HT201209 Help needed to Redeem an app

Question

Hi, I'm brand new to Apple iPad. I was given three iPad cards worth $10.00 each. Someone helped me redeem a couple apps but I cannot remember how to do it. I'm showing $17.04 credit under my Apple ID. When I select the app that I want,"in this case Numbers", I scroll to the bottom of (Featured) and click Redeem, I'm prompted to enter the code.
I know I'm doing something stupid. I clicked buy on a couple apps and it was charged to my credit card. I can't afford that especially when this is work related. Can you please help me with this?
Thank You,
Mike Morris
<Personal Information Edited by Host>

Answer 1

You only use the "Redeem" if you've been given the gift of that specific app and have a code to redeem. If you wish to buy an app using your credit balance, going through the normal "buy" process usually works. Assuming you were not buying a gift for someone else - gifts cannot be purchased using a credit balance - another user in the forums posted the information I quote below as the reply from the iTunes Store when this issue was brought up. Perhaps it will help you. If problems persist, contact the iTunes Store:
http://www.apple.com/emea/support/itunes/contact.html
Regards. 
I'm sorry you weren't able to make a purchase using your store credit. To purchase items on the iTunes Store with your store credit, your account information in your user profile needs to be corrected. I'll walk you through this process to get you back up and running in no time. 
1) Visit the My Apple ID website at:  http://appleid.apple.com 
2) If the site is not displayed in your preferred language, click the Change Language link in the upper-right corner, type the name of your language in the field that appears, then click the Save button. 
3) Click the "Manage your account" link. 
4) Type your iTunes Store account name (which is your Apple ID) in the Apple ID field, type your password in the password field, then click the Sign In button. 
5) Click "Addresses" in the column on the left. If you have multiple shipping addresses, remove any out-of-date or duplicate addresses by clicking Delete. Also, make sure the state or province field is filled out correctly for each address. To edit an address, click Edit. Edit all of your shipping addresses and make sure the appropriate state is selected in the State drop-down menus. 
6) Now click "Phone Numbers" on the left. The area codes should be in the area code fields and the phone numbers should be in the phone number fields. If an area code is missing, or if it is in a phone number field, your account information may not save properly. 
7) Make any other necessary corrections, then click the Save Changes button. 
8) Click Log out in the upper-right corner.  When you make your next purchase on the iTunes Store, you will be asked to review your billing information. At this point, you can change your information or simply click Done at the bottom of the screen to proceed. Once you click Done, you should be able to purchase on the iTunes Store using your store credit.