If you’re planning on buying an Apple gift card thinking that you can use those funds with Apple Pay then stop right there because there’s a very big difference between the two.
Apple gift cards, as per the Cupertino tech giant’s website, “are solely for the purchase of goods and services from the Apple Store, the Apple Store app, apple.com, the App Store, iTunes, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple Books, and other Apple properties.”
This means you can only use Apple Gift Card money for products and services that exist within the Apple ecosystem. You can’t use your Apple Gift card money for purchases at retailers and stores that accept Apple Pay. So, if you’re planning on getting a bunch of snacks for a road trip at 7-Eleven, those funds are no good there, nor will they be at any store that lets you buy goods using Apple Pay.
Apple gift cards are different than Apple Cash, which has the same monetary value as any other “real world” currency—it’s just in a digital form like a PayPal, Venmo, or Cash App balance.
This is probably a distinction that TikToker @capitalofyomom would’ve liked to have known before she went and dropped $300 on an Apple Gift Card, thinking that she could add said balance to her Apple Pay account.
@capitalofyomom Well fuck
♬ The Sound That Made History. – Gman
The TikToker writes in a text overlay of the video as they grip an Apple gift card in their hands, “No tf way did I just go purchase a 300 Apple gift card and adding it to my account thinking it would go into my Apple Pay.”
Some commenters tried to be helpful and suggested that she simply add an Apple Cash card to her digital wallet to rectify the situation. However, other users chimed in stating that there’s a clear distinction between adding funds to one’s Apple account (which is for Apple-only products and services) versus their Apple Pay digital wallet.
Others offered up jokes veiled as consolatory suggestions, “You can buy Spotify premium for the next 10 years,” one person wrote. Another said, “icloud storage for the next 25 years.”
Another remarked, “At least you got a sticker.”
Someone else asked, “Why would you even want that on your Apple Pay. Just use your card?” But another user said some customers may be reluctant to give out their credit card information when making purchases. Apple claims that using its payment system is more secure than using traditional credit and debit cards.
Another TikToker suggested that she purchase an Apple product and then simply return it to get her money back. However, retailers typically refund the money back on the method of payment. So purchasing an item with a gift card will more than likely result in the TikToker receiving store credit, not cash.
Others just couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t transfer the money from her bank to her Apple Pay digital wallet.
One user wrote, “girl all u had to do was transfer the money from ur bank to apple cash.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to @capitalofyomom via TikTok comment and Apple via email.
