The Best Gifts You Can Send With a Text Message

Whether you forgot to get someone a gift, want your gift to be waste-free, or just kind of hate wrapping presents, we’ve got you covered with some fabulous digital gifts. You can send all of these gifts virtually, by email, text, Facebook Messenger, Slack, WhatsApp, or any other messaging platform of your choice.

Update, 12/20/22: Checked content for accuracy, product availability, and dead links.

Although some messaging platforms may require a quick copy and paste of an original email, you can still send a message through that platform nonetheless. And no matter what your reasoning for wanting a digital gift for someone this year, going virtual is so much more hassle-free than finding and wrapping physical gifts.

Subscriptions

There’s nothing better than a gift that keeps on giving, and that’s precisely what gifting someone a subscription does. Some of these subscriptions give three months’ worth of stuff, while others are for the entire year. But regardless, the person who gets any of these subscriptions will be thinking of you for months after the holiday season.

Inspire a Calmer Life: Headspace Subscription

A Headspace subscription is a perfect remedy for any overly stressed person. And these days, aren’t we all stressed? With a subscription, you’ll be able to watch videos, listen to meditations and helpful therapy sessions, and learn to incorporate mindfulness into your daily life. There’s a monthly subscription option, or you can pay for an entire year upfront and save quite a bit of money.

If you have a Netflix subscription and want a teaser of what Headspace has to offer, there are quite a few different specials you can stream, including Guide to Meditation and Guide to Sleep.

Learn a New Language: Babbel Subscription

If you know someone who’s fascinated with different languages, give them the gift of a lifetime subscription to Babbel’s language learning software. Although you can gift monthly or yearly subscriptions, these are only good for a single language. If you opt to gift someone a lifetime subscription, however, that’ll give them access to every single language Babbel offers, so they can keep learning after they master each language.

You can learn via the website or Babbel’s handy smartphone app (Android/iOS). And the amount you learn every day is entirely up to you. You can take on one short lesson every day or challenge yourself with much longer sessions.

Build Your Video Game Collection: Humble Choice

A video game streaming service is a fantastic way to keep new games in your rotation, but the downside is that you don’t own those games forever. However, with a Humble Choice subscription, you get to choose games to own (yes, 100% yours!) from a curated monthly collection from Humble. Every month, Humble curates 12 games and, depending on which subscription tier you go for, you get to choose three to nine games to keep forever. (And if you end up wanting more games in the collection, you can always buy them separately!)

E-books Galore: Kindle Unlimited Subscription

For the person who seems like they’re on a new book every time you see them, a Kindle Unlimited subscription is a must. With this subscription, you’ll gain access to over one million titles, including books from famous, best-selling authors as well as more niche, indie authors. You’ll also get unlimited audiobooks, which adds Audible narration.

You can view your Kindle content on the Kindle app (Android/iOS). Or, if you want to give them the whole Kindle experience, you can always buy them a Kindle Paperwhite.

Listen to All the Books You Want: Audible Subscription

Although there’s something therapeutic about sitting down to read a book (whether physical or digital), not everyone has the time to enjoy books that way. An Audible subscription lets people keep up with their favorite authors and series in a more mobile way. They can listen to a chapter while driving to work, doing laundry, or winding down with their eyes closed at the end of the night.

With an Audible subscription, you get one credit every month that goes towards a book you want to add to your collection. If you find yourself wanting more books before the month is over, you can always buy additional books outside of your membership and add them to your Audible account.

Affordable Groceries, Please: Thrive Market Subscription

Thrive Market is like Costco, but wholly online and healthier and more sustainable products. They’ve got the goods for all types of diets, including vegan, gluten-free, paleo, keto, and more. And even if you don’t follow any specific diet, many of these products are simply organic and made with the best ingredients but don’t adhere to a particular diet.

You can gift an entire year’s subscription for $59.95 and even add on some extra shopping credit if you’re feeling generous. Plus, throughout the year, Thrive Market often gives its members free gifts with a certain purchase amount. So every time your recipient gets a free gift over the next year, they’ll think of you!

Fun Learning for Kids: CodeSpark Academy Subscription

There are plenty of digital gift cards and subscriptions for adults, but not much specifically for kids. Luckily, CodeSpark Academy has your kiddos covered! This educational subscription service is a superb way for kids to learn basic coding concepts while having fun at the same time. New content is released every month for your five- to nine-year-old kid, including puzzles to solve and games or stories to create.

