# Why is it nearly impossible to buy & send Google Play Store gift cards via email?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-nearly-impossible-to-buy-send-google-play-store-gift-cards-via-email/695974>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 20, 2014, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-nearly-impossible-to-buy-send-google-play-store-gift-cards-via-email/695974 "2014-08-20T05:43:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-nearly-impossible-to-buy-send-google-play-store-gift-cards-via-email/695974/1 "2014-08-20T05:43:46Z")

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This would seem like a no-brainer. Perfect, universal gift would be to buy one online and have it delivered instantly thru email. And yet this appears to be impossible to do?! You have to go to a brick & mortar store or order one online and have it physically sent via snail mail! What the hell am I missing here? Certainly not the incredible irony…

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**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-nearly-impossible-to-buy-send-google-play-store-gift-cards-via-email/695974/2 "2014-08-20T11:32:17Z")

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Not impossible, but it does seem to be harder than it should be.

Apparently (if you’re in the U.S.) you can get them electronically through [GiftCardsy](http://giftcardsy.com/google-play.html) .

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**Author:** ![dstarfire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dstarfire/32/5762_2.png) [@dstarfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dstarfire)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-nearly-impossible-to-buy-send-google-play-store-gift-cards-via-email/695974/3 "2014-08-20T18:19:45Z")

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Probably because they’re designed to be a bridge between the physical (cash, brick and mortar stores, etc.) and virtual realms.

I suspect google has, is planning, or has considered a system to transfer credits from one person’s account to another,