santa itunes gift cardApp 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.

apple music devices
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.

icloud storage plans
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

home alone
$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

imessage stickers
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
Related Forum: Mac Apps

Top Rated Comments

simonmet Avatar
80 months 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!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ZipZap Avatar
80 months 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.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pat500000 Avatar
80 months ago
Great way to spend that gift card? Mail it to me.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ZZ Bottom Avatar
80 months 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.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
B4U Avatar
80 months 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.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Next Week With These New Features for Your iPhone

Friday February 14, 2025 6:18 am PST by
The first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner, and the update is expected to include many new features and changes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the iOS 18.4 beta to be released by next week. Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far. Apple Intelligence for Siri Siri is expected to get several enhancements powered by Apple Intelligence on iOS...
iPhone 17 Roundup Feature 2

iPhone Design to Change 'Significantly' This Year

Monday February 17, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple is set to "significantly change" the iPhone's design language later this year, according to a Weibo leaker. In a new post, the user known "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone's design is "starting to change significantly" this year. The "iPhone 17 Air" reportedly features a "horizontal, bar-shaped" design on the rear, likely referring to an elongated camera bump. On the other...
Apple Maps 2024

Apple Maps Might Start Showing Ads

Sunday February 16, 2025 7:22 am PST by
Apple is "exploring" the idea of showing search ads in the Apple Maps app, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Back in 2022, Gurman said software engineering was "already underway" to display ads in the Apple Maps app, but Apple did not move forward with the idea at the time. Today, he said Apple is "giving this notion more thought" again. This time around, he said Apple has yet to...
apple launch feb 2025 alt

What to Expect From the 'Apple Launch' Next Week

Thursday February 13, 2025 11:48 am PST by
Apple has yet to announce any new devices this year, but that could change starting next week. Apple CEO Tim Cook today said to "get ready" for a "launch" on Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," said Cook, in a social media post. The post includes an #AppleLaunch hashtag, along with a short video featuring an animated Apple logo inside of a circle....
m2 pro mac mini

Apple is Now Selling a Refurbished Mac Mini for Just $319 (!)

Saturday February 15, 2025 9:58 am PST by
A few days ago, we reported that Apple's refurbished Mac mini pricing had a problem, and it appears that Apple has taken note. Apple was offering a refurbished Mac mini with the M2 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage for $559, which was $50 more than a refurbished Mac mini with the M4 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. All other key specifications were equal. That's no longer...
iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

iPhone 17 Pro With All-New Camera Bar Design Allegedly Revealed

Thursday February 13, 2025 5:49 pm PST by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro will feature three rear cameras arranged in a familiar triangular layout, but the cameras will be housed in an all-new rectangular camera bar with rounded corners, according to YouTube channel Front Page Tech. iPhone 17 Pro camera design render created by Asher for Front Page Tech In a video uploaded today, Front Page Tech host Jon Prosser said the camera ...
Tim Cook Apple Park

10+ Announcements Apple Could Have Rolled Into a February Event

Saturday February 15, 2025 8:00 am PST by
Apple appears to have enough upcoming product announcements to justify a full event this month, yet all signs indicate these reveals will be handled through a series of press releases instead. There are a multitude of rumors from reliable sources about specific announcements in the coming weeks, so here's everything that Apple could have feasibly included in a hypothetical February event: ...
iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

Apple's Next iPhone SE Launching on Wednesday - Here's What We Know

Friday February 14, 2025 4:04 pm PST by
Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an Apple announcement that's coming on Wednesday, February 19, and it's looking like that mystery announcement will be the next-generation iPhone SE. We've been hearing about the iPhone SE 4 for quite some time now, and we essentially know everything to expect. If you want a sneak peek at what's coming, read on. Naming Apple first introduced the iPhone SE in...