Gift codes on streaming services do something a card does not, and it is the main reason to buy them this way beyond simply paying in crypto.
Credit that stops, rather than a subscription that renews
A gift code adds a fixed amount of credit to an account. When the credit runs out, the subscription stops. There is no card to charge, no automatic renewal, and no cancellation flow to navigate at two in the morning in six months' time.
For a service you are trying out, or one you watch seasonally, that is strictly better than a card. It is also the right answer for a household account you would rather not attach a personal card to.
Redeem on the website, not in the app
This catches people constantly. Most of these codes are redeemed on the service's own website rather than inside its mobile app, because Apple and Google take a cut of in-app purchases and the apps therefore often will not accept a code at all.
Netflix: netflix.com/redeem. Spotify: spotify.com/redeem. YouTube and Disney+ similarly on their own sites. Open a browser, not the app.
What we carry and what the fees are
Netflix from $25, 7%. Spotify from $10, 7% — note Spotify codes are sold in monthly increments in some markets rather than as free-form credit. YouTube Premium from $25, 7%. Disney+ from $25, 7%. HBO Max from $25, 7%. Crunchyroll from $25, 8%. Audible from $15, 7%.
Region, as ever
Streaming gift codes are locked to the country the subscription is billed in. A US Netflix code will not apply to an account billed in Germany. Check the account's billing country, not where you are watching from.
This is also worth noting if you use a VPN with a streaming service: the billing country is what matters, not the country you appear to be in.
If you already have a card on the account
Redeeming a code generally does not remove the card — it adds credit that is consumed first, and the card resumes being charged when the credit runs out. If the point of this is to get off the card entirely, remove the card from the account after redeeming.
Paying
Bitcoin, Monero, USDT, Ethereum, Solana and around forty others. On a $25 card, network fees matter: USDT on Tron costs cents, where an Ethereum transfer can be several dollars and Bitcoin's fee varies with congestion. The checkout greys out any coin whose swap minimum sits above your order's value.
The code is released automatically the moment the deposit confirms, so a Tron or Solana payment is a couple of minutes end to end.