Apple - $50 App Store & iTunes Gift Card

Full disclosure, I was given 25 My Best Buy points for this review. However, that did not impact the rating. It did however motivate me to write this review. I mean, who reviews an iTunes and App Store gift card? I found myself in need of a quick and easy birthday gift for my nephew who was turning 13. Such a difficult age to shop for. As I scoured the mall, racking my brain trying to remember what I did when I was 13, I recalled playing kick the can, war, hide and seek. Trips to the movies and amusement parks. How can I put this into a gift for today’s millennial? I entered Best Buy where I was greeted with walls of televisions and shelves upon shelves of the latest games. Laptops, cell phones, heck, even books and appliances. What doesn’t this store have?? And then, as if illuminated by the lord himself, I came upon a rack of plastic cards. A myriad of designs, colors, and denominations. That’s it! I shouted out loud. What right minded 13 year old doesn’t have some connection to Apple?? I realized my excitement was garnering strange looks so I quickly found the proper denomination for a 13 year olds birthday, $15 seems right. And purchased it post haste. The gift was received with all the excitement you can expect from a 13 year old. A mumbled thanks and immediate entry into his iTunes account. I’m quite certain that this gift provided my nephew with minutes of pure joy. Music, apps, games...the choices are endless. The amount however was not endless. So I can only hope he chose wisely.

These prepaid iTunes cards are great. And you can use them for so many different things. Not just for music or movies. How about for older TV shows?! Some of the cards you can actually load the amount on them that you choose to. (If you get that specific type of card.) I've had an iPod since 2007, it's still plugging away. However, in the last year is when I actually made my first iTunes purchase. And it was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be. So one point for them. The only negative thing about iTunes is the price per song. Most of them are a $1.29 each. I've seen songs on there for .99, even .69, but for the most part they are $1.29. And if you live somewhere where there is tax on digital song downloads, it's more than just a $1.29, you're closer to a $1.40. So with this $25 card, I was able to get around 17 songs. That's like the average number of songs on a CD. For $25, that's not good. Maybe that's a good deal for individual song purchases? But I base it off of this: Most CDs are under $20, and you get around 17-18 songs a CD, depending on the CD and artist. From what I've noticed, buying whole albums ($9.99, $12.99) is cheaper than buying individual songs. I do like that iTunes gives the option (probably with most songs, some are still album only) of buying the songs individually. It's a great idea. I know people my age and older didn't have that option growing up. If you liked a song, or a few, from an artist, you most likely had to buy their whole record or CD and pray that you'd like majority of the music on it. Otherwise you were just stuck with something that you bought for a few songs you liked. These iTunes cards make great gifts too. If you want to get somebody a specific CD and you aren't sure if they already have it or not, get them an iTunes card. That way they can get the music they want and you don't have to worry about whether or not they already have it. And since iTunes/apple doesn't have a loyalty/rewards program, buy your iTunes cards from Best Buy. That way you can actually earn some points for your purchases on them. :)

When asked to do a review on a recent gift card purchase, I was really torn on whether or not to do it. After losing sleep for three straight nights, I broke down and decided to rate my purchase. This has honestly been the best purchase I've made in a long time. The shipping was extremely fast, the card was hard and sturdy, not like other gift cards. It also had better sound quality than I was anticipating. Those other gift cards are often very loud with little bass. This one is smooth like butter. I was surprised how easy it was to use too. I initially thought it might be one of those fancy cards you swipe at your computer, but it wasn't...just plain Jane, but that's okay. The only disappointment I would say I had was that it melted, but only under extreme temperatures. I thought it would be able to last longer. I was impressed overall, however, that when I dropped it out of my pocket, it didn't crack like other Apple products. It looked shiny and new!

The Yoga 700 is the best middle ground option for those looking for the hybrid setup. It is much thinner than most of them out there which makes the tablet mode less laughable and awkward to use. The other modes are also great for movies and presentations etc. The $599 m3 is an excellent value and zips through all the tasks with no issues. I would have rather had the $100 bump model on the RAM to 8GB than the m5 chip which I am not sure is really necessary for most people. PROS - Very slim. Stylish. Full HD screen (any more is overkill), better battery rating than the previous model, nice zippy m processor upgrade, relatively low cost for a high performance hybrid CONS - Battery is still not as high as it should be, proprietary power tip makes it worse to find a quick replacement charger, keyboard is not backlit, SD card does not insert completely, key travel is usable but a little shallow, lots of Lenovo bloatware programs to unload The screen should have been BRIGHTER! The nits are lower than average and the crisp details help get over it somewhat. Overall this is a better option than the Dell hybrids that are heavy and clunky and older Yoga hybrid models. It is a solid 7-8 out of 10. A USB-C charging solution would have made this a 10 for me and the perfect long stamina road warrior. As of now, it will start panting in about 5 hours or so of normal usage. BUT, it does charge quickly with the odd Volt rated adapter.

