US iTunes Store Access (Part 2) – Purchasing With US iTunes Gift Cards

This is Part 2 of the US iTunes Store Access Series. Go here to read Part 1 – How to Create a US Apple ID.

What happens when you get sick of all the free content and decide that you’d like to buy a song or movie from the US iTunes Store? We assume that you are obviously still somewhere in a US coffee shop (just to be sure you’re not flouting any of the iTunes Store Terms & Conditions) but darn it, this time you don’t have a US credit card. Any credit cards from outside of the US will not work in the US iTunes Store.

The solution?

US iTunes Gift Cards

What Are They?

In short, they are gift cards that you can use to redeem US iTunes Store credits with your new US Apple ID. The cards are usually available in the following denominations:

• $15, $25, $50, $100 (in USD)

Typically, you would buy a nice physical card like the one pictured above and give it away as a ‘hip’ Christmas or birthday present to someone. However, for our purpose we’re going to do away with all niceties and just focus on getting the redemption code.

Where to Buy a US iTunes Gift Card in Malaysia?

We’ve tried eBay, local forum sites, telephone shops and have had our fair share of hit and runs. Whatever method you choose, stay away from scams offering card discounts. We can only recommend one truly reliable and trusted source from which to get US iTunes Gift Cards in Malaysia:

MOL/Money Online – MOL is a highly reputable company and they offer an impressive variety of payment options ranging from PayPal to FPX to even your local 7-Eleven outlets. How to buy a US iTunes Gift Card:

1. Register for a MOL Malaysia account.
2. Reload the account with MOLPoints credits using your preferred payment channel.
3. At mol.com under the “Shopping” tab, select “iTunes Gift Card (US)”.
4. After purchasing your desired denomination, a PIN which is your iTunes Gift Card (US) redemption code will be shown and a copy of it will be sent to your email.

Instructions: How to Redeem iTunes Gift Card?

• Step 1:
  On your iPad, open up either the App Store or iTunes. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the app once it is open and you will find the “Redeem” button. Before selecting it, make sure that you are logged on with your US Apple ID (button on the left).

• Step 2:
  You will be asked to enter a Gift Card code for redemption. If you purchased through MOL.com, this would be the PIN that you received after making payment. Tap on Redeem once you’ve typed in the code. You may be prompted to sign in again with your US Apple ID in order to continue. Do so to complete redeeming the Gift Card code.

• Step 3:
  If everything works out, your US Apple ID should be credited with the right amount. Now you can start spending!

Conclusion

We hope you enjoyed this 2 part tutorial series. We’re willing to bet that you’ll be spending quite a bit of time and money in the US iTunes and App Store from now on. If anything, it’ll be pretty cool to show your friends how much more things you have in your iTunes compared to their boring selection of podcasts and iTunes U videos.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.