Learn Everything from the Masters: MasterClass Subscription

A MasterClass subscription is the best way to get real-life advice from the most successful people in their respective industries. Although you might’ve seen a few advertised classes taught by famous actors or musicians, MasterClass has much more to offer. In addition to the Music and Arts & Entertainment categories, MasterClass also offers classes in Business, Writing, Food, Science & Tech, Wellness, and more.

Gift Cards

A gift card is a classic holiday present for a reason. You get to take the easy way out and give someone money but present it in the form of a gift card that says you know what they like to do with their free time. It’s a win-win!

Feed the Travel Bug: A Travel Related Gift Card

Getting out of the house, especially after the holidays, is always a nice change to your daily routine. And when someone gives you a gift card that helps your vacation become a reality, that’s even more incentive to start planning your next getaway.

• Hotels.com: For those who need a hotel with fresh bedsheets and wonderful amenities in order to have a relaxing vacation, Hotels.com can find the perfect place for you. Plus, for every ten days you book with Hotels.com, you get one night free! You can also book more than just a hotel through Hotels.com, too, like a flight or a car rental.
• Airbnb: If you like to travel somewhere but prefer to have a working kitchen and a ton of space to roam, Airbnb can make that happen. You can browse available apartments, condos, and houses to find the perfect relaxation destination. And what’s fantastic about Airbnb is that you can see what other people have rated the place to know if it’s too good to be true or actually a great find.
• FlightGift: You can also contribute to the cost of someone’s vacation flight and customize the denomination to fit your budget. With over 300 international airlines and over 980 destinations to choose from, your gift recipient will have no issue finding inspiration for their next vacation.

For Movie Lovers: Fandango Gift Card

Although we can watch movies at home, there are elements of the movie theater experience that you just can’t replicate anywhere else. With a Fandango gift card, you can give someone that classic movie experience, possibly many times over, depending on how much money you put on the gift card. You can add as little as $25 or as much as $100.

Stream Your Favorites: Video Streaming Subscription Gift Cards

Few people are paying for actual cable TV these days, but everyone still wants to get their fill of engaging TV shows and movies. That’s where streaming video services come in, letting you pick and choose which ones you want to give your money to.

• Netflix: This is the OG streaming service, and the one that most people probably already have. But even if someone already has Netflix, you can still give them a gift card that they can use toward their active subscription. And if someone doesn’t have Netflix yet, then you get to be that legendary person that opens their world to all the outstanding Netflix originals like Stranger Things, The Witcher, and Orange Is the New Black.
• Hulu: Home to originals like The Handmaid’s Tale, The Great, and Solar Opposites, Hulu is another strong contender in the world of video streaming. If you give someone a $100 Hulu gift card, you’re giving them a year’s worth of Hulu and then some if they choose the ad-supported subscription. If they want the premium, no-ad version, you’re still covering about two-thirds of their annual Hulu subscription.
• Disney+: While you can’t purchase a Disney+ gift card, per se, you can buy a gift subscription card for $79.99, which gives someone a full year’s access to everything Disney+ has to offer. There’s a catch, though. You can only gift a year of Disney+ to someone who doesn’t already have an account or pay for the service. If they’re an existing subscriber, this gift subscription card unfortunately won’t do a thing for them.
• Sling TV: If you miss the novelty of live TV and watching your favorite shows week after week, Sling TV is here to fill that void. It’s the first app-based TV service that lets you watch both live TV content and on-demand content, all for a fraction of the price of traditional cable. On a Sling TV gift card, you can put anywhere between $25 and $100.

For Concert Goers: StubHub Gift Card

A StubHub gift card is the best present for anyone who loves going to concerts in person. If you gifted someone money, they probably would’ve put it toward something practical like debt or a new vacuum cleaner. But by giving them a StubHub gift card, you’re making them spend it on something they actually love: seeing their favorite artists play their hits in person amongst their fellow fans.

For the Foodie (So … Everyone): Food Delivery or Restaurant Gift Card

If we can get something delivered for a fairly reasonable price, we probably will. And if we can get food delivered for free because someone gave us a gift card to a food delivery service, then it’s pretty much a no-brainer and we’re very happy, full people. Just remember to tip your delivery drivers well!

