How to Give Your Kids an iTunes Allowance

Setting up an iTunes allowance is a great idea for a family who has kids with iPods and other Apple devices. An iTunes allowance works by allowing a certain amount of money to be available on an Apple ID at the start of each month.

This money can then be spent on apps, music, or other content that is available from Apple. The benefit of this is that rather than linking a credit card with a high spending limit, parents can designate a certain amount for their children to spend on a monthly basis.

The following setup guide is specific to iTunes 11 and is different for other versions of iTunes. While the steps are basically the same, the area where Apple places the controls to this feature are slightly changed.

How to setup iTunes Allowance

Select iTunes.

Click iTunes Store.

Click Send iTunes Gift.

Select Learn More About Gifting.

Scroll to bottom of the screen and select Set Up an Allowance.

On the next screen enter the amount of the allowance. Every month the allowance will be sent to the Apple ID that is entered by the user.

If the person that you are planning on sending the allowance to doesn’t have an Apple ID one can be created by selecting Create an Apple ID for recipient. 

Once the form has been completed select Continue.

Enter your Apple ID and password to confirm the purchase and click Setup. 

The use of an allowance for children is a really good idea, both to monitor the money being spent on content and to teach responsibility. When kids have a certain amount they can spend it teaches them to budget their money and learn that money has value.

Parents can also set up parental restrictions on their child’s device to filter content of apps and music that they can download. This is a good tool for parents with younger children.

Read: How to setup Parental Controls