6 Virtual Christmas Gift Ideas You Can Get Last-Minute
We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
With the holidays rapidly approaching, the task of finalizing your gift list for your friends and loved ones should absolutely be top priority. If you're having trouble coming up with Christmas gift ideas, something digital is often a suitable alternative. It gives the sender the ability to pay for a unique service on behalf of the recipient, without diminishing the thoughtfulness behind the gesture.
Media-streaming service gift cards are certainly a great place to start. If you can figure out which platform your special someone doesn't have a subscription with yet — whether it's Spotify, Apple Music, Disney Plus, and the like — you can acquire a corresponding gift card that'll give them the ability to sign up for an account and try out your chosen service for a month or two. These cards are usually available to purchase in physical format at in-person stores or can be bought digitally and sent via email.
Apart from online streaming-related gift cards, below is a roundup of other virtual presents you can get for people when you don't have a lot of time left to Christmas shop in person or wait for physical products to get delivered.
Audible subscription
These days, book-reading is no longer confined to the act of physically turning pages or utilizing an ebook reader. More people are embracing the convenience of audiobooks. In fact, in some cases, it might be the better option, if only to enjoy hearing soothing voice actors give life to characters and words alike. Furthermore, audiobooks also provide you a way to keep "reading" through your ears as you accomplish other tasks or errands.
If you have a book lover on your list of people to get a last-minute Christmas gift for, Audible is worth looking into. It's Amazon's audiobook service that houses a wide selection of audiobooks, podcasts, and other original content to listen to. You can gift a membership that's good for either one month ($15), three months ($45), six months ($90), or a full year ($150), with corresponding credit amounts — one credit corresponds to one title — and access to Audible's premium catalog that includes current bestsellers and brand-new releases. Once they set up the subscription you opted for, they can choose which books to redeem through their allotted credits and listen to it through the Aubible mobile app any time they want.
One year of Duolingo
Learning a foreign language is much easier now thanks to the countless apps and services promising some level of comprehension and even fluency after regular use. One of the most popular language-learning platforms to date is Duolingo. More than 32 million people around the world have reportedly used the app to study at least one language in the past year, and it's likely due to its user-friendly interface, its gamefied approach to committing newly learned words to memory, and effective encouragement to keep using the app to learn in the form of streaks, quests, and competition rankings, among other things.
If you want to gift someone the opportunity to learn something new, get them a Super Duolingo one-year subscription. For $79.99 pre-tax, they get to enjoy the ad-free version of the service, complete with unlimited mistakes, unlimited tries to perfect levels , and a more personalized practice. Lessons are broken down into digestible segments, making it easier to absorb knowledge quickly. English speakers have the option to pick from 39 different languages to learn, including Spanish, French, Japanese, and Korean as well as fictional dialects like Klingon or High Valyrian.
Kiwico subscription
Subscription boxes are generally a wonderful present to get people come Christmastime because it affords them the opportunity to sample several products or activities at once, and, in some cases, the items that come in the crate change every month according to a predetermined theme. One such subscription service is Kiwico.
Primarily a monthly activity box service geared toward children, Kiwico has several subjects to choose from, such as art, science, geography, culture, cooking, and so much more. If you have little ones on your Chirstmas shopping list, you can provide them with fun educational projects and choose a gift subscription that's good for one, three, six, or 12 months that'll cost at least $23.95 per month or less if you opt for a longer membership duration. Shipping is also free on subscriptions in the U.S.
If you're shopping for an adult, don't let that stop you from considering Kiwico — there are a couple of themed crates that are suitable for teenagers and older that could make a unique Christmas present.
Costco Gold Star membership
Are you a satisfied Costco member? Do you think your loved one would enjoy shopping in bulk, trying out food samples, and eating at the food court of your favorite store just as much as you do? Pay it forward by getting them a Costco Gold Star membership. It's the store's base-level membership that lets you buy products at any Costco location worldwide as well as online through costco.com. All they have to do is go to the membership counter at any Costco location in the country to activate the membership and they can start enjoying all the trappings Costco has to offer, such as access to wholesale discounts for food and home goods alike, exclusive Kirland Signature products, and other shopping offers that sprout up quite regularly.
You can opt to purchase a Costco Gold Star membership online from now until Dec. 31 of this year to get a bonus $40 Digital Costco Shop Card. Do note, however, that shipping time frames need to be considered during the holidays for online orders, so depending on how late you add this to cart, you may need to tell the person you're getting this for that something special is coming for them in the mail. Alternatively, you can go to your local Costco warehouse in person and purchase the gift of membership at the register and get it immediately.
Celebrity video message from Cameo
A fun way to kick the festivities up a notch is by gifting someone the pleasure of watching a personalized Christmas greeting made by their favorite famous person. Cameo is a platform that lets you look through thousands of celebrities that have signed up as talent and request one to make a personalized message on video for a fee. There are several celebrity categories to choose from, such as actors, athletes, comedians, musicians, and other popular entertainment creators.
The price for a Cameo depends on the star that you choose — the more famous they are in their field, the more likely you'd be required to shell out more money. Considering the personalized nature of these video keepsakes, it has the potential of becoming a really memorable Christmas gift. Do note that in general, stars have a week to complete the request, so make sure you get yours in ASAP in time for the holidays. If available, you can choose the 24-hour delivery option if you're pressed for time.
Amazon or Google account upgrades (via gift cards)
As previously mentioned, gift cards are a good last-minute option. While most let you buy products from specific stores, others allow you to apply them toward account upgrades. For instance, an Amazon gift card can be used to purchase an Amazon Prime subscription, among other items on the app. If you want to encourage someone to take the leap and enjoy useful perks like free two-day shipping, load one up that can cover $14.99 per month or $139 per year, the current price of an Amazon Prime membership.
New members can try Amazon Prime free for 30 days. Once the trial period elapses, they'll automatically be enrolled in a paid membership plan, which they can initially pay for by redeeming the Amazon gift card they receive from you. Note that to sign up for the free trial, their account must have a current and valid credit card.
A Google Play gift card is another option that lets you apply the balance toward useful account upgrades. For a Google user, more storage is always a good thing. They can purchase a Google One plan to bump up their 15 GB storage to either 100 GB ($19.99 per year), 200 GB ($29.99 per year), or 2 TB ($99.99 per year). Just get a gift card with the right monetary amount.
Again, it's important to note that these gift cards can be used to purchase any buyable items from their respective platforms. If you're giving this Christmas gift as a way for them to specifically enjoy premium privileges through either Amazon Prime or Google One, you might need to tell them that it's what the gift card is for.