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Xbox gift cards are 10 percent off at Amazon right now
If you want to surprise your favorite gamer with a gift but aren't sure exactly what to get, why not let them decide themselves?
AMC Theaters now lets you buy digital gift cards with Dogecoin
Such movies, very wow.
Heading to college? Buy a Mac and receive a $100 Apple Store Gift Card
Apple today began sending out emails alerting folks to a new back-to-school promotion. With the new promotion, individuals who purchase a Mac for college by September 9 will receive a $100 Apple Store Gift Card. College-bound kids who purchase an iPad or an iPhone will similarly be eligible for a $50 Apple Store Gift Card. Qualifying consumers eligible for the gift card include college students, students accepted to a college next year, parents buying a product for a college student, and "faculty or staff members from any grade level."
Blizzard unveils the Battle.net gift card
Blizzard has announced an EU Battle.net gift card program. These gift cards, which come in the amount of €20, are available throughout many popular retailers around Europe. Upon using the gift card, the user's Battle.net balance goes up and they can purchase what they want. This isn't a bad thing, especially for things Christmas gifts (/cough mom, if you ever read this). Individual items are still giftable via Battle.net as well, that has not gone away. Again, this is for the EU only. The US version, we have to assume, is coming soon™.
PayPal starts selling iTunes digital gift cards, sells out of $15, $25 options immediately
When it comes to retailers that sell gift cards, you probably don't immediately think of PayPal, but that might soon change. The eBay-owned company is diving into the digital gift card business and is touting iTunes as its first major partner. The company just began selling redeemable iTunes gift codes via a new web portal and proceeded to sell out of the two cheapest versions without much delay. You can currently purchase US$50 and $100 iTunes codes via the new PayPal Digital Gifts store, but the $15 and $25 options are already depleted. There's no indication of whether PayPal's stocks will be replenished in time for some last-minute holiday gifting, but if you have a few bucks burning a hole in your PayPal account, it may pay to check back in a day or two. [via Engadget]
Retailers' growing relationship with Passbook
Apple's Passbook has had a rocky road. When it was first introduced in iOS 6, it seemed like an excellent idea. You could store all of your loyalty cards, tickets, and other mobile payment items all in one place. But in practice, Passbook hasn't been all that helpful. Not many retailers' loyalty programs are included in the app, and getting information in there is harder than it has to be most of the time. But Apple isn't giving up, and neither are retailers. GigaOm has a few good examples of how certain retailers are using the app. Gift cards are now a big deal within the app, and CashStar (which sells digital gift cards for big brands) says one third of its cards are opened on a smartphone, usually an iPhone. The app is also easier to use, as more companies build an actual workflow into it. And customers are not only learning how Passbook can help them, but they're growing accustomed to the idea of digital gift cards and currency. Passbook is still around in the upcoming iOS 7, though it's only gotten a new icon and a barcode scanner (which itself might help with ease of use). The dream of keeping all of those loyalty cards, gift cards, and ticket stubs on your phone instead of in that drawer at home is still alive, and hopefully someday Apple will make it happen with Passbook.
Skype update adds 'e-gifting' to Mac app
There's a new update for Mac users of Skype today. The new update brings two key features: eGifting, allowing you to send a gift of Skype credit to any of your Skype or Facebook friends on their birthday, and one-way SMS without the hassle of verifying your mobile number first. The update also resolves some previously known issues. It's possible to gift someone Skype credit through Skype's website, but the eGifting feature / reminder on birthdays is a nice addition, especially if you've connected Skype to your Facebook account, since Skype credit seems more meaningful than a generic greeting on a friend's timeline. At least with gifting Skype credit, you're likely to have a face-to-face conversation, if they choose to call you with the credit you've sent them! You can download the latest version of Skype for Mac from here or, with Skype open, click on the Skype menu bar and select Check for updates. [Via TechCrunch]
Square now offers Passbook integration and gift cards
On Sunday, Square CEO Jack Dorsey announced via Twitter that Square now offers the ability to give and use gift cards via iOS's Passbook. The gift card announcement is a unique approach to the industry. Traditional gift cards (electronic or physical) require stores to actually offer a gift card. However, Square's implementation lets any Square Wallet user create a gift card for any retailer that uses Square Register to process payments. To create the gift card, the user simply selects a business that uses Square Register from the Square Wallet app, taps the "Gift Card" button, selects the amount of the gift card and sends it to anyone in their contact book. The recipient will get an email with a link to add it to iOS 6's Passbook. The advantage to consumers is the ability to buy and send gift cards right from their phone. However, the biggest advantage is for businesses. Traditionally it was costly and time consuming for small businesses to offer gift cards. Now any small business that uses Square Register will be able to do so, thus increasing its sales and potential customer base. The Square gift card system can be used on iOS or Android via Google Wallet. Square Wallet and Square Register are free downloads.
