# help: using US iTunes gift card from Canada



## boxlight

Hi, I have an Apple TV coming in the mail as we speak. I want to rent HD movies from iTunes, so I'm going to buy a US iTunes gift card.

My question is: When I get the gift card, how do I go about using it? I know in iTunes on my Mac I can switch to the US store and click "redeem" and enter the code. But won't iTunes say something like "you don't live in the US, sorry" -- pretty sure I've seen that message before.

Or is there a "redeem" button on the Apple TV itself that I should use instead?

Any help is greatly appreciated, I don't want to accidentally ruin my only US Gift Card. Thanks!


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## neufelni

You are going to need to make up an American address.


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## boxlight

neufelni said:


> You are going to need to make up an American address.


So I open iTunes on my Mac. Switch to the US store, click "redeem", enter the code and a US address. And then how does it work, I log in with the US account from the Apple TV? Hopefully this will all be clear to me when I get the thing set up, just don't want to mess things up.


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## CaptainCode

boxlight said:


> So I open iTunes on my Mac. Switch to the US store, click "redeem", enter the code and a US address. And then how does it work, I log in with the US account from the Apple TV? Hopefully this will all be clear to me when I get the thing set up, just don't want to mess things up.


Yep that's all you do, you're just creating a US account using the gift card. Once you click the redeem button it's all straight forward after that.


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## BikerRob

What I did first was log out of the existing account I had set up in iTunes (with my Canadian address). I then hit "redeem" and did what others have told you - set up an American Account ... search for U.S. Best Buys or UPS stores or something ... they'll give you a full, usable american address complete with zip code


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## (( p g ))

neufelni said:


> You are going to need to make up an American address.


A popular address for this purpose is: 

1 Infinite Loop
Cupertino, CA 95014


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## TheBat

(( p g )) said:


> A popular address for this purpose is:
> 
> 1 Infinite Loop
> Cupertino, CA 95014


Nice!  

What's with these gift cards that are being offered at more than face value on eBay? And then there are those ones from China at less than face value.

Any suggestions for the best place to get US iTunes gift cards?


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## BikerRob

The gift cards from the U.S. are more than face value because the guy selling it wants to make a few dollars! I paid $17 for a $15 card ... figured that was fair.


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## TomTO

*Apple TV*

So ... another question then.

If I have my Apple TV all set up with my Canadian ITunes account, what happens when I try to setup an American account? Will it delete everything from my ATV hard drive?

I guess what I'm trying to say is can my ATV be used for both US and Canadian accounts?

Thanks.

Tom


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## ruffdeezy

Here's a good address
1234 Melrose Place
Beverly Hills, CA
USA
90210


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## ruffdeezy

TomTO said:


> So ... another question then.
> 
> If I have my Apple TV all set up with my Canadian ITunes account, what happens when I try to setup an American account? Will it delete everything from my ATV hard drive?
> 
> I guess what I'm trying to say is can my ATV be used for both US and Canadian accounts?
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> Tom


Set the US itunes account up for streaming from your computer, if you try to sync it i believe it will want to delete whats on the hard drive. On the apple tv itself, you can log out of one and into the other.


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## Tazy

ruffdeezy said:


> Set the US itunes account up for streaming from your computer, if you try to sync it i believe it will want to delete whats on the hard drive. On the apple tv itself, you can log out of one and into the other.


Does this mean I will not be able to rent directly from my appletv? Say, I login to my US account in my appletv and then try to rent directly from my appletv, would this delete the content that I have stored in my Atv (bought from the Canadian store)?

Thankx.


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## crawford

Tazy said:


> Does this mean I will not be able to rent directly from my appletv? Say, I login to my US account in my appletv and then try to rent directly from my appletv, would this delete the content that I have stored in my Atv (bought from the Canadian store)?
> 
> Thankx.


I can't answer that exactly because I have no other iTunes purchased content on my AppleTV. But I was able to login to my US account and rent a movie without altering any of my other content.


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## steinba

Tazy said:


> Does this mean I will not be able to rent directly from my appletv? Say, I login to my US account in my appletv and then try to rent directly from my appletv, would this delete the content that I have stored in my Atv (bought from the Canadian store)?
> 
> Thankx.


