You can send a Kindle book directly to another person's email address, or buy them a Kindle gift card to choose their own
Amazon offers two straightforward ways to give a Kindle book to someone else. The first is to purchase the book and have Amazon send it directly to the recipient's email address — they'll receive a notification and the book will appear in their Kindle library. The second is to buy a Kindle gift card, which the recipient can use to purchase any Kindle book themselves. Both methods work whether the person has a Kindle device, a Kindle app on their phone or tablet, or reads through a web browser.
The direct book method is faster if you know exactly which title you want to give. The gift card method works better if you're unsure what they want to read, or if you want to give them the choice. Neither method requires you to know their Amazon password, and neither puts the book on your own account.
Key Takeaways
- When you buy a Kindle book as a gift, you enter the recipient's email address at checkout and Amazon sends them a notification with instructions to accept it.
- The recipient must have a valid Amazon account to receive a gifted Kindle book, but they do not need to own a Kindle device.
- Kindle gift cards can be sent by email or printed, and the recipient can use them to buy any Kindle book, magazine, or newspaper without restrictions.
- Gifted Kindle books cannot be returned or exchanged, so make sure you have the right title before you complete the purchase.
- The recipient's library will show which books are gifts and which they purchased themselves, but they have full reading access to both.
How to send a Kindle book directly to someone
Start on Amazon.com and search for the Kindle book you want to give. Click on the title to open the product page. Look for the button that says Give as a Gift — it appears near the price, usually below the main Buy Now button. Click it.
A window will open asking for the recipient's email address and a personal message. Type in the email address they use for their Amazon account — this is the address where they log in, not necessarily their primary email. Add a message if you want; Amazon will include it in the notification they send. Then choose the delivery date. You can send it when ready or schedule it for a future date, which is useful for birthdays or holidays.
Review the price and click Complete Purchase. Amazon will charge your payment method on file. The recipient will receive an email from Amazon with the book title, your message, and a link to accept the gift. They click the link, confirm they want to accept it, and the book appears in their Kindle library within seconds.
What happens if the recipient's email address is wrong
If you enter an email address that is not connected to an Amazon account, the gift will fail and Amazon will refund your money automatically. The recipient won't receive anything. Before you buy, double-check the email address — ask the person directly if you are not certain.
If the email address is correct but the person has not created an Amazon account yet, they can still accept the gift. The email from Amazon will guide them through creating a free account, and the book will be added once they do. They do not need to pay anything or provide a payment method to receive a gifted book.
Buying a Kindle gift card instead
Go to Amazon.com and search for Kindle Gift Card. You'll see options for email delivery or a physical card that arrives by mail. For email delivery, choose your amount (Amazon offers preset amounts from $10 to $500, or you can enter a custom amount), enter the recipient's email address, and add a message. Amazon sends the card code by email, and the recipient can use it when ready to buy any Kindle book, magazine, or newspaper.
Physical Kindle gift cards work the same way but arrive as a printed card in the mail, which takes several days. This option is better if you want to give the card in person or include it with another gift. The recipient scratches off a panel to reveal the code, then enters it on their Amazon account to add the balance.
Gift cards never expire, so there's no rush for the recipient to use them. The balance stays on their account until they spend it. If they buy a book that costs less than the card balance, the remaining amount stays available for future purchases.
Restrictions and things to know about gifted Kindle books
Once you purchase a Kindle book as a gift, you cannot return it or change your mind — the transaction is final. Make sure you have the correct title and that it's available in Kindle format before you buy. Some books, particularly older titles or those from certain publishers, may not be available as Kindle editions.
The recipient can read the gifted book on any device where they use their Amazon account: a Kindle e-reader, a phone or tablet with the Kindle app, or through Amazon's web reader. They can also lend the book to another person for 14 days if the publisher allows it — not all publishers permit lending, and you'll see a note on the product page if lending is blocked.
Gifted books appear in the recipient's library with a small gift icon next to the title, so they can see which books were gifts and which they bought themselves. This doesn't affect how they read the book — it's purely informational.
Sending a gift to someone without an Amazon account
If the person you want to give a book to doesn't have an Amazon account yet, a Kindle gift card is your better option. You can send the code by email, and they can create their account and use the card when ready. With a direct book gift, they would need to set up an account first before they can accept it.
If you want to send a specific book to someone who doesn't have an account, you can still use the Give as a Gift option — just send it to an email address they can access. When they receive the notification, the email will include instructions for creating an Amazon account. Once they do, the book will be waiting in their library.
Troubleshooting common problems
If the recipient says they didn't receive the gift notification, ask them to check their spam or promotions folder — sometimes the email gets filtered. They can also log into their Amazon account and check their library directly; the book may have been added even if they didn't see the email. If it's not there, the email address was likely incorrect, and you can contact Amazon to request a refund.
If you bought a gift card and the recipient can't redeem it, make sure they're entering the code on the correct Amazon website. A gift card purchased on Amazon.com only works on Amazon.com, not on Amazon.co.uk or other regional sites. The code should be entered in their account settings under Gift Cards, not at checkout.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I gift a Kindle book to someone in another country?
You can send a gift to any email address, but the recipient must have an Amazon account on the same regional site where you made the purchase. If you bought from Amazon.com, they need an Amazon.com account. If they're in the UK, they would need an Amazon.co.uk account. Kindle books purchased on one regional site cannot be read on another.
What if I buy a Kindle book as a gift and the person already owns it?
Kindle books cannot be duplicated in a library — if the recipient already owns the title, the gift will fail and you'll receive a refund. Amazon checks this automatically before processing the gift. If you're unsure whether they own it, a gift card is a safer choice.
Can I gift a Kindle book to myself?
No, Amazon's system prevents you from sending a gift to your own email address. If you want to buy a Kindle book for yourself, use the regular Buy Now button instead of the gift option.
Do gifted Kindle books count toward my Amazon Prime reading benefits?
Gifted books are treated the same as any other Kindle book in your library — they're not part of Prime Reading or Kindle Unlimited. Those services have their own separate catalogs, and you access them through your Prime membership or Kindle Unlimited subscription, not through gifted books.
Can I gift a Kindle magazine or newspaper subscription?
You cannot gift a subscription, but you can gift a single issue of a magazine or newspaper using the same Give as a Gift button. The recipient receives that one issue, but they don't automatically get future issues unless they purchase a subscription themselves.