If you are reading this post, the chances are that you are either running very late, have no idea what to give a particular person – or at worst, both. Therefore, our shopping guide will only help you to a limited extent, because a) most of the deadlines have passed anyway and b) you may not even know which gadget the person receiving the gift would be happy about.
Maybe you are skeptical about such an impersonal voucher. But in the end it is a gift that the recipient definitely does not have to / do not want to exchange later and which can be used immediately after the purchase. Seen in this way, it is actually a very sustainable gift! We’ll tell you where you can get which vouchers, how much money you have to use at least and how long they are valid.
Amazon voucher: the golden ticket
Really? Do we want to stuff even more money down Jeff Bezos’ throat? Yes, I feel your skepticism. But still, there are indeed good reasons to drop by the shipping giant for a gift voucher.
A very good reason has to do with the fact that you can buy a lot of digital products there. In other words, things that don’t have to be packed and sent and that no unfriendly parcel carrier needs to fire carelessly into your hallway. Regardless of whether the person who receives your voucher wants to buy a film, a video game, an app, music or a book: With a voucher, they can strike directly and have your gift ready for use a second later.
If you click on the link above, you will also see that Amazon offers you a variety of options when choosing the voucher. You can send them in a classic gift box or a greeting card. You can also send the voucher directly online, or you can opt for the print-at-home option.
The fun starts at only 15 cents, the upper limit is a fat 5,000 euros! However, if you opt for the print-at-home version, you have to invest at least 50 euros and the upper limit is 100 euros. Another advantage of Amazon: You not only get a whole cornucopia of different gift vouchers from the company, but also a number of vouchers from other major brands.
So do you want to support a Spotify, Netflix or DAZN subscription with your gift? No problem! There are also vouchers for the Google Play Store and Apple AppStore or iTunes, gift cards for Telekom, O2, Zalando and many, many more. By the way, you will also find vouchers for other voucher services there. Via Wunschgutschein.de, for example, you have access to over 500 discounters, petrol stations and other shops where the gift cards can be redeemed!
Please note, however, that the external cards have different limits and minimum amounts. So in conclusion, let’s sum it up again:
Particularly suitable for: Anyone who does not want to do without Amazon for ethical reasons
Period of validity: Until the end of the 10th year after purchase
Minimum amount: 15 cents
Available immediately? Yes, thanks to a digital voucher
Voucher at Saturn and Media Markt: For those who refuse to use Amazon
Amazon is a US mega-corporation and it is not uncommon for the company to be criticized for its working conditions and its increasing power. If the person receiving the gift is allergic to the “A word” or just likes to shop locally, in Germany you can at least confidently rely on Saturn and MediaMarkt when buying technology.
The two largest German technology markets each offer voucher cards that come to you by post or are ready to be printed out immediately after purchase.
The minimum amount at Saturn and Media Markt is five euros each and you have to spend a maximum of 150 euros. It is also practical that the vouchers can be redeemed both online and in the branch. Saturn states that the regular limitation period for the Saturn Voucher Card is three years, according to the consumer advice center.
In this regard, MediaMarkt adds that the gift card is valid for five years from the last use. If not used, the validity is also here for three years.
Particularly suitable for: Anyone who wants to do without Amazon for ethical reasons
Period of validity: Three years if not used, five years if the credit has been partially used
Minimum amount: 5 euros
Available immediately? Yes, thanks to immediate printout
AppStore and Google Play Store: give away paid apps
Everyone who owns a smartphone has surely looked at an app that ended up being too expensive for them. With voucher cards for the AppStore and the Google Play Store, you are giving away the luxury of getting more extensive or advertising-free applications.
If you want to buy online, Google refers you to providers such as Startselect, Postbank, Amazon, PayPal and a few others. You can spend amounts between 15 and 100 euros and benefit from the fact that the credit never expires.
Apple, on the other hand, prefers to regulate the sale of vouchers on its homepage itself and offers eight motifs in Apple design for individual design. The available amount is between 10 euros and 500 euros.
In addition to apps, gift recipients can also buy digital books, films and music – everything that can be found on the respective online platforms.
Particularly suitable for: All cell phone junkies who look past their plate at the cell phone during Christmas dinner
Period of validity: Unlimited
Minimum amount: At Google 15 euros, at Apple 10 euros
Available immediately? Yup!
For gamers: Steam, PS Store, Nintendo eShop and Co.
Do you want to know which gaming platform the person receiving the gift prefers? I can’t help you, but at least give you a few places for gamer vouchers and explain which console or platform the service is for.
Steam: Colorful and especially popular library of PC games “To Steam
Nintendo eShop: For Nintendo Switch and the portable DS variants »Buy from PayPal
Microsoft Store: For Windows games and the Xbox consoles »To the Microsoft Store
PlayStation Store: You guessed it, for the PS4 and the new PS5 »Buy from Amazon
The respective platforms each offer their own vouchers, so it’s best to see for yourself how much money you want to spend. Since the vouchers usually work in such a way that the selected amount is credited to a credit account, gamers are usually also happy about small amounts.
You don’t know what to do next? Startselect and PayPal
Before I get to hear in the comments again, NextPit would get paid for mentions in its article: No, Startselect made it into this article solely because of its large selection. The platform specializes in credit, in-game currency and vouchers and combines a lot of what we have already listed in this article.
However, there are also vouchers for Netflix. Spotify, the game company Blizzard, the mobile game Roblox and and and. The catalog is so colorful that it would almost be practical if Startselect also had a prepaid card for itself in the catalog. Actually only another provider offers more flexibility in the network.
PayPal! And so we would have come to what can only be described as an online variant of giving away money. However, you don’t just transfer 20 euros via PayPal, the payment service provider has countless providers who work with credit payments or where you can also make regular purchases via PayPal. Take a look around the site and I bet you will find it.
A last tip for handing out prepaid cards: If you are still not sure which service the recipient can use the money for, use the WhatsApp search. Surely that person has already mentioned services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime or Steam in their chat history.
What are your insider tips when giving vouchers for Christmas? Do you send them digitally or put them in an envelope? Or are you getting more creative? Let us know in the comments. Of course, you can also get rid of them there if you think of gift cards as a gift for a no-go.
This article was revised and republished on December 23, 2021. Existing comments were taken over.