How to give a subscription of Disney+ as a holiday gift

In a galaxy not so far away...

Disney has long been the home to magic and wonderment, so many people have longed to have access to it all on a whim. Well, that wait is over now that Disney+ has landed.

The list of things that make this streaming service exciting is a long one. From movies and TV shows that span decades, to some of the most recent releases like Captain Marvel, Disney+ has so much for us to consume. Aside from all the classics we know and love from Disney, there's also brand new original content available only on Disney+. Shows in the Star Wars universe like The Mandalorian and even High School Musical: The Musical: The Series are on the service, with shows set in the Marvel Universe like WandaVision making their way over soon.

Great, can I gift Disney+ to my favorite people?

You can now purchase 12-month subscription cards for Disney+ so that you can give the gift of Disney magic. Unfortunately, they aren't available for purchase online yet, so be prepared to brave the holiday rush at the mall. Disney+ subscription cards are only available at:

• Brick-and-mortar Disney Stores
• Select stores at Walt Disney World, such as World of Disney at Disney Springs and the Emporium inside the Magic Kingdom
• Select stores at Disneyland, such as the Emporium inside Disneyland and Elias and Co inside Disney's California Adventure

There isn't a digital gift card for Disney+ yet — nor are there gift options for subscribers in other Disney+ countries — but hopefully this will be added in the near future.

New subscribers only!

These gift cards are only for new subscribers; you can't use one if you already have an account — or have signed up for a seven-day trial before. When you go to DisneyPlus.com/Redeem to activate the card, you need to be a fresh user. If you already have an account — regardless of whether it's active or if you just did the free trial and then canceled — when you hit "Redeem", you'll see a progress bar spin a moment, and then nothing happens.

I'm hopeful that Disney revises this policy because that means that right now if you buy someone a Disney+ subscription card, you run the risk of giving them a gift that seemed thoughtful but can't be used.

What if I already have an account and someone gave me a subscription card?

If you were on a monthly billing cycle, the easiest thing for you to do is going to be to cancel your current subscription and make a new account with a different email address.

If you're currently on an annual billing cycle, you'll need to wait for your current subscription to end, then make a new account with a new email address. Maybe Disney will have enabled these gift cards to work with existing accounts by then.

If you're a Founder's Circle subscriber with the three-year D23 package, then you have one of two options: put the card in a drawer until your current sub runs out in 2022 (or Disney allows current subscribers to redeem them) or re-gift the card to someone who can actually use it.