Impatiently awaiting the arrival of Play Store Gift Cards

For the last week or so, I've found myself out of "Google dollars". By that I mean the prepaid credit card that I use to make all sorts of purchases through Google Wallet has ran dry, and by time I finally have the opportunity to go down to the local post office (the only place my card can be recharged), it's closed.

Obviously it's easier to just link Google Wallet with my bank account, but in my standard paranoia over things pertaining to my own money, the precaution of using a secondary card is my only other option for the moment. I don't use the card for anything else. PayPal is my go-to for online shopping, and I actually feel protected using that channel (even though it's likely not as safe as I think).

The point I'm getting at is the reason why we need the Play Store gift card soon, and globally for that matter. Yes, you'll have to buy a new one every time you run out, but it's more convenient to go to a number of stores that are still open after 5pm as well as weekends than it is to deal with the local post office. You'll also be reminded of your remaining balance in the app, as opposed to being notified by SMS when you have $2.00 left while you're in the middle of an app spending spree. Some parts of the world don't even offer prepaid credit cards - I can't begin to imagine how far behind I'd feel if I wasn't able to get hold of paid-only apps. True, one can sideload apps or download them by a more illegal means, but then you have potential malware to deal with, and that's the last thing I want to worry about. Also, you're not giving developers the credit and effort they deserve buy purchasing their app.

I buy all my apps, and if a dev offers a free full version on XDA for instance, I'll try it before I buy. We're a community here, and we should be supporting each other regardless of whether we make apps or use them. Google aren't making it easy for that to happen however, and the process of distributing these gift cards should be put on one of the priority lists at each Google office around the world.