Amazon Redeem Gift Card: How to Redeem an Amazon Gift Card Code

Summary: To redeem Amazon gift card codes, open the Amazon redeem gift card page at amazon.com/redeem, in the app, or enter the claim code 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.

Short answer: to redeem Amazon gift card codes, sign in, go to amazon.com/redeem (www.amazon.com/redeem works too), type the claim code and select Apply to Your Balance. That is the whole Amazon gift card redeem process on a computer, and the app and checkout routes below reach the same balance.

Where to Find the Amazon Gift Card Code

On a physical card the Amazon gift card code, which Amazon calls 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's help pages describe the Amazon claim code as 14 or 15 characters mixing letters and numbers. Every Amazon gift card claim code works the same way, whatever value is printed on the card.

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 Amazon Gift Card Codes Step by Step

• Sign in to the Amazon account you want the funds on. This is the step that cannot be undone later.
• Open the Amazon redeem gift card page at amazon.com/redeem, or go to Account & Lists, then Gift Cards, then Redeem a Gift Card.
• Enter the claim code. Dashes are not required.
• Select Apply to Your Balance.

If you are asking how do I add a gift card to my Amazon account, those four steps are the answer. Once you use the Amazon redeem gift card page, the value lands 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.

How to Redeem Amazon Gift Card on 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 in your hand and you are nowhere near a computer, since some versions let you scan the card instead of typing the Amazon gift card code.

Applying a Code at Checkout Instead

You do not have to visit the Amazon redeem gift card page 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.

How to Add a Gift Card to Amazon That Isn't an Amazon Card

A Visa or Mastercard prepaid gift card is not redeemed on the redeem page at all. If you want to add Visa gift card to Amazon, go to Your Payments, choose Add a payment method, and enter the card number, expiry date and security code as if it were a debit card. Register the card with its issuer first if it asks for a billing address, because Amazon checks the address against the card.

Prepaid cards often fail when the order total is higher than the remaining value, since Amazon cannot split one order across two cards in most cases. Our guide on how to use a Visa gift card on Amazon covers that workaround, and the same steps apply if you want to add a Mastercard gift card to Amazon.

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. The balance also stays inside Amazon: it cannot pay on other marketplaces such as DHgate, even for the same kind of product.

Amazon Gift Cards in Other Countries

Each Amazon store has its own redeem page and its own balance: amazon.co.uk, amazon.de, amazon.pl and the others will only accept cards issued for that store. A US card applies only on amazon.com, so buy the card for the store where the recipient shops. In some countries Amazon is not the default marketplace at all; Polish shoppers, for example, often buy on Allegro, where an Amazon balance cannot be used.

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 in Customer Service, and it will want the Amazon claim code and proof of purchase.

Amazon Gift Card Redeem FAQ

How do I add a gift card to my Amazon account?

Sign in, open amazon.com/redeem, enter the claim code and select Apply to Your Balance. That is how to add a gift card to Amazon for any Amazon-issued card, physical or digital.

Is amazon.com/redeem the right address?

Yes. Typing amazon.com/redeem or www.amazon.com/redeem takes you to Amazon's Redeem a Gift Card page once you are signed in. Searches for "amazon.com redeem" usually mean the Amazon redeem gift card page, and amazon.com redeem links in emails should always be checked before you sign in.

Where is the claim code on an Amazon e-gift card?

Often there isn't one. Email and text deliveries usually use an Apply to Your Account button instead of an Amazon gift card claim code; rewards e-cards may show a PIN that reveals the code.

How to redeem Amazon gift card on app, and how to add gift card to Amazon from a phone?

Open the menu, go to Your Account, then Gift Card Balance and Redeem Another Gift Card. The balance is shared with the website, so how to add gift card to Amazon on a phone or a laptop ends in the same place.

Can I redeem an Amazon gift card on someone else's account?

Only by signing in to their account. Once you redeem Amazon gift card value, it cannot be transferred, so send unredeemed cards as gifts instead.

Can a Visa gift card be redeemed like an Amazon gift card?

No. Add Visa gift card to Amazon as a payment card in Your Payments, not on the Amazon redeem gift card page.

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 an Amazon gift card redeem that cannot be undone, whether you start on the Amazon redeem gift card page or at checkout. If you are weighing other ways to pay, we have also covered paying with crypto on Amazon.

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.