_2026-10-05_06-22-13.png)
If you hold bitcoin and want to put it toward a new pair of headphones, an app subscription, or credit on the App Store, you will run into the same wall every time: Apple does not take crypto at checkout. The workaround crypto holders have used for years is buying an Apple or iTunes gift card with bitcoin through a third-party marketplace, then redeeming the card the normal way. It is not complicated, but a few details decide whether it is actually worth doing.
Apple retired the separate iTunes Gift Card brand in most markets years ago, folding it into the general Apple Gift Card, which covers the App Store, Apple Music, iCloud storage and Apple device purchases. Even so, search habits are slow to change, and "buy itunes gift card with bitcoin" still gets searched far more often than the newer "apple gift card" phrasing. In practice the two are the same product today in most regions, so the buying process below applies to either name.
There are two practical routes, and they suit different situations.
Marketplaces sometimes advertise a small discount on gift card face value, but this is rarely a reason by itself to buy this way. Discounts tend to be modest, often in the low single digits, and can be offset by network fees, especially when paying with bitcoin's base layer rather than a faster network. If saving money is the goal, compare the total cost (card value minus discount, plus any network fee) against simply using a crypto card funded with bitcoin at a store that sells the same card.
A few checks prevent the most common problems with crypto-bought gift cards.
For anyone who spends crypto regularly rather than occasionally, it is worth thinking beyond a single gift card purchase. A wallet that supports multiple assets, including USDT, USDC, BTC, ETH and SOL, and lets you tap to pay at any contactless terminal means you are not limited to merchants who specifically sell crypto gift cards. Oobit's crypto card converts your balance to the merchant's local currency automatically at checkout, and everyday spending can also earn cashback rewards, something a one-off gift card purchase does not offer.
Buying an Apple or iTunes gift card with bitcoin is straightforward through an established marketplace, as long as you match the card's region to your account and treat any discount as a minor bonus rather than the main reason to do it. For regular spending rather than one-off purchases, a crypto card that pays directly at checkout is usually simpler than routing every purchase through a gift card first.