I have US and Can accounts on my computer and switch back and forth with no problems. I can rent movies from ATV without any issues.

Good luck, you'll love it! :clap:


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## drzeus

*Uh Oh.*

So I have used the gift card and set up the account and downloaded the content.
It has all worked great. I am having trouble with my computers being authorized to play the content. I keep getting the error message that the computer is not authorized for the content, even though I successfully sign in with the new account.

Any idea what is going on here?
Do I need an apple TV?
Has Apple created a new barrier in the Canada/US content deal?


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## mc3251

You have to authorize your computer in iTunes, to allow you to play any protected content. You'll find this under the Store menu. As there are limits (5) to the number of computers that can be authorized, you need to deauthorize them if you're not using them.


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## rgray

Has anyone done this with a UK account? I really don't give much of a sh!t about US content but I really want to get UK (Beeb, ITV) stuff...


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## chas_m

rgray said:


> Has anyone done this with a UK account? I really don't give much of a sh!t about US content but I really want to get UK (Beeb, ITV) stuff...


I've not seen anyone who does this, but I suppose it's possible if you:

a. Got a UK iTunes gift card (ouch on the exchange rate tho!)
b. Set up a UK iTunes account using a real UK address

The big barrier to this, I would expect, is the exchange rate, but I suppose some content is worth it.


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## mc3251

Biggest thing I've found is watching to make sure I'm buying stuff from the right account. With current exchange rates it is expensive to buy from US account and it isn't always clear what the content differences are.


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## nick24

I've noticed as well that there aren't as many people selling US iTunes gift cards compared to just a few weeks ago. Maybe its due to people selling in high volumes before Xmas, but does anyone know if Apple is cracking down on below face-value selling?

EDIT - just looked again before I hit send and the number has increased, but so have the prices! Damn that exchange rate!


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## mc3251

You gotta watch the reseller. I had one account disabled by apple and the money confiscated because they couldn't confirm a legit number. Support said that if you buy from e-Bay you are perhaps getting fraudulent numbers.
The reseller issued another number and it all was fine...still....


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## RunTheWorldOnMac

Yes, we're digging up an old thread...

I just opened a US account; what happens when I spend the $15 card? Can I reload it? Can I then use a Canadian visa as I have opened the account?


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## chas_m

RunTheWorldOnMac said:


> Yes, we're digging up an old thread...
> 
> I just opened a US account; what happens when I spend the $15 card?


What do you think happens??



> Can I reload it?


Not from Canada. Go back to the US and reload it there.



> Can I then use a Canadian visa as I have opened the account?


No.


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## RunTheWorldOnMac

If I knew, I wouldn'ta asked.  Was trying to determine the options...

I will use my $15 wisely; luckily my mom goes down from time to time and can pick me up more!


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## chas_m

RunTheWorldOnMac said:


> If I knew, I wouldn'ta asked.  Was trying to determine the options...


My fault, I misunderstood your question. You were asking "what happens after I exhaust the credit on the card?" but the way you put it could also be read as "I have an iTunes card; now what?"



> I will use my $15 wisely; luckily my mom goes down from time to time and can pick me up more!


If she's a Costco member (in either country) she can save you a little bit of money by picking up the four-pack of $15 cards for $55 from a US Costco (only). While "reloading" the card is also an option (almost any convenience store or place where the cards are sold can reload them in the US), most people just use the value up, then get new cards (hopefully recycling the plastic, though ...).


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## geoffbrouwer

Why do so many people want a US iTunes account? What are the benefits? differences?


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## sbz

So here's a question.

Is it possible to go to the US iTunes store and buy a gift certificate with a Canadian credit card that will still be usable in the US store? If that made any sense!

I've been poking around trying to figure out how to access the US content and found this site - very helpful. My issue is getting the US gift certificate though. I've made it a point to avoid paypal which is pretty much how you need to pay for things on ebay.

So where do most people find the US gift cards?

Oh, and as for why we want into the US store, becasue it has tons of content the Canadian one doesn't!


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## chas_m

geoffbrouwer said:


> Why do so many people want a US iTunes account? What are the benefits? differences?


