mygeek911's Blog

Can anyone explain to me why songs are $0.99 on iTunes, but gift cards are only available in whole dollar amounts?

My confusion stems from the the terms of service for iTunes gift allowances: "Gift Certificates, iTunes Cards, Song Codes and Allowances, and unused balances, are not redeemable for cash and cannot be returned for a cash refund, exchanged, or used to purchase Gift Certificates or iTunes Cards or provide Allowances." (See www.apple.com/support/itunes/legal/giftallowances.html for further information.)

If I purchased a $50 gift card for my child over 13 years old, then he or she could download 50 (fifty) songs and have a remaining balance of $0.50 on the card. The only way to use the balance on the card would be to establish an iTunes Store customer account, purchase at least one more song, and pay for the balance with a credit card or PayPal--neither of which a child would have.

With thousands of people buying gift cards, Apple has a lot to make on these unused balances. What do you think about this discrepancy? Do you believe that Apple should be entitled to keep the remainder of your money without any recourse?