There've been plenty of hints at Google Play gift cards landing in the UK since shortly after the U.S. launch. Today, on the service's first birthday, Google has announced that UK consumers will be able to buy the cards in £10, £25 and £50 denominations, with "all" Tesco and Morrisons stores stocking the cards "in the weeks ahead."
The cards work just the same as they do in the U.S. -- buy one, scratch to reveal its code, and redeem on the web or via the Android app. The amount is then added to your Google Play balance, and can be used to buy music, magazines, books. movies and apps -- but not hardware.
The news of the launch follows reports of Google Play gift card sightings at Tesco stores in recent days.
It'll take some time for Google's offering to catch up to Apple's widespread iTunes gift cards, but having two major supermarkets on-board at launch has to be a plus. More details in the presser after the break.
Update: Google's put together a retailer finder page allowing Brits to track down local stores stocking Google Play cards.
Google Play gift cards now available in the UK
We're pleased to announce that Google Play gift cards will be available in the UK from today [Wednesday, March 6 2013].
Gift cards make it even easier to buy apps, games, books, movies, music and magazines from Google Play, Google's one-stop-shop for all your digital entertainment needs.
Over the coming weeks, gift cards will go on sale in all UK branches of Tesco and Morrisons.
The gift cards will be available in denominations of £10, £25 and £50, and can be redeemed against digital contntent purchases on Google Play, including music, magazines, books, movies and apps.
With Google Play, you can buy books, apps, games and music, and rent or buy movies, on the device of your choice – be it a computer, Android phone or tablet. All of this entertainment is available across multiple devices – buy a book on the web, for example, and it's instantly available on your phone or tablet.
Consumers can access, purchase or rent this digital content in a variety of ways:
On Android devices: Android phone and tablet users can click on the Google Play store app to shop for books, movies, apps, games, magazines, devices and music. All content can be "pinned" to the device for offline use without a data connection;
On the web: Users of Chromebooks, PCs, Macs and all other computers can access their digital content online through the web version of Google Play (play.google.com).
And now users can pay via Google Wallet or by redeeming a Google Play gift card.
