Valve updated a help article recently, noting that they will no longer be supplying physical Steam gift cards due to scammers.
Since 2012, you could go into certain stores and pick up a Steam Wallet gift card, which could then be used to redeem the code and add funds directly into your Steam account for use later. They did make quite nice gifts for people, but sadly once the current stock is gone, Valve will not be supplying retailers with any more. Valve continues to offer the digital version, so you can still e-send someone a gift card for use on Steam, just no physical cards when they're all used up.
As spotted by SteamDB, the help page now notes:
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.Can I purchase Steam Gift Cards at retailers?
Yes, but only for a limited time.
We introduced Steam Gift Cards to retail stores back in 2012, and added the digital program in 2017. Unfortunately, scammers use gift cards from major brands like Steam to take advantage of all people all over the world.
We’ve responded to gift card scams over the years by taking a number of actions to protect customers, including:
- Working with retailers
- Working with law enforcement
- Making changes to the cards, including adding a prominent scam warning
- Limiting redemption to be in the currency of your Steam wallet
- Limiting availability of cards
- Removing cards from sale when we observed abnormal activity
As we have continued to put more and more restrictions in place, scammers have adapted. They continue to have an impact on Steam customers and other unsuspecting individuals. So we've made the difficult decision to end the Steam Gift Card program at retail stores.
As Steam Gift Cards run out of stock at retail locations, we will not be restocking them. We expect all retailers to be out of stock by the end of 2026. Though we will no longer be selling physical gift cards, you will still have the ability to use your existing gift cards on Steam whenever you choose, subject to local laws.
We also continue to offer Steam Digital Gift Cards, and are working to make this an even better experience. Guest checkout, which we added last year, is another way for family members and friends to gift Steam users with a digital card anytime.
You can learn more about gift card scams here.
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19 comments
How about digital Steam Wallet codes distributed to 3rd party sites?
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Quoting: rea987How about digital Steam Wallet codes distributed to 3rd party sites?The article does note that digital wallet codes will continue to work and will remain available.
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blindcoder 7 hours ago
Oh come ON. The last option to bypass fuckers like Master and Visa policing content on Steam, and OF COURSE they do away with it.
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Man! this hit me just in the face...
Has been years since I use exclusively this pay method... it was so so convenient to me aaaah!
Has been years since I use exclusively this pay method... it was so so convenient to me aaaah!
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That is a real shame. I wish there remained a way to pay cash for this stuff without running it through PayPal or MC/Visa’s middleman practices. Unironically would like a digital currency option in my country.
All that being said, I haven’t bothered to do so for at least 8 years so I suppose the joke is on me when it comes to enabling it.
Steam says it’s to combat fraud but I personally have never heard gift card scams related to Steam cards compared to many other companies (Apple being the biggest one).
All that being said, I haven’t bothered to do so for at least 8 years so I suppose the joke is on me when it comes to enabling it.
Steam says it’s to combat fraud but I personally have never heard gift card scams related to Steam cards compared to many other companies (Apple being the biggest one).
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Quoting: blindcoderOh come ON. The last option to bypass fuckers like Master and Visa policing content on Steam, and OF COURSE they do away with it.Fortunately in my country we have Pix, so you can use the money from the bank directly without giving money to Visa/MC.
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Unfortunately, like so many things, this is going to disproportionately affect people who aren't able to get a payment method that works online. Scammers will just move onto the next gift card, there's literally thousands to choose from, but a lot of people who depend on physical gift cards to be able to buy games at all are getting left out in the cold.
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Quoting: HippohopThat is a real shame. I wish there remained a way to pay cash for this stuff without running it through PayPal or MC/Visa’s middleman practices. Unironically would like a digital currency option in my country.It does happen. I used to work in electronics retail and Steam cards were a common target of scammers because they are so easy to resell/launder.
All that being said, I haven’t bothered to do so for at least 8 years so I suppose the joke is on me when it comes to enabling it.
