If you’ve spent any time scrolling the Apex Legends in-game store, you’ve probably stumbled on a skin your best friend has been begging for for months. If you have extra Apex Coins sitting in your account, the first question that pops into your head is likely can you send gifts in Apex Legends, and if so, how hard is the process? Gifting is one of the most requested features in live service games, and Respawn has rolled out a fully functional system for Apex players, but it comes with a long list of rules and limits you need to know before you try to send anything. I’ve messed up my fair share of gifting attempts over the years, so I’ve put together all the info you need to avoid wasting your coins or running into unexpected errors.
Can You Send Gifts in Apex Legends? Official Gifting Eligibility Rules
The short answer is yes, you can absolutely send gifts to other players in Apex Legends, but you won’t be able to use the feature unless you meet all of Respawn’s official eligibility requirements. These rules aren’t arbitrary—they’re designed to cut down on account hacking, fraud, and unauthorized item reselling, so you won’t be able to bypass any of them even if you contact support.
First, you and the recipient must be EA friends for at least 14 days before you can send any gifts. I learned this the hard way when I tried to send my little cousin a Wraith skin a few days after he made his account. I added him as a friend the same day he downloaded the game, and the gifting option was grayed out until we hit the two week mark. There’s no workaround for this rule, so if you’re planning to gift something for a friend’s birthday, make sure you add them well in advance.
Second, your account must be at least level 10 to access the gifting feature. This stops bad actors from making hundreds of throwaway accounts to exploit promotional coin offers and send gifts to their main accounts. You can level up fast by playing a few matches of Team Deathmatch or Battle Royale, so this is a pretty easy threshold to hit if you’re a regular player.
Third, both your account and the recipient’s account must be in good standing with EA. If you have an active ban, trade restriction, or mute on your account, you won’t be able to send or receive gifts. This also applies to accounts that have previously been penalized for fraudulent purchases, so if you’ve ever had Apex Coins reversed for a chargeback, you may lose access to gifting entirely.
Cross-platform gifting works across all supported platforms, so you don’t have to worry if your friend plays on Xbox and you’re on PC. As long as you’re connected as EA friends, you can send gifts regardless of what device each of you uses.
What Items Can You Gift to Other Apex Legends Players?
Not every item in the Apex store is eligible for gifting, and there are hard limits on what you can and can’t send to other players. Respawn restricts certain items to prevent secondary market sales and protect the in-game economy, so don’t expect to be able to send every rare item you have in your inventory.
You can only gift items that you purchase directly from the in-game store at the time of gifting. You cannot send items you already own in your inventory, so you can’t pass along that duplicate legendary skin you got from a loot box. All gifts are bought with Apex Coins at the current store price, and sent directly to the recipient without ever touching your inventory.
Eligible gifting items include:
- Legend and weapon skins of all rarity tiers, including limited-time event exclusives
- Battle passes for the current active season
- Cosmetic items like banner frames, emotes, finishers, and weapon charms
- Official themed bundles available in the in-game store
- Recolors of existing cosmetics that are sold for Apex Coins
There are also a few items you’ll never be able to gift, no matter how long you’ve been friends with another player. You can’t send Apex Coins directly, Crafting Metals, Heirloom Shards, or battle pass levels. You also can’t gift items that were earned through gameplay challenges, battle pass rewards, or promotional giveaways, even if they’re available in the store for other players to buy.
Most limited-time event skins are eligible for gifting as long as they’re listed in the store for Apex Coins. If an item is only available for event tokens or Crafting Metals, you won’t see the gifting option appear on its store page.
Step-by-Step Process to Send Gifts in Apex Legends
Sending a gift is pretty straightforward once you meet all the eligibility requirements, but there are a few small steps that are easy to miss if you’ve never used the feature before. I’ve walked through this process dozens of times, so I’ll break it down to make sure you don’t waste your coins.
First, open the in-game store and navigate to the item you want to send. Look for the small gift box icon next to the purchase button—if you don’t see this icon, the item isn’t eligible for gifting, or you don’t meet the requirements to send gifts. Click the gift icon instead of the regular purchase button to move to the next step.
Next, you’ll see a list of all your EA friends who are eligible to receive the gift. Friends who haven’t been on your list for 14 days, or who have account restrictions, won’t appear on this list, so if you don’t see the person you’re looking for, double check that you’ve been friends for the full two week window. Select the friend you want to send the item to, and you’ll be given the option to add a short custom message to go with the gift.
Finally, confirm the purchase. The cost of the item will be deducted from your Apex Coin balance immediately, and the gift will be sent to the recipient’s in-game inbox. Gifts cannot be refunded under any circumstances, even if the recipient already owns the item you sent, or you change your mind after clicking purchase. I’ve made this mistake before, so I always shoot my friend a quick text before I send a skin to make sure they don’t already have it in their collection.
There’s a daily limit of 5 gifts per account, so you can’t send more than 5 items in a 24 hour period. This limit resets at midnight UTC, so if you hit the cap, you’ll have to wait until the next day to send more gifts. Cross-platform gifting works without any extra steps, so you don’t have to adjust any settings to send a gift to a friend on a different console or PC.
Common Gifting Issues and How to Fix Them
Even if you follow all the rules, you might run into a few common issues when trying to send gifts in Apex Legends. Most of these problems have simple fixes, but some require you to wait or reach out to support if they don’t resolve on their own.
The most common issue is the gifting icon being grayed out on eligible items. If this happens, first check your account level to make sure you’re at least level 10. If you are, double check that you’ve been friends with the recipient for at least 14 days. If both of those boxes are checked, the issue is likely an account restriction on either your account or the recipient’s account. You can check for active penalties by logging into your EA account on the official website.
Another common issue is a gift not showing up in the recipient’s inbox after you send it. Most gifts arrive within a few minutes, but server delays can sometimes make them take up to 24 hours to appear. If it’s been more than 24 hours and the gift still hasn’t arrived, you can contact EA support with your purchase receipt to get the issue resolved.
Never use third-party gifting services that offer discounted skins or gifts for prices lower than the in-game store. These services almost always use stolen credit cards or hacked accounts to purchase gifts, and if you receive a gift from one of these services, your account can be banned or suspended, and the item will be removed from your inventory. I have a friend who tried to save a few dollars on a Heirloom bundle from a third-party site, and he ended up with a 7 day account ban and no bundle to show for it. It’s just not worth the risk.
If you’re trying to send a battle pass and the option isn’t appearing, it’s almost always because the recipient already owns the current season’s battle pass. You can’t send a duplicate battle pass, so you’ll have to pick a different item to gift if they already bought it themselves.
Gifting is a great way to surprise your friends with their favorite skins or help a new player get started with a battle pass, and now you have a clear answer to can you send gifts in Apex Legends. As long as you follow the eligibility rules, double check that your recipient doesn’t already own the item you’re sending, and stick to the official in-game gifting system, you won’t run into any issues. Next time you see a skin your friend has been raving about in the store, you know exactly what to do to make their day.