Redeem iTunes gift cards with iTunes 11 and your Mac's camera
One of the coolest iTunes 11 features has got to be the new redemption system. It allows you to scan gift codes using your Mac's camera system. As the screen shot above shows, all you have to do is hold up your iTunes barcode and let your camera do the work. No more laborious typing of barcode-supported gift cards is needed any more. Click Use Camera and then use the interactive camera feed to hold up and scan your card. You can only redeem cards that have a box around the code letters, as you see in the screenshot above. Here is Steve Sande redeeming himself. He isn't actually a gift card, but he pretends to be one on alternative Sundays. TUAW first noticed Mountain Lion's Core Recognition framework early this year and suggested that it might be used for this kind of redemption through the "CRCodeRedeemer" class. We're gratified to learn we were right on the money. Mike Rose pointed out in his original write-up that there's even more this tech could be capable of. As he wrote back in Feburary, "This technology would be even more interesting if Apple's 2011 patent application for 'digital handshakes' ever sees daylight. With barcodes or data embeds printed on your devices with invisible ink, you could log into your Mac just by waving your iPhone at it -- which would require that your Mac have some barcode-reading savvy."
Gyft for iOS now compatible with Passbook, adds gift cards from more than 200 retailers
With Apple having recently introduced its novel Passbook feature in the latest version of iOS, it's only natural for app makers to try and take advantage of such miscellaneous hub. With that in mind, Gyft -- a 2012 TechCrunch Disrupt finalist -- has made its application fully compatible with Cupertino's newfangled iOS 6, adding support for the iPhone 5's 4-inch screen and, most importantly, the ability to add gift cards from many retailers to Passbook; some of which include Amazon, Target, Lowe's, GAP, American Eagle and Starbucks. You can grab the Gyft (v1.2) application now directly from your iDevice, or there's always the link below if that makes it slightly easier for you.
Motorola's rebate site goes live: $100 credit if you need to upgrade to get Jelly Bean
During Motorola's keynote on Wednesday, the company announced a nice little bonus for loyal fans -- should your 2011-or-later handset not receive a Jelly Bean update, you'll get $100 if you upgrade to one of its new models. Well, a website for the deal has gone live and the initial Ts&Cs don't make it sound like an immediate discount, but that the Benjamin will instead be reimbursed as a gift card, carrier credit or a cash equivalent of Motorola's choice. We're still in the dark about which specific phones will be denied a taste of Android 4.1, although the list is expected "very soon." In the meantime, you can sign up at the source link below to receive details of how to update, or how to claim the rebate once the fate of your old handset has been decided.
Spotify gift cards now available at Target in $10, $30 and $60 values
If any of you tuning in from the US have ever wondered why you can't buy a Spotify gift card for the internet radio lover in your life, well, you can quit pondering: Target is now selling Spotify credits in its brick-and-mortar stores -- a first in the US. The cards are available in $10, $30 and $60 amounts, which translates to one, three and six months of service, respectively. As you can imagine, you need a Spotify Premium account to redeem them, so make sure whoever you're buying for has a subscription or at least intends to sign up. Still, we have to say: a month of ad-free radio and offline playback could make for a nice last-minute gift, even if the lucky recipient chooses not to hang around after the included free days expire.
Google Play gift cards officially announced, now rolling out to Target, RadioShack and GameStop
We've seen hints of them in the Google Play app and some pretty clear evidence of them in the wild, and now Google has finally officially announced the availability of Google Play gift cards. Those are available in $10, $25 and $50 denominations, and will be rolling out to Target, RadioShack and GameStop retail stores in the United States over the next few weeks (no word on availability outside the US just yet). According to Google, they'll also be available on Walmart.com later this month, but not in Walmart stores for the time being. As you'd expect, the cards can be used to purchase anything on Google Play, including movies, music and books in addition to apps (or in-app items). [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Apple demos Passbook, a one-stop shop for tickets and boarding passes
From airline and train boarding passes to concert tickets, we've seen a variety of tix make their way into the digital realm at venues around the world. With today's announcement of Passbook, the hard copy credential may soon be a thing of the past. Speaking on stage at Apple's WWDC keynote, VP of iOS Software Scott Forstall demonstrated the feature with United boarding passes, Fandango movie tickets and a Starbucks gift card. While none of these examples are making their premiere debut, Passbook will certainly make the QR-code-based stubs more user-friendly, while also increasing awareness among folks who continue to opt for paper while doubting the usability and authenticity of a digital counterpart. Passbook is also location aware, bringing up a Starbucks card as you approach a shop, for example. You can also get updates related to your stored credentials, such as a gate change announcement with a pending United boarding pass. The feature will come bundled with iOS 6, set to launch this fall. Check out our full coverage of WWDC 2012 at our event hub!%Gallery-157917%
Amazon's gift card restriction patent: puts some thought in your otherwise thoughtless present
We all have that one friend or family member that's nigh impossible to shop for, whether it's because they have everything or like nothing. Gift cards are the quick and dirty solution to this gifting conundrum, but what if you don't trust that special someone to make a purchase you'd be proud to call your present? Never fear, Amazon is here... with a new patent that lets you, the gift-giver, control which of the retailer's wares can be bought with its gift cards. Of course, those who aren't such control freaks can simply have the card make purchase recommendations instead. Plus, this gift card of tomorrow can also let you know what was bought with the card to give you some insight for future gifting occasions. Maybe then you'll be able to give your mother-in-law something she'll like, instead of just some repurposed retail cash.
