Can't send app as a gift using iTunes credit

That's not possible.

(72994)

" But I can't use it to send app as a gift for my friends."

That is correct. You cannot use a gift balance to purchase a gift.

"Please how do I fix this?"

It is not broken. It is working exactly as intended.

Its purpose is to buy content, not necessarily applications, for your account and only for your account. No part of it can be transferred to another iTunes Store account through any means.

(72996)

"So what you are saying is that I can not buy gifts using the credit.

Exactly.

"So its purpose is only to buy apps for me?"

Yes.

Now you are getting it

Having encountered this problem (and it is a problem), the pure idiocy of this policy is astounding. I love how people just happily regurgitate the obvious, "You can't do it.", instead of questioning or actually offering any insight as to why you can't do it. There is no possible reason, beyond "We just don't wanna!", to not be able to purchase an app with your own funds--which gift cards are--and then gift the app, obviously not the funds, to someone. Fraud doesn't enter into it. Technical limitations don't enter into it. Nothing stops them from doing this except the fact that they simply want to pull in new funds via CC instead of honoring the funds people have already given Apple.

If Apple has a point of substance, let's hear it. I won't hold my breath.

Exactly vraxoin. I'm reading this after trying to do this exact thing tonight. And I am wondering how all these people replying "It's not possible" are sitting in their homes not thinking how stupid this is. The WHY NOT is important here. I'm getting so turned off by Apple, Microsoft, Sony, et all. They have changed from companies that create cool products for customers into companies that are only interested in extracting money. Disney is a perfect example of this. Way to go Apple with your idiotic policy and even better are all the lemmings that will continue to buy this crap no matter what.

Fraud doesn't enter into it.

This is incorrect. Fraud has a major reason to do with it. I've known people who worked in Apple Fraud for years.

You won't ever stomp it out, but it does help to limit the damage.

So I go into my local Best Buy - purchase an iTunes Card and load it to my account. Now I can't use it how I want - to purchase what I want, or gift it as I see fit? Stupidity - I already bought the card and paid for it. It should be treated as any other form of payment.

I bought the itunes card with the specific intent of using it to gift apps, not realizing this policy was in place. So that was basically a waste of $50.

As a side note, I haven't bought or asked for iTunes gift cards since I found this out. In fact, I haven't bought anything through iTunes since.

So I go into my local Best Buy - purchase an iTunes Card and load it to my account. Now I can't use it how I want - to purchase what I want, or gift it as I see fit?

No, you can't. And that's common to many other stores as well, not to be able to buy gifts with a gift card. Why that is I don't know, but it's not unique to Apple.

I bought the itunes card with the specific intent of using it to gift apps, not realizing this policy was in place.

I guess you didn't read the back of the card. It says "Card may not be used to purchase any other merchandise, allowances, or iTunes gifting". It always pays to read the terms of any product to make sure it will meet your needs before you purchase.

If you have redeemed the card but not made any purchases from the balance, the iTunes Store may be able to put the credit "back" onto the card so you can sell or give it to someone else who can use it as is intended. Go here:

http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/contact/

and follow the instructions to contact the iTunes Store and make the request.

Regards.

The point is "WHY"? iTunes supports gifting. Why it doesn't support gifting with money/credit from a gift card is beyond me. I think most people that know iTunes supports gifting wouldn't even think that it is limited to everything but gift cards...I know I didn't. It just doesn't make sense. Imagine a clothes store selling a gift card. You would expect that you could buy anything in the store with said gift card. Now imagine on the back of that card it said you could only buy socks and underwear in that store. Just doesn't make sense even if it is written on the back.

Your analogy is faulty. Restricting gift giving from a gift card/balance is a completely different issue, though you would be completely justified in declining to purchase a gift card that prevented you from buying socks, if socks was what you wanted.

But again, we don't know why. All we know is that Apple and many other stores, including Amazon, do not allow it. Whether this is a tax issue, an issue of fraud prevention, some other issue, or some combination of all of them, has never to my knowledge been explained by any store.

It is what it is. If that doesn't work for you, then by all means choose some other store or purchase method.

Regards.

It doesn't work for me and is why I haven't bought an apple good or service since. I just checked the amazon.com gift card restrictions (http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201138990) and it doesn't say anything about gifting. Amazon and itunes are very different stores. One dealing exclusively in digital, low cost apps/music. The other an e-tailer that deals mainly in physical goods with digital downloads. In one, you load your account with $$ to buy stuff...the other you just buy stuff. So I don't think the comparison with itunes and other "stores" is an equal comparison. I wouldn't even think of "gifting" with amazon. I would just buy something and send it to an address. Are you saying that you can't do that? I know I have in the past no matter how I pay for it.

BMCD wrote:

It doesn't work for me and is why I haven't bought an apple good or service since. I just checked the amazon.com gift card restrictions (http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201138990) and it doesn't say anything about gifting.

From Amazon's terms:

Limitations.

[ inapplcable text removed for brevity]. Gift Cards cannot be used to purchase other gift cards.

So there are similar limitations on what you can do with a gift card from Amazon, though it's not an identical situation. Shipping a physical item to someone other than yourself is a very different thing from a digital download.

But again, it is what it is. Since you don't buy any of Apple's products or services, this clearly isn't an issue for you now.