Wondering how to give a Kindle Unlimited gift subscription? Kindle Unlimited makes an excellent gift for anyone who loves to read ebooks, and it is an easy gift to give as you don’t even need to leave your house to check this gift off your list! So if you’re wondering how to gift Kindle Unlimited, then follow along with this easy step-by-step guide!
What is Kindle Unlimited?
Before we dive into how to gift Kindle Unlimited, you first might be wondering: what is Kindle Unlimited and how does it work?
Kindle Unlimited is a subscription service that allows you to borrow and read an unlimited number of books each month from over one million titles in the Kindle Unlimited library. This library consists of popular books, Amazon originals, and a lot of self-published titles as well, making it an excellent gift for the avid reader. You can learn more about Kindle Unlimited and how it works here.
Can You Gift Kindle Unlimited?
When thinking of giving a Kindle Unlimited subscription gift, you may first be asking yourself: can you give Kindle Unlimited as a gift? And the answer is yes! It is actually very simple to give the gift of Kindle Unlimited, so follow the steps below to check this subscription off your gift list.
How to Give Kindle Unlimited as a Gift
There are only a few easy steps you need to take to purchase Kindle Unlimited as a gift, so let’s get started now!
1. Go to the Kindle Unlimited Gift Page
When you want to gift Kindle Unlimited, you can’t go to the regular sign up page. Instead, you need to go to the Kindle Unlimited gift page. You can find it here.
2. Choose Subscription Length
Your next step is choosing how many months of Kindle Unlimited you would like to give. You can choose between 6, 12, and 24 month subscription lengths, depending on how long you would like the recipient to have access to Kindle Unlimited. Once you have chosen the length, click the orange “Continue” button.
3. Fill in Recipient Details and Personalize Gift Message
After clicking the “Continue” button, you’ll be taken to a page where you can enter the recipient’s details as well as customize a short gift message that will be emailed to them.
At this stage, you will need to fill in the recipient’s email (or your own if you want to print it to give to them in person), choose a date for delivery of the gift, and customize the pre-written gift message if you so choose. You can choose a delivery date for any time within a year from the date of purchase.
4. Continue to Payment and Place Your Order
Once the gift message and details are the way you want them to be, you simply need to click the “Continue to payment” button and then choose how you want to pay for the gift subscription. Then, click the “Place your order” button and you are all set. That’s everything you need to know to buy Kindle Unlimited as a gift!
How to Redeem Kindle Unlimited Gift
Once someone has been gifted a Kindle Unlimited gift subscription, Amazon sends them an email letting them know they have received Kindle Unlimited as a gift. After receiving this email, there are only a few short steps to redeem!
1. Click the Redeem Button in the Email
In the email the recipient receives, they’ll first need to click the orange “Redeem your Kindle Unlimited Membership” button.
2. Choose What to Do With the Gift Subscription
After the recipient clicks “Redeem” in the email, they’ll be taken to a page where they can choose what to do with the gift. There are two options:
- Load up the gifted number of months (6, 12, or 24).
- Exchange for a gift card equal to the purchase price.
One of the reasons Kindle Unlimited makes a really good gift is because it’s an amazing book subscription, but if for some reason the recipient doesn’t want it then they don’t have to keep it but can instead exchange it for an Amazon gift card of equal value. This means they’ll know you put time into thinking of what they like (books!), but if they already have a Kindle Unlimited subscription or would prefer another item then they aren’t stuck with Kindle Unlimited.
Kindle Unlimited Gift Subscription FAQ
Still have questions about Kindle Unlimited gift subscriptions? Here are a few of the most frequently asked questions. But if you don’t see your question here, feel free to ask it in the comments!
1. Is there a Kindle Unlimited gift deal?
There aren’t always deals when you buy Kindle Unlimited as a gift, but sometimes there are! Keep an eye out around holiday times, Prime Day, etc. to check if there are any deals. When deals are active for Kindle Unlimited gift subscriptions, they frequently offer the following percentage off:
- 6 months – 20% off
- 12 months – 33% off
- 24 months – 40% off
If you can gift Kindle Unlimited during one of these sale times, you’re getting an excellent deal!
