If I Don't Claim an Apple Gift Card, What Happens?
If you have an Apple gift card, you can theoretically wait as long as you want to use it because Apple gift cards have no expiration dates. However, it's still not a good idea to let yours go unused forever. Theft, damage, or other issues could end up making it unusable to you. You can redeem the card to your Apple account balance and keep it safe while you wait.
If you received an Apple gift card, you can use it to get all kinds of useful and interesting things at the Apple store. If there's nothing there that you want at the moment, though, and you just let the card go unused, you may be wondering what will happen to it. Well, to get your answer, read the rest of this article.
Do Apple Gift Cards Have Expiration Dates?
You won't have to worry about your unused Apple gift card expiring because they never expire. That being said, it's still not a great idea to let yours just sit around forever, because Apple reserves the right to change its gift card terms and conditions at any time. That means that it could theoretically decide to introduce an expiration date at some time in the future.
Theft and Damage Considerations
Gift card theft is, unfortunately, not uncommon, and thieves don't need to have physical access to your card to steal the balance on it. So the longer you wait to use your card, the greater the odds that this could happen. Even if it doesn't, ordinary wear and tear could damage the gift card numbers, making them unreadable. And that would make the card unusable.
How to Redeem Your Apple Gift Card
To avoid some of these problems without actually using your gift card right now, you can redeem it, or have its balance added to your Apple account balance. To do this, follow these instructions:
- Open the Apple App Store app.
- Tap on your picture at the top of the screen.
- Sign into your account.
- Tap on the Redeem Gift Card or Code option.
- Tap on Enter Code Manually or Use Camera and follow the instructions to redeem the card.
- Tap on Done.
Contacting Apple
If you have any questions about your gift card, talk to an Apple customer service representative to get answers. You can reach one on the help forum or by phone.
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