Amazon is having a special deal, giving out $5 credits for all goodies in its app store, even the free ones.

Christmas is a time of giving and receiving, and the last weeks of the year usually catch people in a shopping frenzy for all sorts of gadgets and tech goodies. Amazon has proved to be in a very generous mood this holiday season, offering various devices for heavy discounts as part of attractive promotions, and now it's time to cater to its own back yard.

As part of a new limited-time promotion set to expire on Dec. 28, Amazon is now handing out $5 credits to users who get new apps from its app store. The promotion applies to all apps. In other words, interested users can download any Amazon app, even a free one, and get $5 in credit. They can later spend that credit on paid games, apps, and other goodies in the Amazon Appstore.  

As expected, in order to take advantage of this offer one would have to have the company's app store installed on their device. If you don't have it, Amazon offers comprehensive instructions on how to do it at this link. If you already are an Amazon Appstore customer, you need to have the latest version installed in order to qualify for the credit. If you have a slightly older version installed, you should be prompted to upgrade when you open the Appstore. If you don't receive the prompt to update, you can always check for the update manually from Settings > Version and Release Notes.

In the spirit of Christmas, the retailer is also offering "Free apps of the day," in addition to that $5 credit for any download. Amazon started out by offering Piano Master Christmas Special for free, with Angry Birds Star Wars II set to go up next. Keep an eye on the Amazon Appstore each day to see what  new goodies are on offer.

Amazon's "Free apps of the day" is a promotion similar to Apple's "12 Days of Gifts" campaign that kicks off on Dec. 26. For the first time, this year Apple's campaign will be available to U.S. customers as well.