Here’s a question I receive via email from time-to-time (you can always email me: michael at fkbt dot com):
I have been downloading Kindle books for quite a while, always the free ones. In fact my account is so old I don’t have a credit card attached to it anymore, so I couldn’t download a priced book even if I wanted to. I really like the freedom this gives me, in that I don’t have to worry about making a mistake, clicking the button, and getting charged for something I didn’t realize was free.
Here’s the dilemma… I now own a Kindle Fire and would like to download a game, which is not free. Is there a way to do this without using a credit card? I’m not quite sure how gift cards work. Any ideas?
An Amazon account without a credit card – I’ll bet it’s rare, but it could happen if your initial credit card expired or you got rid of it and never updated your Amazon account; seeing as how the reader above gets her Kindle material for free, I can envision a situation where someone could download the free books, games, music, and apps from the Amazon website and never pay a cent.
That doesn’t answer the question – how to purchase something from Amazon without a credit card? She can’t purchase an Amazon gift card, as it would take a credit card or a draft from an existing checking account to buy it from the Amazon website. While I am sure there are other ways to do this, three ways I can think off the top of my head to get an Amazon gift card without using an existing credit card:
- Have someone give you an Amazon gift card.
- Turn in your spare change to a Coinstar machine and receive an Amazon gift card in exchange for no fee (click here or type in http://smarturl.it/fagc into a web browser for my post on instructions on how to do that).
- Most major grocery stores and other large retailers have a gift card display, where you can purchase gift cards not only to that store but to the big box retailers and online retailers such as Amazon and the iTunes store. You could take cash to one of those stores and purchase an Amazon gift card in varying denominations.
Assuming you tried one of the three methods above, you would then go online to the Amazon store, login to the My Account section, and apply the gift card code (and funds) to your Amazon account – all without having to whip out a credit card.
Can anyone think of another method? If so, please leave a comment in the comment field below.
Hope that helps!
Michael
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You may already have the answer to your question but just in case not. I have had kindle since kindle began & luv it to death…anywho. I have them for my children also and they have been downloading games without a credit card I hope. (mines better not have been secretly swiped) LOL. I believe you have to purchase games that do not require (in app purchasing). The best games do require purchasing somewhere in them but there are some that do not and are still fun oror purchase a disposable card all stores have now days. Hope that will help.
You can purchase a debit card that allows you to put a specific amount on it. I used to do $50, and with that would eat my lunches. If I lost the card I was never out more than $50. There is usually a small fee to add money to it so shop around. Also they will deduct money from it if you do not use it for a year. Read the small print.
I use prepaid credit cards that I buy at the post office (in Canada), although I believe they can be bought at grocery stores as well. Like the debit card mentioned above, you load the card, which works like an ordinary Visa, with an amount between $25 and $500. Then you list it on your account on Amazon. I’ve had as many as six at a time active on my Amazon account, because of the dwindling balances. They don’t mind. If you’re buying with one-click, you just go into your account and make sure the card you’re currently using for one-click has a balance big enough to pay for your purchase; if it doesn’t, click on one that does, or add a new one. You never go into debt, and you can buy anything you like at Amazon and quite a number of other places (although not every merchandiser accepts them).