How To Send an Amazon Gift Card to Another Country?
Given the size and ease of use of Amazon, many people consider buying a gift card to send to their friends to use on Amazon. But how do you send an Amazon gift card to another country?
You have to make sure that you’re buying a gift card compatible with the Amazon storefront that they will be purchasing from or can be shipped to. Many countries and regions have their own gift cards that won’t work with other Amazon stores.
We’ll go through how the whole Amazon gift card system works, as well as point out some basic tips that can help ensure that you buy a gift card for someone that they can use without any annoying restrictions or limitations.
Tips for Purchasing Usable Amazon Gift Cards
Amazon gift cards are locked to the original region for which they were purchased, and this can’t be changed once purchased.
For example, someone in the United Kingdom cannot use a gift card locked to Australia.
The quickest way to determine if an Amazon gift card can be purchased for someone that is usable, first check whether Amazon has an online store for the country where the gift recipient lives. This is not a foolproof guarantee but is a good start.
You’ll also need to make sure that you purchase the card in the right currency. Purchasing the card directly from the Amazon website should generally result in it being in the right currency.
However, it’s a good idea to ask the person directly what currency they would like it in if you’re unsure.
Then, start by logging into the appropriate country’s version of the Amazon website or use the flag icon up the top to change the country. Keep in mind that Amazon accounts are themselves separated by country, so you may have to create a new account.
Even if you create a new account on the desired Amazon site, keep in mind that supported languages change between the sites. This can mean that you end up with a totally unreadable Amazon page for the gift card.
This invites mistakes as you can’t read the fine print or may purchase the wrong option. At this point, it’s definitely a good idea to get a hold of someone who can help you with the purchase.
Another way to check if a gift card can be sent is to go through the entire checkout flow minus committing to buy the card. Amazon’s checkout process will verify and prompt you at stages along the way if it detects a major problem with what you want to do.
After that, go through the purchase and decide whether you want to send a digital or physical copy of the card.
Gift cards are also the favorite payment method of scammers all around the world, so take a moment to consider why you need to go through all of this to get a gift card. Run the situation past a friend or family member to see whether a gift card is the best option.
Amazon support is also well-versed in dealing with gift card scams, so consider contacting them to confirm any suspicions you may have. As Amazon themselves state, ‘[n]o legitimate sale or transaction will require you to pay specifically with gift cards.
Restrictions on Gift Cards
Amazon doesn’t particularly mind what payment method you use to purchase the gift card, and they will accept most major credit and debit cards.
It is important to purchase the right type of Amazon gift card rather than pay using a specific payment method. This means confirming which Amazon website the recipient wants to use, and then making sure the gift card you buy is compatible with it.
Fees and currency conversion can mean that the gift card you buy is higher or lower in the target currency, so take this into account before making the purchase.
There is some leeway around the international or transaction fees that you are charged, but you’ll need to organize this before the purchase.
You may be able to apply for a service that reduces such fees but this will come from the entity that manages the card, so contact your bank or financial institution before going through with this. Purchases will be final
When you go through the checkout process, Amazon’s website won’t let you complete the purchases if it notices certain inconsistencies. Now, Amazon won’t be across all the international laws and rules that may prevent a gift card from being redeemed, but it checks most.
The onus is on you as the purchaser to do proper research, but an Amazon gift card will fail during checkout if you purchase a card for one region, but then attempt to send it to another non-compatible region (in the case of the physical cards).
For any Amazon gift card purchase, Amazon will prompt you with a list of available countries on the purchase screen, and this information is quite reliable.
This information is more useful for some of the larger Amazon websites, like Amazon.eu, as this would obviously cover many countries across many currencies.
Always check that your intended country (for the gift recipient) is listed in the fine print on the page of the gift card before making the purchase, as the lack of ability to transfer between the different Amazon websites or get a refund of the gift card makes the purchase final.
If you go with a physical gift card, be aware that this adds the additional obstacle of a physical card needing to arrive to the recipient to be used, as well as locking it to a currency or format that could possibly be unable to be used.
On top of this, you may find that accessing these web pages is difficult from certain countries that have internet access or other security policies. It can be notoriously difficult to get around these limitations although a VPN is always an option.
Governments and other bodies are getting better and better at detecting and blocking VPNs, so this is not the all-powerful solution it used to be. Some countries also have some very strict rules regarding internet access and VPNs, so always be careful and research.
List of Countries That Have Amazon Gift Cards
Amazon’s gift card page does list the other Amazon websites, the default Amazon.com being the United States. Amazon is available in over 100 countries around the world.
Amazon is still growing, and so this list is expanding.
Some of the main other Amazon sites include Austria, Australia, Brazil, Czech Republic, Canada, China, Egypt, Europe, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Kingdom, and Spain.
As has been seen in the Middle East, Amazon has taken over several large conglomerates and rebranded them as Amazon, and it is likely that this trend will continue worldwide.
Whether this will ever result in better gift card compatibility is anyone’s guess, however, the web of international finance rules and regulations is going to be hard to untangle, and it will take time.
United States
There are several standard restrictions and usage rules that apply to Amazon.com Gift Cards. The first is that they never expire and carry no fees and are redeemable towards millions of items store-wide at Amazon.com.
Some other stores also accept Amazon gift cards but check carefully as the default is that Amazon.com gift cards are only strictly usable on Amazon.com.
There are multiple gift card designs and denominations to choose from, and if ordered in digital form, they are available for immediate delivery.
There is even the option for gift cards to be sent by email, and these can even be scheduled up to a year in advance. As is expected, there are no returns and no refunds on gift cards.
Canada
The offering of gift cards on the Amazon.ca site offers all the same benefits as the United States version, except it comes in Canadian Dollars by default and can only be used on the Amazon.ca website.
Of course, Canada has an advantage that select items can still be shipped to it from the Amazon.com website, meaning you could theoretically buy someone who lives in Canada an Amazon.com gift card.
The difference is that there is a much lower range of items that can be shipped outside the United States, and you will in most cases have to pay a shipping and import fee regardless of how much you spend.
Mexico
Mexico, given its proximity to the United States, also benefits from being able to ship certain items from the main Amazon.com store, meaning that an Amazon.com gift card is not entirely useless for someone in Mexico.