Where to Spend Google Play Gift Card

Smartphones and tablets are now being used for a lot more than just calling, texting and browsing the internet. Whether you are at home, on your daily commute to and from the office, or simply looking to pass the time, these handy mobile devices can now provide endless entertainment in the form of movies, TV shows, music, magazines, games, books and all kinds of apps.

Thanks to the digital media store Google Play, you can quickly and easily purchase these (or even get them for free) for your Android device. If you love feeding your hunger for books, watching movies starring your favorite actors, following episodes of the best TV series, or testing your gaming prowess in all the new games, then Google Play is our best source for your digital media needs.

Is it available where you are?

Since being launched in 2012, Google Play has presented more than 2.2 million published apps and enabled over 50 billion downloads worldwide. However, despite these impressive numbers, it does not necessarily mean that everyone in the world can access the same content.

Google Play customers in the United States and certain other countries have complete access to all of the store’s offerings. For others, however, some products may not be available, or only the free apps and games (and not the paid content) can be accessed.

If you have family or friends in countries where Google Play has only a limited reach, there’s a great gift idea for you. The next time a birthday or special occasion rolls around and the celebrant loves using their mobile device for entertainment purposes, send them Google Play gift cards that will give them unlimited access to all US content available in the store. How cool is that? Google Play cards are also extremely easy to redeem.

Choose from millions of apps

Here’s what your recipients can buy with their Google Play gift cards:

Movies

Does your friend want to watch Captain America: Civil War over and over? Got little kids or siblings who would love fun animated films like Zootopia? Maybe you have a cousin who simply swoons over romantic films like The Notebook or even the classic Love Story? The gift card will let them buy all the movies they want to view on their device.

Books

If catching up on their reading is their thing, your friends and loved ones will be ecstatic to get a gift card that lets them buy everything from the Harry Potter series to John C. Maxwell’s Self Improvement to John Grisham’s well-loved thrillers.

Magazines

Gift cardholders can get a magazine subscription and receive updated content from their favorite news, business, and entertainment sources.

Apps

Pokémon Go, Clash of Clans, Facebook Messenger, Skype, Viber, Camer360, DU Speed Booster, Spotify, LOL Pics — whether you need apps that let you play games, chat with people, enhance your pictures, improve your productivity, or just give you a good dose of laughter every day, there’s an app for that. And the Google Play gift card gives you the best the digital world has to offer.

Card not working? Here are some fixes

If your gift card isn’t working, there are a few reasons why. First, don’t use dashes or spaces when typing in your code. If that doesn’t help, go to where the card was purchased, if you can, and see if the card was activated. All gift cards have to be activated or they can’t be used. If you can’t get to the store, try contacting Google Play’s customer service.

Also, your card must be redeemed in the same country it was purchased in. So if your friend overseas sent you a card, it’s not going to work unless they purchased one specifically for your country. The card will have the country listed on the back.

The fix is to change your country on your Google Pay account by making a new payment profile. To make the change, go to the Google Pay site, then Settings > Country and click on the Edit button (it looks like a pencil). Click on Create New Profile and follow the on-screen instructions, making sure to choose the country of your card as your country in the options. Then, redeem your gift card and just use this profile to make purchases until your card balance is used up.