Can I Use A Gift Card For A Kindle To Subscribe To Kindle Unlimited?

Will this ever change? Super-integrated-ecosystems like Apple are moving towards a model where one can not only redeem a gift card but spend money directly within the app itself. It’s possible that Amazon could follow in their footsteps but I can see why they wouldn’t want to. For one, as it is, Amazon controls the entire purchasing experience for customers who purchase on Amazon.com and are able to promote additional products on the same page. There is also the fact that Amazon would avoid the 30% cut that Apple and Google take on in-app purchases. I wouldn’t count on seeing a “Redeem Gift Card” button within the Kindle app on your iPad in the near future. This minor detour to purchase from the comfort of your iPad in the browser is a small price to pay for the enormous selection of Kindle books.

This post lists out many of the little Known issues with Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and I agree with just about all of them. The biggest limitation for me right now is the iOS/Android app restriction - Amazon won’t sell ebook in-app for Kindle because Apple and Google take 30% or more, and Amazon wants to sell ebook for lower prices. So you can only purchase Kindle ebooks through mobile web browser or from desktop computer. Small price to pay for lower ebook prices, I suppose.

If you’re traveling, purchasing from a separate country for your registered Kindle(s), or having difficulties verifying your Gift Card balance on a particular region’s website, remember that Gift Card balances are region-specific. A Gift Card purchased from Amazon.com will not display a balance when logged into Amazon.co.uk, for example. Make sure you are checking the appropriate Amazon website for your country.

Most of these answers explain how something could work, but few explain why it shouldn't. I think Amazon would be more than happy to extract money directly from your Apple device for digital goods they sell in apps. Amazon, however, refuses to pay Apple 30% of every ebook sale, thus Amazon has opted to disable purchasing of books in the Amazon app (and I'd assume other digital goods). Gift cards, as Amazon payment methods, fall under the above restriction. So, it appears we have a corporate turf war playing out amongst thehuge corporations and you get to suffer as a result.

Unfortunately, Amazon doesn't offer Kindle Unlimited as a gift option. However, you can purchase an Amazon.com or Kindle gift card in the amount of the subscription and the recipient can use it to sign up for Kindle Unlimited. Go to the Kindle Unlimited page on Amazon. Click "Start your 30-day free trial." With your gift card, the monthly fee will be covered. And this same process can be used for other types of digital reading – such as many of the popular serials. For example, "In Just One Year-The Billionaire's Wife's Unconditional Love" just ended, so for a short time, new subscribers can read the entire arranged marriage to real love story in one go without paying per-chapter.

Note: International gifting is not as easy as Amazon makes it out to be. Amazon’s gifting feature will work for many countries, but not for all. For example, if the ebook you are trying to send as a gift is not licensed for sale in the recipient’s country (as indicated by their Amazon account being registered in that country), then the gift will not go through. I ran into this problem trying to send a best-selling US-hardcover as a gift to a friend in Japan. After much time and effort, the gift was not able to be sent. The safest option is to check the book’s Amazon page for the recipient’s country first. If that does not work, consider purchasing an Amazon gift card that can be used to purchase ebooks at the recipient’s local Amazon store.

I can walk you through the process of accessing Kindle Unlimited books on your device. Kindle Unlimited is a fantastic service that offers a vast library of books, and getting started is straightforward. First, ensure you have an active Amazon account and a subscription to Kindle Unlimited. If you don't have one, you can sign up on the Amazon website. Once subscribed, you can browse the Kindle Unlimited catalog directly from your device or the Amazon website. The selection is diverse, ranging from bestsellers to indie gems, so there's something for everyone. To access the books on your device, make sure you have the Kindle app installed. It's available for smartphones, tablets, and computers. If you're using a Kindle e-reader, the books will sync automatically once you're logged in with your Amazon account. Open the app or device, and you'll see a 'Kindle Unlimited' section where you can explore and borrow titles. Borrowing is simple—just click on the book you want, and it will download instantly. You can have up to 10 titles borrowed at a time, and there's no due date, so you can take your time reading. If you finish a book early, you can return it and borrow another one. The process is seamless, and the library is constantly updated, so you'll always find something new to dive into. One thing I love about Kindle Unlimited is how it syncs across devices. If you start reading on your phone, you can pick up where you left off on your tablet or Kindle. It’s perfect for people who switch between devices frequently. Also, the service includes audiobooks for some titles, which is a great bonus. If you're ever unsure about a book, you can read sample chapters before committing. The interface is user-friendly, and the recommendations are spot-on, making it easy to discover your next favorite read. Kindle Unlimited has transformed my reading habits, giving me access to endless stories without the hassle of buying each book individually.

A tip I have: Check the book’s Kindle store page for the “Read and Listen for Free” badge. If it is there, then you are good to go. I use my iPhone, and it is very easy to download Kindle books to your device. Then you can read them, or – if it has the audio add-on included (not all KU titles do, unfortunately) – listen to them as well. You can choose to have it stream, or you can download it for later listening over Wi-Fi or even by using data (but be aware that data can eat into your allowance quickly).

I realize that a return button is there for a reason now. When I used to not finish books that weren’t my type of reading material, I never gave it a second thought. But recently, an author explained how returns affected their sales in a post, and now I return only physically flawed books (unreadable formatting and/or massive spelling errors) and obvious scams (10 pages of nothing but keywords and nonsense, for example). Books that I merely didn’t enjoy greatly and finished anyway get to leave my library alone. The author did the work. I let them have their micro-payment for their work, regardless. That post changed my mind. Now, I’m pretty strict about returns that are technically flawed (e.g. unreadable formatting, lots of spelling errors, appears to be a scam – for example, I just returned a 10-page “book” stuffed with keywords). But for books that are just not my cup of tea, even if I finish them and hate them, I let them go. The author put a lot of work into that book, it’s still a product, and my subjective dislike of it is not a sufficient reason to withdraw my micro-payment for it. This has actually made me a more relaxed reader, less likely to try to get the maximum “bang for buck” out of each borrow.

Much confusion surrounds the term “Kindle” in relation to books but believe me it’s just a tag given to books in e-format. When checking out a book you will see the option to ‘Deliver to:’ and here you can select from any of your Kindle apps that you have registered on your amazon account i.e. ‘John’s iPhone’ or simply select the default Kindle app and the book will be sent to the ‘cloud’ to be downloaded at a later date by opening the relevant Kindle app on the chosen device. Very easy to do once you have done it.