2. Can you gift Kindle Unlimited to yourself?
As of the time of writing, yes it is possible to gift Kindle Unlimited to yourself. Why would you want to do this? Well, Kindle Unlimited is usually a month-to-month subscription where you pay around $10 per month. However, if you gift yourself 6, 12, or 24 months at a time during a Kindle Unlimited gift deal, you could snag Kindle Unlimited for yourself at either 20%, 33%, or $40% off!
3. Can you pay for Kindle Unlimited with gift cards?
Unfortunately, as Kindle Unlimited is a subscription service that usually automatically renews, you cannot use a gift card to purchase a gift subscription.
4. Where can I buy Kindle Unlimited gift cards?
As mentioned above, it is not possible to pay for Kindle Unlimited with gift cards…so there is no such thing as a Kindle Unlimited gift card (and by extension there is nowhere to buy Kindle Unlimited gift cards). There are, however, Kindle gift cards that can be used on any items sold on Amazon (not just Kindle ebooks). These gift cards make a great gift if you are looking for something other than Kindle Unlimited to give!
Gifted myself a membership today! So it still works as of 2/23/21
Hi Kristy! That’s so great to hear you were able to have success following the method I shared to gift yourself a membership. I hope you enjoy it!
Does the gift membership cancel at the end of its period, or does it auto-renew just as a normal membership?
Hi Mark – that’s a great question! Kindle Unlimited gift memberships will automatically cancel at the end of the gift subscription period. So if you want the subscription to continue, you’ll have to go through the gifting process again once the subscription ends. While this can be a bit of a pain if you were hoping it would automatically renew, the automatic cancellation ensures that neither you nor the recipient will have to worry about being charged for a renewal without your approval.
I want to get a subscription for my tween granddaughter. There doesn’t seem to be an option for her age on the gifting page. HELP!
Hi Dixie! As far as I’m aware, Amazon doesn’t allow tweens to have their own Amazon accounts (teen accounts are the closest option), which makes gifting Kindle Unlimited difficult for the tween age group. There is something called Amazon Household where you can create “child” accounts that are nested under the adult account, but unfortunately Kindle Unlimited isn’t one of the benefits that can be shared with child accounts.
So my best workaround recommendation for this situation would be to gift the Kindle Unlimited subscription to an adult (parent/guardian/etc) Amazon account that your tween granddaughter could be allowed to access. But if this doesn’t work for your situation for some reason, then I recommend reaching out to Amazon’s customer service to see if they have any other way to make this work!
I purchased a 24 month subscription. My mother wants to gift me a subscription a well. Am I able to add both to my account to make it a total of 48 months?
Hi Lisa – I believe it should work just fine to add the extra months to your account, but I do recommend double checking with Amazon’s customer service as I have never tried adding that many months to my account at once…so I’m not sure if there’s a limit to how many months you can add to your account at one time. 🙂
Hi there! Thanks for the info! One question: if someone were to receive a gifted subscription- does it automatically start right away? Or could the recipient wait a month or two (or more) to “cash in” and start the gifted subscription?
Hi Maggie! Kindle Unlimited gift subscriptions do not automatically start right away; instead, the recipient will need to click the “Redeem” button in the email they’re sent in order to activate their gifted subscription. So the subscription won’t start until the recipient chooses to start it. I have not heard of a time limit on redeeming a gifted subscription, so I expect it should be fine to wait a month or two before activating it. I hope this helps!
I ordered ad a gift, but did not receive and email and my husband didn’t get the email either? Is there a customer service # to call? Or email?
Hi Danielle – That’s very strange and I’m sorry that happened to you! But yes, Amazon has great customer service and can help you out. You can get help by chat or phone here.
One can still gift to her/himself as of 8/2/21.
Yay! So happy it worked for you!
The link to the gift page was super helpful! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Katie! I’m so happy to hear it was helpful for you!
Hi! Great info! However, does the recipient of the gift have to have a payment method listed on their account before they can redeem their gift?
Hi Travis! From what Amazon customer service associates have told me in the past, my understanding is that the recipient should be able to redeem the gift without having a payment method on file. If they wish to continue the subscription after their gifted time has ended, then they will need to add a payment method at that time.
However, I have not personally tested to see if it works without a payment method, since everyone I have gifted membership to has already had a payment method in their account. So if you or the recipient are worried about this or have issues redeeming the gift, you are welcome to reach out to Amazon customer support and they should be able to help you!
I gifted myself a kindle unlimited subscription and I realize it will not start until I redeem it.
