The gift card seems to be the standard fall back gift these days but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be useful or personalized. In terms of technology, there are many different types of services that we subscribe to that can be given as gifts. The question is really finding and selecting a gift that will match the recipient well.
App Store Cards
Many people have a smartphone or tablet these days. In order to get applications, movies and even music for them, there are a number of App Stores that are typically tied to either the device or a service available for that device. The three biggest device services are iTunes, Google Play and Amazon’s Kindle/App Store. Which of the services you might get a card for will depend upon what device the recipient has is.
iTunes gifts cards are what you will give to any person that owns an iPad, iPhone or iPod device. The gift cards are quite flexible as the money can go towards apps, books, music, movies and even programs for the Mac OS X computers. The cards are readily available in just about any retail outlet with a three pack of $10 cards, $25 cards and $50 cards being the most common. Apple also sells available in $25, $50 or $100. The only downside is that these are physical cards that are mailed so they aren’t as useful as going to a store to pick up one. Another option is the ability to gift either the amount electronically through the iTunes program or to gift specific apps, books, movies or music to an individual.
Google’s Play is the default store for Android devices that is controlled by Google of course. It offers apps, movies, music and books just like Apple but to a wider audience of devices. The Google Play credits can also be used towards the purchase of some of the Nexus or Chromebook devices and their accessories. The big downside here is that unlike Apple, Google only offers the or as an electronic gift code. Values for the store range from $10 to $100.
If you know someone with an Amazon Kindle or Fire device, then the is what you will want to send them. The best part about Amazon’s gift cards is that they can apply to more than just the Amazon digital services. The balance can also be used for any purchases made through the Amazon.com store. This includes the Amazon Kindle Book Store and their Application store as well. This makes the Amazon card the most flexible as you could give it to someone with an Android or iOS device because they can use it for the Kindle Bookstore or to buy accessories or other items from the store.
Subscription Services
Besides gift cards to use with our devices, you can also buy subscriptions that can be used with the various services that one can use on their device. There are a number of services out there offering gift cards and gift subscriptions. You can even buy gift cards for Facebook at stores to use with the various Facebook games.
Netflix is the largest online streaming service and offers a number of exclusive critically acclaimed programs in addition to many TV and movies as well. The service is reasonably priced as low as $7.99/month. The company used to offer gift subscriptions but they are instead switched to using gift cards that can be used to pay for a subscription balance. The cards are available at many retailers but they can also be purchased through Amazon as a or .
Hulu is a big service that focuses heavily on streaming current TV shows from many of the networks except CBS. While the Hulu service is free via a computer web browser with limited access to programs, the full access to all the programs and through devices other than a computer browser requires a subscription to Hulu Plus. The service itself costs $7.99/month. The company offers gift cards available through a number of retailers that can be used to pay for the service or you can purchase an . Gift amounts range from $15 to $100.
In addition to Amazon’s normal gift cards, the company is now offering the ability to give services as a gift. Amazon Prime is a bit different than the other services as it features more than just video streaming. In fact, many people purchase it for the free two-day shipping with Amazon Prime items. In addition to the shipping, it also allows the borrowing of a Kindle book each month which can be a significant saving on its own. Of course it also provides streaming to Amazon Prime items from their Instant Video services and their new original programs as well. The big downside is that it must be purchased full a full year at a cost of $99 unlike the others which can provide more affordable amounts for shorter time frames.