How to Redeem an Amazon Gift Card Code

Summary: An Amazon gift card is redeemed by entering its claim code at Amazon's Redeem a Gift Card page, in the app, or at checkout. The value is stored on the account you are signed in to and applies automatically to your next eligible order, so there is no code to re-enter later. Once applied it cannot be moved to another account.

The claim code sits under a peel-off sticker or scratch-off panel on the back of a physical card.
It is 14 or 15 characters, mixing letters and numbers.
Sign in to the right account first. Applied funds cannot be transferred to another account afterwards.
Electronic gift cards often have no claim code at all, and are applied by a link instead.

Where to Find the Claim Code

On a physical Amazon gift card the claim code is hidden on the back, under a peel-off sticker or a silver scratch-off panel. Remove the covering gently, because a code scratched into illegibility is a support case rather than a quick fix. Amazon describes the code as 14 or 15 characters containing both letters and numbers.

If the card came by email, look for a button applying the card to your account rather than a code to copy. More on that below, because it is the single most confusing part of the process.

How to Redeem an Amazon Gift Card Step by Step

Sign in to the Amazon account you want the funds on. This is the step that cannot be undone later.
Open Amazon's Redeem a Gift Card page, reachable from Account & Lists, then Your Account, then Gift Cards.
Enter the claim code. Dashes are not required.
Select Apply to Your Balance.

The value lands on the account immediately and is applied automatically to your next eligible order. You do not enter the code again at checkout, and there is no separate step to activate it.

Redeeming in the Amazon App

Open the Amazon app and sign in.
Open the account menu, then find the gift card section under payments.
Choose to redeem a gift card, enter the claim code, and select Apply to Your Balance.

The app route is the practical one when the card is physically in your hand and you are nowhere near a computer, since some versions let you scan the card rather than type the code.

Applying a Code at Checkout Instead

You do not have to redeem a card before you shop. At checkout, choose the option to use a gift card, voucher or promo code, enter the claim code there, and select apply. The value comes off that order and any remainder stays on the account for next time.

If the order costs more than the card is worth, Amazon charges the difference to your default payment method automatically. Nothing is lost either way, so this is mostly a question of whether you would rather bank the value or spend it now.

Digital Cards May Not Have a Claim Code

This trips people up constantly, and searching for a code that does not exist wastes a lot of time. Amazon states that there will not be a claim code on electronic gift card deliveries. Instead:

Delivered by email: select the option to apply the card to your Amazon account, and sign in when prompted.
Delivered by text or a shareable link: open the link, which takes you to the redemption page, then apply it to your account.

If a gift card arrived through a rewards programme or an employer scheme, there may be an extra step first, where a security PIN in the email reveals the actual claim code. In that case the PIN is not the code, and entering it at Amazon will fail.

How Long Is an Amazon Claim Code?

Fourteen or fifteen characters, according to Amazon. Third-party guides frequently state flatly that codes are always fourteen, which is where some of the confusion about invalid codes comes from. If you have counted fifteen characters, you have not misread it.

Enter every character exactly as printed. Case is not usually the problem, but a missing character or a zero read as a letter O is.

What Amazon Gift Card Funds Cannot Buy

Other gift cards. Amazon does not allow gift card funds to be used to buy more gift cards.
Anything outside Amazon.com. The funds work on the store they were issued for, and cannot be moved to an Amazon store in another country.
Cash. Gift card funds are not refundable to a payment method or convertible back to money.

Some categories and subscription types are also excluded depending on your region, so if a specific purchase refuses to draw on the funds, that is usually why rather than a fault with the card.

When a Claim Code Will Not Work

Confirm which account you are signed in to before applying anything. Funds cannot be transferred between accounts once applied.
Re-enter the code carefully, without spaces, and check for characters that read two ways.
A code that reports as already redeemed may have been used on another account by someone who saw it, which is a known risk with cards bought through unofficial resellers.
Repeated failed attempts can trigger a temporary block on redemptions, in which case the fix is contacting support rather than trying again.

If the card is damaged, unreadable or genuinely faulty, Amazon handles those cases through its gift card issues page, and it will want the claim code and proof of purchase.

Why the Code Should Go On Before You Shop

Applying the code first and shopping afterwards is the less error-prone order. The funds sit on the account, come off automatically, and you never have to find the card again halfway through a checkout. The one thing to get right is which account you are signed in to, because that is the only part of this that cannot be undone. If you are looking at other ways to pay on Amazon, we have covered using PayPal there and paying with crypto separately.

And if you are buying the card rather than redeeming one, you can get an Amazon gift card with instant email delivery and pay with crypto.