrives by email. Treat it like cash. Anyone with it can redeem it.
Scam awareness
Apple publishes a clear warning: nobody legitimate asks to be paid in Apple Gift Cards. The IRS will not call you and ask for them. A utility company will not threaten to cut power unless you pay in cards. A tech support agent will not ask for a card code over the phone. A "grandchild in jail" calling for bail money in Apple Gift Cards is a scam. If anyone you did not contact first asks you to buy cards and send codes, hang up.
Vantage is a different situation. You choose to buy a product, you pick Apple Gift Card at checkout, and you redeem the code yourself toward the order. That is a voluntary purchase, not impersonation fraud. We mention this because the cards get misused so often elsewhere.
How to redeem and how to pay Vantage
To cash a card into Apple, go to redeem.appleid.apple.com or open the App Store, tap your profile, and choose Redeem Gift Card or Code. The same option exists in iTunes on Windows and in the Apple Music app. Enter the 16-character code, and the balance lands in your Apple ID.
To pay Vantage with an unused card, do not redeem it to your Apple ID first. Pick Apple Gift Card at checkout, enter the 16-character code, and enter the face value in USD. Vantage applies an FX and resale markup on top of the face value. We are upfront about this. Redeeming gift cards through a third party always carries a haircut versus spending them on the issuer's own platform. If you want a one-to-one rate with no premium, crypto is the cheaper path.
Orders paid with an Apple Gift Card go through a short manual review while we verify the code. Once approved, your license appears automatically on your order page and in your account.