If you’ve been looking for ways to get free Apple gift cards, you’ve probably come across at least one site or video claiming to offer a gift card code generator. You may have even seen sites that publish long lists of 16-digit codes, swearing that they are unused Apple gift card numbers.
The first of these is a common scam, and the second is a total time-waster.
Fortunately, there are a handful of legit ways to get Apple gift cards. Here’s an overview of what works and what to watch out for.
Debunking Three Common Apple Gift Card Scams
Before we get to the actual ways you can get a free Apple gift card, let’s look at a few common scams.
- Apple gift card code generators are not real. Most of the time, “gift card code generators” are actually a way to get you to complete surveys or other small microtasks on behalf of the person who convinced you to install the software. They get paid and you get nothing.
- Websites do not post unused Apple gift card codes. There are legitimate sites reselling unused gift cards. However, you’ll never find a site just handing codes out with no expectations in return. These sites publish lists of fake or used codes in order to get traffic to their website.
- You cannot get free Apple gift card codes by signing up for Telegram channels or other private chat groups. The people who run these channels make promises in order to get you to pay a small fee for access to the information they claim to have (i.e., free gift card codes). This is always a scam.
Legitimate Ways to Get Free Apple Gift Cards
There are a number of ways to get free gift cards, but not all of them offer Apple gift cards as a redemption option. These are the strategies, site and apps that do.
#1. Trade In Old Apple Products
Apple doesn’t require you to get a new device immediately when you trade in an old one. You can put the trade-in value on a gift card instead and use the money later for any product sold by Apple.
Trade-in values can reach more than a thousand dollars, depending on your device, making this one of the most effective ways to get a “free” Apple gift card.
How much money you can get depends on how new your device is. Recently released Macs net the most, but you don’t need a newer device to participate. If you have an iPhone lying around, it could be worth something as long as it’s less than seven years old.
You can’t trade in just any Apple device, though. The company only takes certain models of iPhones, Apple watches, iPads and Macs. It also accepts select Android devices. You can see whether your device qualifies and its trade-in value on Apple’s trade-in page.
#2. Take Surveys
There are dozens of reputable sites that will pay you to take surveys, but not all offer the option to cash out with an Apple gift card. You’ll also find different pay rates, survey availability and cash-out thresholds, all of which are important to consider when looking for a site to use.
| Our top pick: | Branded Surveys |
| How long it takes: | About two hours for a $5 Apple gift card. |
| Learn more: | See our Branded Surveys review and our list of the best survey sites. |
Survey aggregator Branded Surveys lets you cash out at $5, which is about as low as you’ll find in the market. It also delivers your rewards fast; you can expect virtual gift cards to arrive in just one to three business days.
To participate, you’ll give the company some personal details so it can match you with appropriate surveys. Then, you complete simple polls that usually take 1-10 minutes each. The pay rate isn’t great — you should expect around $2.50, or $5 per hour in a best-case scenario — but it’s an easy way to get free gift cards in your spare time.
If Branded Surveys isn’t for you, consider Survey Junkie and Ipsos I-Say. Both have $5 minimum cash-outs, plenty of surveys and excellent mobile apps. However, cashing out gift cards with Survey Junkie can require an identity verification call with a customer support rep, and I-Say’s credits can take a few days to show up in your account.
#3. Earn Points When You Shop
Cash-back platforms let you earn rewards when you shop online. You can redeem your rewards for cash or cash equivalents, including Apple gift cards.
| Our top pick: | Swagbucks |
| How long it takes: | About $50 to $100 in online shopping for a $5 Apple gift card. |
| Learn more: | See our Swagbucks review. |
Swagbucks is our top pick for this method. While the site offers a number of ways to make money, its key feature for getting an Apple gift card is its cash-back shopping platform. You earn a percentage of purchases you make at qualifying retailers; once you have enough — usually $5 for an Apple gift card — you can cash out.
This is also one of the best ways to get free Amazon gift cards and free Walmart gift cards.
#4. Get Sign-Up Bonuses
Many sites will give you some kind of sign-up bonus just for joining. A few examples include MoneyLion, Stash and Chime. Occasionally, you don’t have to do anything to get the bonus (i.e., it’s truly free money), but there’s usually a catch. If you’re looking for a free Apple gift card, the bottom line here is that you’ll want to sign up for one that doesn’t ask anything else of you.
| Our top pick: | MoneyLion |
| How long it takes: | Instantly (get $5 just for signing up). |
| Learn more: | See our list of websites that give you cash or gift cards for signing up. |
The financial services app MoneyLion will give you $5 when you sign up for it. The beauty of this is that the money is instantly available, and even though MoneyLion is a financial services app, signing up doesn’t affect your credit score.
Once you’ve got your $5 bonus, you can put it toward a free Apple gift card. You can do so by making the purchase with MoneyLion’s virtual debit card or transferring the money to your bank and buying it from there.
#5. Scan Your Receipts
If you do a lot of in-store shopping, you can make extra money by submitting your receipts to apps like Fetch Rewards. Like paid survey sites, these companies use the information they collect to help brands better understand consumer opinions, trends and behavior.
| Our top pick: | Fetch Rewards |
| How long it takes: | About 100 receipts to earn a $10 Apple gift card. |
| Learn more: | Read our Fetch Rewards review to learn more. |
Fetch Rewards is as good as it gets among receipt-scanning apps. You’ll always get at least 25 points when you upload a receipt, the first cash-out is $10, and it accepts all paper receipts (and many electronic ones.)
It takes 1,000 points to earn $1, and your first reward has to be at least $10. However, it takes so little effort to record a receipt, it may as well be passive. That makes it a great way to earn a free Apple gift card.
#6. Win Them In Giveaways
Getting an Apple gift card through a giveaway is possible, but it’s one of the least likely and hardest to repeat methods on this list. This is especially true when you throw your name in the hat for a drawing run by Apple, Best Buy or a similarly large entity. They’re inundated with entrants, so the chances you’ll be selected are minuscule. Look for smaller giveaways instead.
| Our top pick: | |
| How long it takes: | Not applicable. |
| Learn more: | Read this guide to gift card giveaways. |
The best way to find giveaways with fewer entrants is to look for those from influencers or regional or local companies on social media. Instagram hashtags like #giftcardgiveaway and #freegiftcards can help.
In most cases, these giveaways will follow the usual formula of asking you to like and share a post and follow one or more accounts. While there is still no guarantee, participating in them will significantly boost your chances of winning.
Free Apple Gift Card Codes FAQs
Most likely, the code you received won’t work when you try to use it. That’s because no one purporting to have an Apple gift card code generator actually does. They’re part of scams built to earn affiliate income by getting you to sign up for other sites’ offers, take surveys, or complete other small online tasks.
Apple announced that it was shutting down iTunes in 2019, so you’re now only able to get Apple gift cards. These can be used for Apple Music, Apple TV and other Apple digital purchases (as well as physical Apple products).
Summary and Final Thoughts
There’s no small share of scams when it comes to Apple gift card codes. In fact, it’s probably wise to take the phrase “Apple gift card codes” to mean “scam” any time you see it. That said, there are plenty of ways to get a free Apple gift card.
Whether trading in an old device to Apple or watching ads on your phone, one of the seven methods outlined here will likely suit you and your needs.