• Uber Eats: The biggest perk of an Uber Eats gift card is that you can also use it to book an Uber ride since Uber Eats is a subsidiary of (you guessed it) Uber. You can purchase denominations anywhere between $25 and $200.
• DoorDash: One of the original food delivery services, DoorDash has nearly perfected its system and frequently offers promotions to both first-time and long-time users. Plus, DoorDash also delivers from more than just restaurants—you can also have goods delivered from grocery stores, gas stations, and 24-hour pharmacy places, like CVS or Walgreens.
• GrubHub: Like Uber Eats and DoorDash, GrubHub offers a sweet monthly subscription service with perks like free delivery. Other than GrubHub+, another perk to GrubHub’s service is the choice of restaurants. Sometimes, you’ll find certain local restaurants in GrubHub’s app that you can’t find in Uber Eats or DoorDash.

Give the Gift of Music: Spotify Premium

Although there are multiple music streaming subscriptions to choose from, Spotify Premium is up there as one of the best. You can stream all your new favorites, old classics, and even find quite a few exciting podcasts to stream. This $60 Spotify gift card will give someone about six months’ worth of Spotify. And if someone is already a Spotify Premium subscriber, they can still apply the gift card to their existing account!

Endless Video Games: Video Game Streaming Subscription Gift Card

If you know someone who’s constantly churning through video games, a video game streaming service is the perfect gift. With access to one of these, the gamer in your life will have even more titles at the ready, which will keep them happy and entertained all year long.

• Xbox Game Pass Ultimate: This is the perfect game streaming service for PC and Xbox console gamers. For three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, it costs $44.99. And you’ll gain access to over 100 classic titles, including new games as soon as they’re released.
• PlayStation Plus: For the PlayStation gamer, there’s no better choice for a streaming service than PS Plus. For an entire year, it only costs $69.50. There are hundreds of games, some you can download and some you can stream, including older PS2 and PS3 games. If you have a computer, you can access PS Now games there too and pick up right where you left off in-game on your PlayStation console.

A Gift Everyone Would Appreciate: Amazon Gift Card

You really can’t go wrong by giving someone an Amazon gift card. People can buy what they need, want, or didn’t even know existed until Amazon showed it to them. There’s a plethora of useful items on Amazon—as well as many that are just for fun—and that luxury of just having it show up at your door in a timely manner can’t be beat.

Unique Holiday Gifts

If you don’t want to give something with as much of a time commitment as a subscription or as simple as a gift card, one of these fun alternatives are sure to put a smile on anyone’s face.

Games Everyone Can Play: Jackbox Party Pack 3

The Jackbox Party Pack series has the perfect games to play with friends and family, whether you’ve got a small party of four or a huge crowd of 20. And although all eight versions of Jackbox Party Packs are pretty awesome, Jackbox Party Pack 3 is easily one of the best. It comes with five different hits: Trivia Murder Party, Quiplash 2, Guesspionage, Tee K.O., and Fakin’ It.

You can play with up to eight players at a time, and all each player needs is a web browser (usually via smartphone). Since most people always have their phone on them, you’re all set with “controllers.” If you have more than eight people at a party, they can still be a part of the game as the participatory “audience” by voting on the best answers and partaking in copious amounts of laughter at all the craziness.

Become an Expert Chef: Udemy Cooking Classes

Udemy has a wide variety of courses to choose from, but its cooking courses are among our favorites for both novices and more skilled cooks. When you browse through Udemy’s website, you can click on a course to see how many hours it’ll take, the number of lessons, the skill level required, and even what other people have thought of the course. There are so many classes, some that cover the fundamentals of cooking and some that cover more niche topics like how to make tamales.

For the Person With a Sweet Tooth: A Sugarwish Treat

Whether someone has a sweet tooth or more of a craving for savory snacks, Sugarwish will no doubt have something tasty for them. Sugarwish has six categories, including candy, cookies, popcorn, snacks, coffee & tea, and even dog treats (so cute!). Once you select a category, you can choose from a few different packages, which only range in price and the number of tasty treats your recipient gets to choose from.

Or, you can also choose The Select category, which means that your recipient gets to choose their category when they redeem the gift code. The most affordable Sugarwish package starts at $22, but if you really want to spoil someone, you can spend up to $77.