As the name goes, gift cards are popularly used for birthdays, graduations, promotions, and other gifting occasions. We often see it as gift suggestions for family, friends, and colleagues but what is it?
A gift card is just like a debit card, prepaid with a certain amount of money. It can be used for different types of purchases in specific stores, websites, restaurants, or brands.
In Italy, there are several types of gift cards available depending on the use of the gift card and the company, store, or brand making the gift cards available. You can access gift cards from several companies regardless of the location of the company.
Though the companies and stores of the most common gift cards in Italy are not located directly in the country, they are still available for use. For example, Amazon gift cards are available in Italy even though the parent company is hundreds of miles away. There are a couple of Amazon stores across Italy and in this digital age, there is a website where these gift cards can be used as well.
This brings us to the classification of gift cards. All the various types of gift cards available, regardless of the company they are gotten from can be classified into the two that we’re going to talk about below.
- Cash Gift Cards: Cash gift cards offer the most flexibility because they can be used anywhere. They are just like credit cards and you can use them for physical purchases and payment online as well. They are often sponsored by cash companies such as MasterCard, Visa, or American Express. They are easy to use but are not a great gift for close friends and family. Since they are just like having cash in hand they come across as very impersonal and even thoughtless.
- Store Gift Cards: Store gift cards are less generic and are only specific to a particular store, brand, or retailer. For example, Macy’s, Amazon, Epipoli, iTunes, etc have gift cards specific to their stores. They are more personal gift items because it shows that you know the recipient’s needs or interests. Imagine gifting your niece a gift card to a spa for her graduation. It is laced with thoughtfulness. However, unlike the cash gift cards that the same redeeming policies apply regardless of where it is being used or the location, store gift cards have their individual redeeming policies specific to their stores. They might differ in expected expiration dates, demurrage policy and so on.
Where To Buy Gift Cards In Italy
Now that you are familiar with gift cards you want to know where to get them for use. Don’t worry, we’ll be putting you through that. Getting a gift card in Italy is a straightforward process because they are readily available. The three most common places to get gift cards in Italy are physical stores, a retailer’s store or website, and third-party websites.
Gift Cards in Physical Stores in Italy
You can find gift cards at your local gas stations, stores, and supermarkets. Go to your closest supermarket or community gas station for walk-in purchases. Often, the gift cards that you will see will be for the store, as well as other retail stores.
Retail Gift Cards in Italy
The gift cards for specific retail stores can be found on the official website of these stores. Usually, there is a section of the website that is dedicated to the purchase of gift cards for interested buyers. All you need to do is to fill in your location in the provided space and a list of stores in your vicinity where gift cards are sold will come up. In their physical stores, you can also see gift cards on sale.
Gift Cards on Third-Party Website in Italy
Sometimes, gift cards are sold on websites such as Amazon, gift websites, and other sites that sell gift cards. In Italy, the most popular websites that are dedicated to discovering and selling gift cards from various stores include MyGiftCard.it, Shop.wishcard.it, and many more.
More Places to Buy Gift Cards in Italy
You can also buy gift cards from any of these stores across Italy: Interspar, Aspiag Despar, Select newsagents, Auchan, La Feltrinelli, Conad Conforama, Supermedia, Il Gigante, Mondadori Store, Chef Express, Panorama, Iper, la Grande I, Rex supermarkets, Carrefour, Tigros, Esselunga, Simply, Pam, Eurospar, Trony, Pewex.
8 Types Of Gift Cards In Italy
- Amazon
Amazon stores across the globe and in Italy give you the chance to explore the endless options when shopping at Amazon.com. With Amazon gift cards, you can enjoy goods and services like household products, fashion items, gadgets, and pay for services of digital products like movies, ebooks, subscriptions, etc. Your Amazon gift card can be delivered to you via email. You will receive some codes that you can then redeem by using them to shop on the Amazon website. They are also easily transferable to family and loved ones but be careful to check the expiry dates of the digital gift cards and the policies for redeeming them too. All of these are at your fingertips just by using Amazon digital gift cards.
- Skype
Skype is one of the best options available to keep in touch with family and friends on a low budget regardless of where they are on this planet. You can use your Skype prepaid gift cards to call mobile numbers and landlines and send text messages in several countries. Your Skype gift card is electronically delivered to you and has up to 1000 minutes of time credit which can be used to make calls to any Skype account, send text messages, buy subscriptions, access Wi-Fi and hotspot, and get a Skype to Go number.
- Spotify
Spotify is one of the most popular music streaming apps in Italy with hundreds of songs available. You can download songs on the site and stream music online as well. Spotify has gift cards that can be used to get a subscription on the platform. They are affordable starting from as low as $10. With a Spotify subscription, you can stream music, create playlists, listen to the playlist of other subscribers, and share the gift of mousing with friends and family. Don’t forget to check carefully for the limitations of the gift cards to confirm expiration dates, redeeming policies, transfer policies, and so on.
- iTunes Gift Cards
Apple Music is also a popular streaming option in Europe. It will also surprise you that iTunes can be used for reading books as well. Take a moment and imagine all you can do with an iTunes gift card; bliss. You can get iTunes gift cards from as low as 50 Euros and gain access to music, books, movies, radio, and other forms of entertainment. You can redeem your iTunes gift cards on other devices apart from Apple devices as long as you are logged into your Apple ID. As usual, ensure you’re in line with the redeeming policies and other policies for iTunes gift cards.
- Steam Gift Cards
Steam gift cards are easily redeemed through your steam wallet for some credit that you can then use to purchase gaming content online. I’m Italy, your stem gift cards can be redeemed and used to buy downloadable content, in-game content and buy games online. They are the most popular gift cards most useful to gaming buddies because they can be used to buy all the gaming content they need online.
- Crunchyroll Gift Cards
Anime is as much a big deal in Italy as it is in Japan so you’d expect that some anime streaming platforms like Crunchyroll have gift cards available to allow their viewers access to watch their favourite anime shows without being interrupted by ads. It gives you access to more than just anime but also premium animations, Funimation and much more. Crunchyroll gift cards are affordable, as low as $10 and can be redeemed on VRV.
- Conad Gift Cards
Just like Walmart is in the US, Conad is a large chain of grocery stores in Italy. They offer gift cards that are usable in up to 2000 Conad stores across Italy. Their gift cards function as prepaid cash cards that allow you to shop freely without cash which makes them simple and practical. They are usually valid for a year and work strictly only in physical stores within Italy.
- eBay Gift Cards
eBay gift cards offer so many options for customers. You can get gift items, new products, or any other thing on eBay. With eBay gift cards, you can shop for fashion items, electronics, collectables, toys, and many more categories of products. The best thing with eBay gift cards is that they have no expiration dates and do not accumulate any separate fees or taxes.
Are Gift Cards Available in Italy?
Yes. Different types of gift cards are available for sale in Italy and can be used across stores and websites. Most of your favourite stores and service providers offer gift cards as an alternative payment method for ease of purchase. The list above are some of the most commonly used gift cards in Italy but regardless, there are still countless stores and brands that offer gift cards to their customers. Spas, Salons, gadget stores, baby stores, service providers for cable services, movie and music streaming sites, etc all offer gift cards at affordable rates.
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