Great idea, terrible execution by Amazon
I was really excited about the “anytime” gift card concept. I can keep a stack of gift cards ready for birthdays or last-minute gifts but pay for them and decide on the amount only when I need them!<br /><br />Unfortunately, Amazon seems to have launched this product without testing it. What a nightmare the first time I tried to load one! I eventually figured out a way to do it, so let me save you the trouble:<br /><br />You need to scan the QR code on the back of the gift card. As far as I can tell, Amazon hasn’t released any software that allows us to do this. You could type in the extremely long serial number manually, but the card is glued to the envelope right over the serial number, so revealing that requires you to remove the card from its gift envelope, thus ruining the gift envelope.<br /><br />After many internet searches and three(!) third-party apps, here’s what worked for me:<br /><br />Using my iPhone, I downloaded the free QR code reader named simply “Scan” from the App Store. Use that app to scan the QR code on the back of the gift card. (It’s very difficult to do because the code is so small and not centered in the window. Some apps won’t scan a code this small, but Scan has been working for me.)<br /><br />The app will take you to an Amazon.com page and request your user name and password. Don’t enter this now! (I doubt it’s a good idea to put your Amazon password into ANY free, third-party app...)<br /><br />Click the Safari icon in the lower right corner to open that page in your phone’s browser. Then log in to Amazon using your user name and password.<br /><br />Finally, you should be taken to a page where you can load a balance onto your gift card. Amazon will probably make you re-enter your credit card information for “security purposes,” so have your card ready.<br /><br />The good news is that so far, I haven’t experienced any of the problems that other reviewers mentioned where the recipient couldn’t use the card because the balance had been applied to the *purchaser’s* account! (Ugh!)<br /><br />I hope Amazon fixes these problems soon, because the idea is great and I’d find many reasons to use these gift cards if it were easier!
Rating: 2 stars