How to Check Your Apple Gift Card Balance (2026 Guide)

Checking a balance without redeeming: which cards actually work

“Can I check an Apple gift card balance without redeeming it?” is the question most people arrive with, and the honest answer is it depends which card you are holding — a distinction nearly every guide skips, and the reason so many readers try the checker and get nowhere.

Apple's balance checker works on the universal Apple Gift Card — the multicoloured card sold since 2020 and marketed “for everything Apple”. Sign in at secure.store.apple.com/shop/giftcard/balance, enter the PIN from the back, and you see the remaining value while the card stays unredeemed and unattached to any account.

It does not work on the older App Store & iTunes Gift Card. No lookup exists for those at all. An unredeemed App Store & iTunes card is worth exactly the amount printed on its face; a card that has already been redeemed is worth nothing. The only way to find out which of the two you are holding is to try redeeming it — and if the card is still good, that transfers the entire value to your Apple Account balance on the spot. Apple Community specialists state the limitation plainly, and Apple's own balance-check page reflects it: it addresses people who have already redeemed a card and points them at their Apple Account balance, not at the card.

Checking an iTunes gift card balance in 2026

There is no separate iTunes balance any more. Apple folded the standalone iTunes card into the universal Apple Gift Card in 2020, and every card it has ever sold — Apple Gift Card, App Store Card, App Store & iTunes Gift Card — redeems into the same single pot: your Apple Account balance. So “check my iTunes gift card balance” is really two different jobs:

1. The card is already redeemed. Its value is simply part of your Apple Account balance — read it in the App Store exactly as in Step 1. Nothing marks it as having come from an iTunes card: balances are pooled into one figure, never itemised by card.
2. The card is still unredeemed. There is no lookup, as above. Redeem it and read the balance that results — if the amount goes up by the face value, the card was untouched.

Old iTunes cards do not expire, so a card found in a drawer years later is normally still spendable, provided nobody else has used the code in the meantime. And because the balance is pooled, an old iTunes card redeemed today is not restricted to music — in countries where the Apple Gift Card is sold, the resulting balance can go toward hardware at an Apple Store just like any other credit.

Where an Apple gift card balance can (and can't) be spent

Since 2020 Apple has sold one universal Apple Gift Card (“for everything Apple”), and a redeemed balance goes surprisingly far — including physical hardware in the countries where the card is sold. The quick reference:

Note that some purchases may still require a credit card on file even when the balance covers the full amount — Apple uses it as a backup payment method.

Troubleshooting

“I don't see a balance at all”

If no amount appears next to your name in the App Store, your balance on that account is zero. Two common explanations: the card was redeemed to a different Apple Account (a second personal account, or a work account), or it was never redeemed at all — in which case the Step 3 checker will show its value.

“My balance looks wrong”

Apple's own fix, in order: sign out of the App Store (or Apple Music / Apple TV app on Windows), sign back in, and check again. If it still looks off, review your purchase history — an app purchase, in-app purchase, or a subscription renewal quietly drawing from the balance accounts for most “missing” funds, since Apple charges your balance before any card on file.

“This code is not valid in this country” / region mismatch

Apple gift cards only redeem on the storefront of the country they were issued for, and your Apple Account balance is held in that country's currency. A US card cannot be redeemed on a UK, German, or Polish Apple Account — and there is no cross-region conversion. Apple also requires your balance to be fully spent (zero) before you can change your account's country or region, so an unspent balance can block a region switch entirely.

“Your card is not valid”

Apple's own checklist, in order. First, confirm it is not an Apple Store Gift Card (grey, white, silver or gold) — that card buys hardware at Apple retail and never redeems in the App Store. Second, type the code by hand instead of scanning it; an Apple Gift Card redemption code begins with an X. Third, re-read the ambiguous characters: Apple explicitly flags B and 8, D and O, E and 3, G and 6, O and Q, O and 0, S and 5, U and V, Z and 2. Most “invalid” codes are a single mistyped character, not a dead card.

“Your card has not been properly activated”

The till never activated the card at checkout — a shop-side failure, not an Apple one, and Apple cannot activate it for you. Take the card and the receipt back to the retailer that sold it. This is also why gift cards bought from third-party resale sites carry real risk: there is no receipt and no retailer to go back to.

“This card has already been redeemed”

Try Apple's own first fix before assuming the worst: sign out of the App Store (or Apple Music / Apple TV on Windows) on every device, then sign back in — this forces the account balance to refresh, and a card you redeemed moments ago can report as already-used until it does. If it persists on a brand-new card, keep the receipt and contact Apple gift card support (800-275-2273 in the US — say “gift cards”). For cards bought from unofficial resellers, contact the reseller first; pre-drained codes are a known risk outside official retail channels.

Someone asked you to pay them with an Apple gift card

That is a scam, full stop. Apple gift cards can only buy things from Apple — no government agency, utility, hospital, or tech-support line accepts them as payment. Never read the numbers from the back of a card to someone over the phone; once shared, the funds are typically spent within minutes. Apple documents the pattern on its gift card scams page.

Frequently asked questions

How do I check an Apple gift card balance without redeeming it?

Use Apple's official checker at secure.store.apple.com/shop/giftcard/balance: sign in with your Apple Account and enter the PIN from the back of the card. It shows the remaining value without redeeming the card.

Do Apple gift cards expire?

No. Apple Gift Cards and Apple Account balances have no expiration date and no dormancy fees — the value keeps until it's spent. The only exception is promotional cards, which state their expiry in the promotion's terms.

Can I use a US Apple Gift Card in another country?

No. Apple gift cards are locked to the country they were issued for, and redeem only on that country's storefront. For international recipients, always buy a card issued for their country — this is exactly what trips up companies sending Apple cards to a global team.

Can I transfer my Apple Account balance or turn it into cash?

No. A redeemed balance can't be transferred to another Apple Account, sent as a gift, or converted to cash — except where a cash refund is required by local law, in which case you can request one from Apple Support.

What's the difference between an Apple Gift Card and an App Store & iTunes Gift Card?

The App Store & iTunes Gift Card is the older card, valid for digital content and services only. The universal Apple Gift Card (sold since 2020) covers everything — apps, subscriptions, and hardware at apple.com or an Apple Store. Both redeem into the same Apple Account balance; in countries where the Apple Gift Card is sold, that combined balance can be spent on products and accessories too. They differ in one more way that matters here: only the Apple Gift Card can have its balance checked without redeeming.

Can I check an Apple gift card balance without signing in?

No. Apple's balance checker sends you to an Apple Account sign-in before it will accept a card PIN — there is no anonymous lookup. Any “instant” checker that takes a card number and PIN with no sign-in is not operated by Apple, and handing it those numbers is functionally the same as handing over the money.

How do I check my iTunes gift card balance?

If the card is redeemed, its value is part of your pooled Apple Account balance — open the App Store and tap your photo. If it is unredeemed, there is no way to look it up: App Store & iTunes cards have no balance checker, so the value is the face amount printed on the card unless someone has already used the code. See checking an iTunes gift card balance above.

Where is the PIN on an Apple gift card?

On the back, under a peel-off or scratch-off label — the same area as the 16-digit redemption code. Physical cards need the label removed to reveal it; on a digital card sent by email, the code is printed in the message itself and the Redeem Now button applies it for you.

Can I check a balance by calling Apple?

Apple gift card support (800-275-2273 in the US — say “gift cards”) handles faulty, unactivated, and disputed cards, and it is the right route when a card is damaged or a code is unreadable. For a routine balance question you will be pointed back at the App Store or the online checker, so try those first. Never read a card's numbers aloud to anyone who called you — see the scam note above.