We had reported earlier that with the introduction of its own gift cards, which could be redeemed for apps, books, and all other digital stuff sold through the Play Store, Google was following in Apple's footsteps; however, a release date was not known. A new report has now surfaced indicating that these cards have been spotted in retail stores and what's more, they appear to be fully functional!
This news implies that consumers can buy these cards right away as they are operational. Additionally, the cards can be successfully activated and their codes used to redeem credit on an existing Google Play account.
Android Police discovered evidence that Google was looking to introduce these gift cards and also revealed the code. The code included graphics and links for redeeming gift cards and even maintaining a "Google Play balance". Experts see the Google move as a major step, which is aimed at providing feature uniformity with Apple's iTunes Store.
"What I found inarguably points to Google gearing up to finally release redeemable Play Store gift cards - something we've been anxiously waiting for since the Android Market started supporting paid apps. Earlier this year, Google renewed our hopes by adding the ability to have a Play Store balance for those who purchase a Nexus 7. This put us one step closer to gift cards, but there was still nothing concrete. What I have here today is more than concrete - it's solid evidence," stated the report.
However, as of now, it seems as if these cards have been tied down with some geographical restrictions. Users in the UK are getting a message that the cards are not supported in their country when they try to redeem them.
