After confirming rumors that surfaced earlier this month, the company said that while the cards are not yet available in all stores, they will soon be sold from RadioShack, Target and GameStop, and only in the U.S.
In fact, the cards, which is pretty much identical to the iTunes gift cards Apple has been offering for years, can be used toward a purchase at Google’s former Android app market, now dubbed as Google Play store
Google introduced Google Play gift cards Tuesday. (Google)
The gift cards, which will be available in denominations of $10, $25 and $50, is free of fees, never expire and have a redemption code beneath a scratch-off panel. Recipients can enter the code on the Google Play website or on their mobile device to purchase songs, movies, TV shows, e-books, Android apps, and games from the Google Play store. The gift cards can even be used to purchase in-app items like extra levels, add-on packs, and virtual currency. The Google Play store currently offers more than 500,000 Android games and apps.
As a matter of fact, users can also seamlessly enter the code online, by navigating to play.google.com/redeem. However, if customers outside the US manage to get a card or its code, they will be unable to redeem it as Google will analyze their location and inform them that it is not available where they are. Also, they cannot be utilized for Android app subscriptions, magazine subscriptions, or hardware or accessories.
Google said that the gift cards are currently making their way to retail stores, so if you are keen on obtaining one right away, it is best to call ahead an check on availability. However, their precise release date will vary for each retail chain, according to Google, besides, there is no word yet about availability outside the U.S.
On the other hand the company says that the funds will go into the users’ Google Play balance, which has a maximum limit of US$2000 and can only be topped up by using gift cards. Users are unable to split the cost of a single purchase between their Google Play balance and another form of payment, such as credit card.
Interestingly, Google earlier this year introduced the ability for Nexus 7 buyers to keep a store balance, which sparked speculation that gift cards might be on the way. Then last week, even more evidence surfaced that Google was prepping gift cards for its app store, which is now finally a reality.
More so, the cards now empower parents with a unique way to ensure that their teenagers can make purchases, without the need of a credit card. For users between 13 and 17 years of age, their Google Wallet account will only accept gift cards. Gift cards are not valid for users below the age of 13.