my gift card says it has already been redeemed, but I haven't purchased anything

Redeeming a gift transfers the entire balance of the gift to your Apple ID balance. When you purchase something that balance is then charged. A card can be listed as redeemed but all it means is the money is now in your account waiting to be spent.

chriscornish Said:

"my gift card says it has already been redeemed, but I haven't purchased anything"

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Troubleshooting this:

I. You Need to Contact the Seller:

Whomever the seller is, ask them for a proof of purchase.

II. Where was the Purchased?

A. Online?:

If this was purchased online (i.e. eBay) then contact the site, seeing if the seller can be accountable and if you can get your money back.

B. In-Person?:

If this as purchased in person, then there may be nothing you can do but contact them, asking for your monkey back.

Or...

C. A Retailer?:

If purchased at a retailer, take it back, asking what your options are for return. Gift Card return policies vary by rules of law. So, take to the Manager, asking if you can get a new card.

III. Avoiding Scams:

In all recommend getting it at a retailer - that way you can easily avoid scams. Getting it online might result in scams (and plenty are reported). So, go to a retailer, and then add it to your Apple Account right then-and-there after the transaction goes through at the cash register. It'd be more safe, from what read on these forums.

Go Here:

• If you can't Redeem your Apple Gift Card or App Store & iTunes Gift Card - Apple Support
• Recognize and Avoid Phishing Messages, Phony Support Calls, and Other Scams - Apple Support

It is like getting a check from your grandmother for your birthday. You deposit the check to your bank account, if you try to do it again it will say it has been cashed, but the money is still in your account unspent. By all means look at the link about redeeming problems but from what you say, redeeming isn't the problem. If instead you mean you have not actually redeemed it but you are trying to and it says it has been redeemed then you are probably victim of fraud. This is not unheard of and somebody has taken the numbers on the card, then redeemed the card after you purchased it and it was validated at the store but before you could redeem it. In the simplest sense it isn't anybody's fault really (apart from the thief's) and if you go to Apple they will tell you to go to the store and the store will tell you to go to Apple who will tell you to go to the store... Unfortunately that leaves you in the middle with a card with no value. There's a few things you can do to reduce the risk of this happening again and I suggest you do a web search about gift card fraud to read about them.

See if anything here helps.

Gift Card - can’t redeem.