Redeem your VSUB.

Claim your drop

Both platforms start the same way: claim the drop in your dashboard, and the gift card lands in your inbox.

1. Open your VSUB page and pick YouTube or Twitch.
2. Hit redeem. Our rewards partner, Tremendous, emails your gift card to the address on your account within a few minutes.
3. Open the email, follow the link, and copy your gift card code: the long string of letters and numbers, not the PIN or serial number.

No email? Check spam and promotions, then hit resend on the VSUB card. And claim each drop before your next cycle starts, drops don't carry over. The full rules live in How VSUBs work.

YouTube Premium

For YouTube Premium, your VSUB is a Google Play gift card that pays for your membership. Two parts left: add the code to your Google Play balance, then tell YouTube to bill from that balance. Google won't do either for you, which is exactly why this guide exists.

On iPhone? Do every step in Safari. It all works in any web browser, no Play Store app needed. Just don't sign up for Premium inside the YouTube app on iPhone: that routes your billing through Apple, and your gift card can never pay an Apple-billed membership.

Add the code to your Google Play balance

1. Go to play.google.com/redeem and sign in to the same Google account that pays for YouTube Premium. This is the part that trips people up: a balance sitting on a different account can't cover your membership.
2. Enter your gift code and select Redeem. The value is added to your Google Play balance, and you'll see the amount confirmed on screen.

The reward page may offer to save your gift card to Google Wallet. Skip that. It only stores a copy of the card, it doesn't redeem anything, and the Wallet app is Android-only anyway. All you need is the code.

Pay for Premium with your balance

Your balance won't apply itself, you have to tell YouTube to use it. Signing up fresh:

1. Go to youtube.com/premium, signed in to the same Google account you redeemed the code on, and pick your plan.
2. On the Complete your purchase screen, tap the payment method row (it may show a saved card) and choose Google Play balance. Don't see it? Make sure you redeemed the code on this account, then close and reopen the checkout.
3. Select Start membership. Keep a card on file as your backup: if a renewal ever costs more than your remaining balance, only the difference is charged to the card, so your membership never lapses.

Already have Premium, billed by Google? Go to payments.google.com, find your YouTube Premium membership, select Manage, then under How you pay change the payment method to Google Play balance.

Billed through Apple or another third party? Your Play balance can't pay that membership. Cancel it where you're billed (on iPhone: Settings, your name, Subscriptions), let the paid period run out, then resubscribe with the steps above.

That's it. From now on, Premium renews from your Google Play balance automatically, and the membership lives on your Google account, not your device: the YouTube app on any phone or TV picks it up. Come back next cycle, redeem your next VSUB, top the balance up again.

Twitch

For Twitch, your VSUB is a Twitch gift card. Twitch stores it as a balance in your Wallet, so you can put it toward any channel, and whatever's left stays on your account. This one's refreshingly simple.

1. Go to twitch.tv/redeem and sign in.
2. Enter your code and select Redeem. If Twitch asks for two-factor authentication, turn it on under Settings, Security and Privacy, then come back and redeem again.
3. Done. The value now sits in your Wallet as a Gift Card Balance, check it anytime from your profile picture menu.

To spend it, go to your favorite channel on the twitch.tv website (desktop or mobile browser) and select Subscribe. Your balance is applied automatically at checkout. Already subscribed with a card, PayPal, or Amazon Pay? Twitch uses your Gift Card Balance at the next renewal, nothing to change.

The balance can't be spent inside the iOS or Android apps, so buy on the website. Everything you buy with it works across all your devices.

Good to know

• Gift cards are issued in US dollars and redeem on US accounts.
• Your Google Play balance isn't locked to YouTube: it works for any Premium plan sold through Google, plus apps, games, and anything else on Google Play.
• Your Twitch balance covers channel subs, gift subs, Bits, and Twitch Turbo, and it doesn't expire while your account is active.
• On either platform, if a purchase costs more than your balance, only the difference goes to your saved payment method.