Mainly, more variety. Particularly in movies to rent.

To illustrate, go to amazon.com and have a good look around.

Now go to amazon.ca.

I think I've made my point.


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## chas_m

sbz said:


> So here's a question.
> 
> Is it possible to go to the US iTunes store and buy a gift certificate with a Canadian credit card that will still be usable in the US store?


No. The US iTunes store only accepts US credit cards with a valid US address. Even using US gift cards, you must still supply a US address (though apparently it can be quite obviously phony as long as the zip code matches the right city).



> So where do most people find the US gift cards?


Many Canadians are within a short car or ferry trip to the US, so they just go down there and buy US iTunes gift cards (since they are available damn near everywhere!). From here in Victoria, I often "hop" down to Port Angeles WA (a mere 26 miles away on the ferry) to check my US po box and could buy US iTunes gift cards at any convenience store. I have a legit US address to use for this so it's no problem for me (I also have a US credit card/am a US citizen so it's double no problem).

You can also get iTunes cards from used or auction sites like Ebay or Craigslist, but I do not do this because of the fear of getting stolen/counterfeit merchandise. Even many "legit" cards that are advertised at a discount were bought using stolen credit cards, so I just avoid the whole mess.

Another alternative is ... patience! When it comes to movies in particular, most will eventually make their way here, it just takes longer for no apparent reason (damn rights issues!!).


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## RunTheWorldOnMac

No worries, context is a tricky thing when it's not in conversation; I am sure many web battles could be avoided if it weren't for the lack of context.

As Chas_M mentioned the variety in the US is greater. There are many Doctor Who episodes for purchase in the US,whereas there are 0 in Canada.


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## rgray

*UK store account created (Yay!)*



rgray said:


> Has anyone done this with a UK account? I really don't give much of a sh!t about US content but I really want to get UK (Beeb, ITV) stuff...





chas_m said:


> I've not seen anyone who does this, but I suppose it's possible if you:
> 
> a. Got a UK iTunes gift card (ouch on the exchange rate tho!)
> b. Set up a UK iTunes account using a real UK address
> 
> The big barrier to this, I would expect, is the exchange rate, but I suppose some content is worth it.


Finally got my grubby mitts on a UK iTunes card and the process works:

make sure you are logged out of the CA store
enter UK store
hit redeem
create account using fake-real address (if anyone asks, I'm living at the Dolphin in Blandford Forum ), etc
payment method: none
and (as they say) Bob's your uncle! 
And, yes, some of the content *is* worth the bother... :clap:


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## gibbbo

rgray said:


> Finally got my grubby mitts on a UK iTunes card and the process works:
> 
> make sure you are logged out of the CA store
> enter UK store
> hit redeem
> create account using fake-real address (if anyone asks, I'm living at the Dolphin in Blandford Forum ), etc
> payment method: none
> and (as they say) Bob's your uncle!
> And, yes, some of the content *is* worth the bother... :clap:


I've used US Gift cards in the UK and Sweden and it works lika a charm. The trick is to find a reliable supplier so you don't get your iTunes account closed down by Apple.
I get my codes from http://iTunes-GiftCards.com and they have been great! They are also the cheapest source of legitimate gift cards that I have found!


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## eMacMan

gibbbo said:


> I've used US Gift cards in the UK and Sweden and it works lika a charm. The trick is to find a reliable supplier so you don't get your iTunes account closed down by Apple.
> I get my codes from http://iTunes-GiftCards.com and they have been great! They are also the cheapest source of legitimate gift cards that I have found!


$64 for a $50 card is hardly a bargain


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## franklin001

Did u know that now u can buy itunes giftcards away from USA too..
I bought my itunes gift card from Buy iTunes Gift Cards - Home Page and got my gift card after 2 hours,this store deliver fast and they are legit


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## BobF4321

boxlight said:


> Hi, I have an Apple TV coming in the mail as we speak. I want to rent HD movies from iTunes, so I'm going to buy a US iTunes gift card.


You can rent HD movies from the Canadian iTunes store, so no need for a U.S. account (but the U.S. store might have a better selection of movies).


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