Steam says it’s to combat fraud but I personally have never heard gift card scams related to Steam cards compared to many other companies (Apple being the biggest one).
That still doesn't mean that scammers won't just move on to another gift card, they will. But the observation that Steam cards are frequently involved in scams is valid.
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blindcoder 4 hours ago
Quoting: RonDamonOnly Klarna (which requires FULL ACCESS to your bank account if you use it) and PayPal for me. Both obviously no-go.Quoting: blindcoderOh come ON. The last option to bypass fuckers like Master and Visa policing content on Steam, and OF COURSE they do away with it.Fortunately in my country we have Pix, so you can use the money from the bank directly without giving money to Visa/MC.
I _guess_ there's Paysafecard left now...
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PlayingOnLinuxphone 4 hours ago
We should push GNU-Taler to the game stores. It would be an anonymous way to pay while also secure and implemented in a way where companies cannot hide the payment for tax reasons. It is the most close thing you can have to a digital cash and fully free(dom) software.
Really, we need this as a way to get power back into hands of us users.
Really, we need this as a way to get power back into hands of us users.
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I’ve made almost all my purchases on Steam (except for the Deck) using gift cards bought with cash… how are we supposed to buy games with cash now?
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This is unfortunate, but I understand. I put Steam gift cards on my Christmas Wishlist every year because it's just so convenient and it's an excuse to tackle some Steam Sales with more games that I don't need 😆
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How exactly will this stop scammers? Yes, they can't use Steam gift cards anymore, but there are a ton of other gift cards they will continue to use. So all this will do is a) harm legitimate users and b) shift the scammers to something else. Not a single person will be scammed less because of this change IMO. Or did I miss something crucial here? Please let me know.
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Quoting: blindcoderOh come ON. The last option to bypass fuckers like Master and Visa policing content on Steam, and OF COURSE they do away with it.There has been a way to bypass those who control and dictate your money since 2009, and it's been perfected since 2014, but most people aren't ready for that conversation yet.
I do feel like with all these recent developments around the world, adapting to these technologies out of necessity is increasingly becoming a reality for a number of people.
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Well that sucks. I wish they'd start accepting Bitcoin again like they used to.
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mr-victory 2 hours ago
You guys have options other than Visa & MasterCard? All I have is Visa, MC and American Express here.
Quoting: PyrateThere has been a way to bypass those who control and dictate your money since 2009, and it's been perfected since 2014, but most people aren't ready for that conversation yet.Can you enlighten me please?
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Quoting: mr-victoryYou guys have options other than Visa & MasterCard? All I have is Visa, MC and American Express here.Depends on your region. On top of the card payments, I've got a bunch of options like Skrill, Trustly, Klarna and PayPal. I don't like any of them but tend to choose Trustly.
Quoting: mr-victoryBitcoin launched in 2009, possibly that? He certainly worded that sentence like a true cryptobro.Quoting: PyrateThere has been a way to bypass those who control and dictate your money since 2009, and it's been perfected since 2014, but most people aren't ready for that conversation yet.Can you enlighten me please?
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Quoting: scaineThe article does note that digital wallet codes will continue to work and will remain available.
We also continue to offer Steam Digital Gift Cards, and are working to make this an even better experience. Guest checkout, which we added last year, is another way for family members and friends to gift Steam users with a digital card anytime.This doesn't clarify the digital cards being sold in 3rd party sites. Since my country of origin is different than my country of residence, same applies to my Steam account, hence I am not able use my debit card with my Steam account. Therefore, I need to use Steam wallet codes sold in 3rd party sides. If that's ending, this will affect me greatly...
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Quoting: blindcoderOh come ON. The last option to bypass fuckers like Master and Visa policing content on Steam, and OF COURSE they do away with it.American Express, Discover, JCB, PayPal, Wero(for european customers), PaysafeCard and Klarna are all still options.
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