Engadget giveaway: win one of five Nexus S 4G phones with $1,000 Google Wallet credit!
We're pretty excited about Google Wallet, but the service is currently only available for Nexus S 4G phone owners, leaving most of you waiting for broader implementation. Well, how would you like to skip the line, getting to test it out on a Nexus S 4G of your very own? Google has supplied us with five phones to give away -- the company is even throwing in $1,000 (yes, one THOUSAND dollars) of prepaid credit to help fund those first few dozen taps. There's one catch: you'll need to use your Nexus S 4G with a Sprint plan, though the carrier is throwing in one month of demo service to get you started. Check out our in-depth preview for a detailed look at the service, and simply leave a comment after the break to be entered to win -- after checking that you meet the entry requirements, of course.
A week with Google Wallet (video)
Contactless payments have been something of a curiosity in the credit card industry. MasterCard's PayPass has been around for the better part of a decade, but merchants and banks alike seem hesitant to adopt the technology required to make the system work, and inconsistent implementation adds to the confusion -- particularly for customers. Google's new mobile phone-based Wallet service has the potential to transform the technology from its current status as a transaction turkey, to a future as a checkout champion. But will it work? We spent a week with a Wallet-enabled Nexus S 4G, using the device to pay whenever we encountered a MasterCard PayPass terminal. Unfortunately, that wasn't often enough, limiting us to just a handful of transactions in the first week. Still, with Google just beginning to roll out the service and only a limited selection of launch partners ready to go, it's impossible to deliver a complete verdict just yet. Jump past the break for an inside look at Google Wallet, including a video of the service in action, and a brief look at what the world of contactless payments may look like in the future.%Gallery-130759%
Zynga crowns Lady Gaga as FarmVille's newest cash cow
What better way to market a game that isn't really a game than with an artist who isn't really an artist? Such was the rationale, apparently, behind Zynga's recent decision to partner with Lady Gaga, the freshly anointed face of FarmVille. As of May 17th, FarmVille users will be able to take a much-needed break from wasting their lives and visit GagaVille -- a neighboring but equally fake farm full of unicorns, crystals and terrible life decisions. There, visitors will be able to listen to unreleased tracks from Gaga's forthcoming album, Born This Way, which they can also download for "free," once they've dropped $25 of their parents' hard-earned cash on a Zynga gift card. The campaign will mercifully come to an end on May 26th, but not before Diet Madonna extends her corporate leviathan to every corner of Zynga's gaming universe, including Words With Friends, Mafia Wars and anything else your pre-teen cousin spends far too much time playing. Gaga will win. Zynga will win. The human race, on balance, will lose. If you haven't slit your wrists yet, the PR after the break should do the trick.
Apple Stores now selling iPad gift cards
Apple has begun selling their signature silver gift cards inside "iPad Gift Card" packaging just in time for the holiday rush. iLounge says that although the cards themselves aren't anything different than the ones I normally get from family as Christmas gifts, they can now be used to purchase an iPad. When I bought my current iPhone I tried to use gift cards and wasn't allowed to do so -- Apple mandated that customers had to use a debit or a credit card -- but I guess this is a change in company policy. I would much rather unwrap an actual iPad on Christmas morning rather than just a gift card, but beggars can't be choosers, can they? If you are traveling to see me for the holidays, I completely understand it would be a lot easier to pack a gift card than an iPad. So you're more than welcome to bring me one if you absolutely have to. I won't mind! [via MacStories]
iBooks gift cards appear in Apple Stores and Target stores
iLounge reports that Apple has started to sell iBooks-branded iTunes Store gift cards in Apple Stores. I also saw the same gift cards for sale in my local Target store this morning. The gift cards come in US$25 and US$50 denominations and, like other iTunes gift cards, aren't limited to purchasing iBooks but can be used to purchase any content in the iTunes Store. The idea behind the iBooks gift card branding is twofold: to appeal to customers buying iPads for book lovers this holiday season and also to remove any doubt in the minds of purchasers that gift cards could not be used in the iBookstore. That was a common misconception, because the iBookstore is only found on iOS devices and not in the iTunes desktop application. But that should be put to rest with these cards right alongside the usual iTunes gift cards this holiday season.
