Why gift an Ancestry® membership?
Gift memberships add extra value to the Ancestry experience, by giving your loved ones access to records and hints that bring their family stories to life. It's a thoughtful way to share the joy of discovery and help them connect with their family history. Best of all, they won't need to enter any payment information—it's truly a gift.
Gift membership options
Different memberships provide different levels of access to the records on Ancestry®. Gift memberships are available in 6 and 12-month durations* for the following Ancestry memberships:
*Gift memberships don't automatically renew.
Important:
- Gift memberships don't include AncestryDNA® kits.
- Memberships that include AncestryDNA kits can't be gifted or transferred between accounts.
If you’d like to give both an Ancestry membership and an AncestryDNA kit, they must be purchased separately. For help purchasing an AncestryDNA kit as a gift, read Gifting a DNA Kit.
Purchasing a gift membership
To purchase a gift membership, you must have an Ancestry account. If you don’t have one, you can easily create a free Ancestry account.
- In the top-right corner, click your profile icon and select Gift Memberships.
- Choose a membership and click Gift now.
- Enter the recipient’s email address (this can’t be changed after purchase).
- Set the membership’s start date (it must be within 90 days).
- (Optional) Add a gift message for the recipient.
- Click Save gift options.
- Enter, review or change your payment information.
- To change it, select Edit, enter your new payment information, then click Proceed to checkout.
- Click Place order to complete your purchase.
We’ll send you an email confirming your purchase.
On the start date you selected, we’ll send the recipient an email notifying them of your gift, along with instructions on how to activate their membership. Printable cards are also available for you to give to the recipient.
Gift a membership
What you need to know
Gift memberships can be purchased for anyone, whether or not they have an Ancestry account or membership. However, they must be purchased within 90 days of the desired start date. If the recipient's current membership ends more than 90 days from now, wait until closer to their membership’s expiration date to purchase.
When purchasing a gift membership, you don’t need the recipient’s Ancestry account information, but you should have the following details:
- The recipient’s email address (this can’t be changed after purchase)
- The desired start date for the membership to begin (must be within 90 days of purchase)
- The end date of the recipient’s current membership (if applicable)
How it works
When you purchase a gift membership, you select a start date. On that date, we'll send the recipient an email notifying them of the gift and inviting them to activate their membership. The gift membership starts on your chosen start date, regardless of when it’s activated. For example, if you choose January 1st as the start date of an annual membership and the recipient activates it on January 10th, the membership will run from January 10th until January 1st of the following year.
Frequently asked questions
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Can I buy myself a gift membership?
Yes, you can! Just enter your email address in the recipient email field.
Do I need to create an account for the person I’m purchasing the membership for?
No, you only need the recipient's email address. The recipient can create a free account or sign in when they’re ready to activate the membership.
When creating an account to buy a gift membership, whose information should I use?
When creating an account to purchase a gift membership, enter your information. The recipient will create an account or sign in to activate the gift membership later.
How do I change the start date of a gift membership?
To change the start date of a gift membership, please contact us.
Can I make monthly payments for gift memberships?
No, gift memberships must be paid in full at the time of purchase.
How do I renew a gift membership?
Gift memberships can't be renewed. Once the gift membership expires, a new membership can be purchased if the recipient wants to continue their research.
If I buy an AncestryDNA® kit, can I purchase a gift membership later?
Yes, gift memberships can be purchased at any time.
What should I do if I get an error when buying a gift membership?
Errors can happen for many reasons. For help with this, read Fixing Page or Button Problems on Ancestry.
Are refunds available for gift memberships?
Gift memberships are refundable within the first 30 days of purchase as long as the membership has not been activated. Refunds can only be processed on the purchaser’s account, recipients are not eligible for a refund.
