Amazon gift cards are a wonderful present for anyone that you care about.
Because Amazon carries almost anything, you can be certain that the gift card will be used to pick up things you actually care about.
But what if you’re a reader? Do Amazon gift cards also work for Amazon’s Kindle platform, and are there any restrictions?
In this article, we’ll cover everything that you need to know.
Do Amazon Gift Cards Work For Kindle?
Amazon gift cards can be used to purchase any book within the Kindle book store. Simply select the gift card balance as your payment method, and your gift card will be applied towards your Kindle purchases.
However, Amazon gift cards cannot be used for subscription products, such as magazine or newspaper subscriptions. This includes Kindle Unlimited subscriptions.
That being said, the gift cards do work for all non-subscription based books within the Kindle store.
This makes Amazon gift cards an excellent choice for those that love to read. One gift card can last a really long time, and can make a really meaningful gift.
So, if you know someone that loves to read on their Kindle, an Amazon gift card may be an excellent choice for them!
Note:Â For Amazon’s ‘one-click purchases’ (where you don’t have to actually checkout), Amazon automatically pulls from the gift card balance first, rather than any of the cards you have on file. Therefore, the gift card balance may be automatically used, even if it’s not specifically selected.
Do Amazon Gift Cards Expire?
No. Amazon gift cards do not expire, as long as they were purchased after October 1st, 2005. Realistically speaking, this does not apply to the overwhelming majority of people.
This means that if you purchase an Amazon gift card, you can trust that it will be valid until it’s ready to be used.
That being said, it’s a good idea to redeem gift card balances to your account straight away. This prevents them from being stolen, or in the case of physical gift cards, misplaced.
Once an Amazon gift card is redeemed, it is permanently tied to your Amazon account and can be used on any eligible item within Amazon’s ecosystem.
Can You Use An Amazon Gift Card To Purchase Kindle Unlimited?
No. Amazon gift cards cannot be used to pay for Kindle Unlimited, as Kindle Unlimited is a subscription product.
Because it automatically renews each month and your gift card balance eventually will not cover it, Amazon has restricted the use of gift cards on Kindle Unlimited subscriptions.
This is rather unfortunate. Kindle Unlimited is a fantastic way to gain access to over one million different books that have been published on the Kindle bookstore. For those that read a lot, it’s an incredible value and really helps you explore new authors, without having to commit to a full purchase.
However, Amazon does allow you to purchase Kindle Unlimited gift subscriptions for others, that are set to expire after a certain period of time.
Currently, you can gift Kindle Unlimited to others for 6 months, 12 months, or 24 months at a time.
To learn more about gifting Kindle Unlimited to others, click here.
Can You Use An Amazon Gift Card To Purchase Magazine Subscriptions?
Unfortunately, Amazon gift cards cannot be used to purchase subscriptions to magazines, newspapers, or blogs.
Like Kindle Unlimited, Amazon restricts gift card purchases for any subscription related to Kindle. If you try to purchase a subscription to a magazine on your Kindle, it will instead make the purchase using one of the cards tied to your Amazon account.
This is true even if you have a gift card balance that you have already redeemed.
Therefore, if you want to start a new subscription, you should keep in mind that your Amazon gift card balance will not be able to cover it.
How To Redeem An Amazon Gift Card, For Use On Kindle
Amazon gift cards are tied to your Amazon account, and span across platforms.
This means that regardless of the device you redeem it on, it will work anywhere. Not only can you use the funds on Amazon’s website, but also on your Kindle, as well as other places like Amazon Prime Video on your smart TV.
Additionally, this also means that the redemption process is exactly the same.
To redeem an Amazon gift card, follow these steps:
- Locate the claim code for the gift card. This may be printed on the gift card itself (physical), or within the confirmation email if purchasing a digital gift card.
- Visit Amazon’s gift card redemption page by clicking here.
- Enter in the claim code, and submit it.
- Look for the confirmation that the funds have been added to your account.
It’s that simple!
As long as you are signed into the same Amazon account on your Kindle, the gift card balance will be immediately available for use.
Conclusion
Amazon gift cards can be used to make purchases on your Kindle, as long as it’s not for subscription products.
While subscriptions can’t be purchased with an Amazon gift card, all books within the Kindle store can.
I hope that you’ve found this article helpful. If you have any questions about Amazon gift cards or Kindle, please ask them using the comment form below.
Thank you for reading,
– James McAllister