Itunes Gift Card As An Actual Gift

[volk666]

Want to buy a gift card for a niece so that she doesn't have to beg her mother for every little game she wants.

As far as I understand it's impossible, not unless her mother changes her perfectly fine iTunes account to a fake US one.

Am I right? If it was for myself I would probably try and register for a US store but as an actual gift that sounds like giving people free pain in the backside.

Is there any other way? I've learned that there are gift cards and gift certificates and there are things on eBay but nothing comes up when I search Thai Apple store online and a guy at iStudio didn't know anything.

Thai iTunes store has "New Gift Service" at the bottom of the page, announcing sending gifts to six countries in SE Asia including Thailand but I can't figure out how that works, when I follow the links it eventually sends me back to the Thai home page with no gifts in sight.

[Raptor7]

just have:

( a ) your niece set up a US iTunes account with a US address..

( b ) then buy iTunes gift cards online with via Paypal payment (I have one linked with my Thai credit card)

http://epointsdelive.../apps/webstore/

( c ) then give your niece the iTunes gift card code number(s) on a sugar-free candy bar with a bow (as a present)

( d ) then your niece can buy songs, apps, games, movies, TV shows etc. on iTunes and enjoy on her iPod, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV etc. ....

you will be her favorite uncle...

[volk666]

your niece set up a US iTunes account with a US address..

That is exactly what I don't want her to do. It's her mother's iPhone and iPad, her mother has a legitimate iTunes account tied to her legitimate Thai credit card and legitimate address and I'm not telling them to go fake just for the sake of accepting my gift.

Why does Apple advertise gift cards for Thailand on their Thai store home page? I expect it to be something more than setting up fake accounts to make them work.

Are they available through iTunes itself, I mean the program? Maybe it's from one Thai iTunes user to another.

[Raptor7]

your niece set up a US iTunes account with a US address..

That is exactly what I don't want her to do. It's her mother's iPhone and iPad, her mother has a legitimate iTunes account tied to her legitimate Thai credit card and legitimate address and I'm not telling them to go fake just for the sake of accepting my gift.

Why does Apple advertise gift cards for Thailand on their Thai store home page? I expect it to be something more than setting up fake accounts to make them work.

Are they available through iTunes itself, I mean the program? Maybe it's from one Thai iTunes user to another.

( a ) it's not a fake account....I use my mom's address....why do you say it's a fake account?

( b ) where are gifts cards on the Thai store home page?

Edited September 2, 2011 by Raptor7

[volk666]

( a ) if they use *your* mom's address as their own that would be a fake account. They don't have any US addresses nor US credit cards.

( b ) the link to Thai Apple store is in the OP, scroll down the page, below the accessories menu is the "New gift service" that includes Thailand.

If it was the usual, apparently discussed to death here, case of "lie and cheat, provide a fake address and buy your apps with gift cards from eBay for a small premium on the card value" I would understand it but when I saw this ad for Thai gift cards on their home page I was starting to get hope the gift system might actually work as gifts, too.

I'm surprised that it doesn't, I didn't expect Apple to advertise non-existing services, I still think I'm missing something here.

Oh, I get it, by gifts they don't mean gift cards, they mean anything you can buy in the Apple store - iPhones, iPads, MacAir, anything but the gift cards themselves. So now expats here can buy Apple stuff online with their overseas cards, no need to a Thai CC anymore, and it will get delivered to your door. Not much of a gift 'cos you still have to pay for it but it solves some problems for some people, I guess.

Pity actual gift cards are not included.

[Raptor7]

(a) I wasnt suggesting they use "my" mom's address. If they use a friend's or relative's US address for their US iTunes account, I don't think that is a fake account.

There is no need for a US credit card. You can buy iTunes gift cards with a Paypal account linked to your Thai credit card.

Genuine US iTunes gift cards are sold virtually at face value when online sellers have sales (like Jessica on the link above). She tweets her sales on Twitter.

( b ) Like I said, I don't think there are Thai iTunes gift cards for use on the Thai iTunes store.