However, when does the subscription show up on my account under kindle subscriptions?
Hi Donna – Since the Kindle subscription was marked as a gift (even though it’s to yourself), it will not even show up in your account until you choose to redeem it. But once you redeem it, it should show up as a current subscription on your account!
What if you got gifted a KU subscription but the person who gifted it didn’t realize you already had a subscription? Is it returnable if unclaimed?
Hi Heather – You could always try asking customer service if they’d be willing to return it, but as far as I am aware gift subscriptions are not returnable. However, when you go to claim your subscription through the email you received notifying you of this gift, you can choose whether to claim it and add on time to your current KU subscription or you can choose to have the purchase price given to you in the form of an Amazon gift card. So even if you can’t get “cash” back to use anywhere, you could still get the cash in the form of an Amazon gift card and use that for any items you want on Amazon.com.
How can I add my gift to my already-existing Kindle Unlimited account?
Hi KJC – Once you purchase or receive the KU gift, you’ll receive an email from Amazon with a link you can click to redeem it. When you click that link, you’ll have the choice of receiving however many months the subscription was purchased for or turning the subscription into an Amazon gift card instead. If you click to redeem the subscription months, then it will be added to the time on your already-existing Kindle Unlimited account.
I have a 2-year Kindle Unlimited “gift” I gave myself. It is about to expire next month and I would like to renew it now through another gift to myself. If I do, will the new gift extend my current one AND drop the upcoming ongoing monthly charge?
Hi Freddy – Yes, if you give yourself a new “gift” of Kindle Unlimited, when you redeem it then it will add time to your current subscription. And monthly charges will be dropped for however many months you gift yourself!
Thank you so much for your quick response. The transaction worked flawlessly and, just as you stated, the new subscription has been piggybacked onto my current one.
That’s so good to hear!
It didn’t work for me. I redeemed my 2 year gift subscription a few days prior to expiry, but the now expired one is still marked “Current” and I am stuck in limbo, unable to download any Unlimited books. Amazon has been trying for months to fix my account. Best idea for existing users may be to turn auto-renew off, wait for the expiration, and then apply the gift.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Paul – I haven’t experienced that before and am sorry to hear you’re going through that. Hopefully Amazon will be able to help you get your account fixed quickly!
It’s working as of July 26, 2022.
I’ve been using KU for several years now and my last 6-month subscription is running out at the end of the month so I gifted myself a 2-year subscription today & redeemed it. I had a 12-month subscription before my current 6-month and was surprised when neither option was available. If I hadn’t been able to do this, I would have cancelled KU altogether.
I have a couple of friends who use KU that I will gift with subscriptions this year. I can’t imagine why Amazon doesn’t make this option more prominent.
I hope it’s still working when I need to renew in 2024.
So happy to hear it worked for you, Anissa!
Hello! Thank you for your thorough information on gifting Kindle Unlimited. If my friend who I want to gift it to already has a Kindle Unlimited Subscription can she still claim the gift? Would it just not charge her subscription during the months the gift was for? Thank you again!
Hi Jana! Yes, you can still gift a subscription to her and she can claim it. If she’s on a month-to-month subscription, then it will start after the end of her current month and won’t charge her for the months that you’ve gifted her. If she still has time left on a pre-paid subscription (for example, a 6 month subscription that she’s only used 2 months of so far), then your gift will add on to the end of that and not charge her for the months after the ones she’s already paid for (so in that same example, after the 4 remaining months of paid subscription are up, then your gift will kick in so she doesn’t have to pay at that point).
I don’t use Kindle myself, but was forced to do a trial membership in order to gift my mother-in-law an unlimited membership. Do I need to then keep my membership or can I cancel it.
You can cancel it – no need to keep it if you don’t want to use it!
I just discovered there was a gift option!!! Gah!! So there’s no reason to cancel my month to month KU when I gift myself a 24 subscription…correct? My books stay in place and I continue as I have been this past year and a half.
Do I need to put my iPad in airplane mode to keep the books in my Library during this process?
Hi Kathy! There’s no need to cancel – when you give yourself the gift subscription and then activate it through the email you receive, it should automatically apply to your current subscription and none of your currently checked out books should be affected!
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AWESOME!!! Thank you for the speedy reply!
You’re welcome! Enjoy your KU membership!