Last Chance, End of Year Savings!!! $25 worth of Music & more... Only $25... get 'em while you still can!!! This is a fantastic deal if you are trying to change an already weak currency into a piece of plastic without any flexible spending power. Here's how it relates to the rating system: Durability: plastic is much more durable than cash, but equally as durable as a credit card, in life span. Sound Quality: I gave it high marks because it makes very little, if any, noise at all. Features: There's no rating for 'very poor', so we'll stick with 'poor'. Real money that could typically be spent anywhere, can now only be spent at the iTunes store. Ease of use: They are very easy to use once you set up an account, log in, scratch the stuff off the plastic card to reveal the code number and enter that number into the online system. Now you are ready to spend your new, exclusive iTunes money. Forget about having to think about other places to spend your money. You just opened an account at the iTunes bank where your uninsured deposit will receive no interest. Happy spending! Confession: I have an iTunes account. I use it. I like it. But since I received an email from Best Buy touting these "Last Chance Savings" on their "End of the Year Sale" and they told me to "Check out discounts on already-reduced, limited-quantity products, and more", I just had to react when this product showed up on the list. Marketers are always trying to convince us that we are getting a great value for our money. I don't know what this is!

Best Buy keeps asking for reviews of this product I recently purchased, so here it is. The gift card was durable, yet lightweight, and didn't even require a bag out of the store. I would have preferred it in a greenish color as opposed to blue, but I settled because I really wanted this product. I was a little worried about losing it on the way home, but common sense told me to put it in a safe place so I wouldn't lose it or forget where I put it. Luckily, it got home safely and in one piece. I immediately peeled the back sticker off the iTunes gift card with minimal difficulty. Zero injuries or chipped fingernails. Then I opened the App Store on my iPhone, scanned the iTunes gift card UPC, (I did have to tilt the card back and forth for the phone scanner to work, but I suppose I cannot blame the low light conditions on the card's overall performance) and it credited my Apple account $25.00, just like it was supposed to! A+, would purchase again!

If you have an Apple product, specifically one that is capable of playing music, then I'm sure you know all about iTunes cards. After purchasing, there are a few ways you can add an iTunes card to your iTunes account. I find the simplest way is to first peel off the silver backing covering the code and then I go to the iTunes app on my iPhone and scroll down to the bottom and tap Redeem. Next, I tap Use Camera to scan the code. If the code is legit (meaning the cashier activated it and it has not been used before) then the amount of the card will be automatically added to your account. The card may then be recycled however you choose. I have used this blue and purple iTunes cards to make DIY bag tags for my luggage. I print off my contact info to fit in the dimensions of the card and then trim the paper to fit the rounded corners. I use card stock paper to cover the back of the card and then put the contact info on top of that. I use glue dots for the card stock to stick to the card and then use a glue stick to adhere the contact info to the card stock. Then I put them into a luggage tag plastic covering and attach it to my luggage.

Teens: since you don't have credit cards, yet --> don't link up your ATM/debit card to your iTunes / App.Store / Apple Store account. * You could bounce a check doing this. You have less identity theft protections using a Debit card, than a Credit card. So, don't do it. * Instead, the smart thing to do, is go to a Best Buy store. Use either 1)cash, or 2)Debit card, or 3)Credit card (for adults/retirees) and buy an iTunes GIFT CARD. * You then logon to your iTunes account, scroll down to the bottom of the page, then click the REDEEM radio icon button. Next, use the camera on our iPhone or iPad, to read the CARD NUMBER on the back of the gift card (peel the protective gray plastic strip off, first). * That's it - it's just that easy. Now you've safely loaded funds into your account. You don't need a credit card, but you are rolling like a big wheel, that does! * You can buy an iTunes Gift Card @ Best Buy, for as little as $15. It's as simple as that. Now, go ask everyone in your family to give you these gift cards, for your upcoming Birthday, and next Christmas.