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Re:

How to Gift Money to a Friend on Steam

Steam Wallet funds can’t be transferred between accounts. Give a friend Steam spending value with a digital gift card, or purchase an eligible game as a gift.
From TheFinanceBase Team3 min to read
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You can’t transfer your existing Steam Wallet balance to a friend. To give them Steam spending value, send a digital Steam Gift Card; to pay for a particular game, buy it as a gift through the Steam Store.

Choose between a gift card and a game

Option Best when What to check
Digital Steam Gift Card You want your friend to choose what to buy with Steam spending value. Available payment methods depend on your region and appear at checkout. The card can be redeemed only on Steam.
Specific game as a gift You have a particular title in mind. Confirm your friend does not already own it, the title is giftable, and purchase-region restrictions do not apply.

A Steam Gift Card is not cash: it adds Steam Wallet funds for purchases on Steam, including games, in-game items, software, and hardware. Steam’s Steam Wallet guidance explains the available gift-card route.

How to send a digital Steam Gift Card

  1. Open Steam’s Digital Steam Gift Cards page.
  2. Choose the gift-card amount and select the friend or family member receiving it.
  3. Complete checkout using one of the payment methods shown for your region. Steam says the recipient gets an email and a gift notification on their Steam account after the purchase is completed.

Steam’s gifting instructions say a person without a Steam account can use guest checkout for a Steam Gift Card. The gift card itself can only be redeemed on Steam.

How to gift a specific game

  1. Find the game in the Steam Store and add it to your cart.
  2. Choose “This is a gift,” then select your friend from your Friends List.
  3. Choose immediate delivery or schedule delivery for a later date, then pay. Steam allows scheduling up to 12 months after purchase.

Your friend has 30 days to accept or decline. If they take no action within that period, Steam says the purchase is automatically canceled and refunded. See Steam’s gift instructions for the current process.

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#1 Best Overall
Visa Virtual eGift Card
  • Visa Virtual eGift Cards are designed for online use only. Gift Cards are subject to Terms and Conditions: a.co/5bw3qXJ
  • When you access your Visa Virtual eGift Card for the first time, you’ll need to register your name, address, phone number, and email address via activationspot.com. These details should also be used as your billing address for online purchases, as many merchants require address verification for purchase authorization.
  • This Visa Virtual eGift Card is non-reloadable. No cash or ATM access. Visa Virtual eGift Cards are emailed active.
  • Funds do not expire but your Visa Virtual eGift Card has a ‘valid thru’ date (9 years from date of purchase). If funds remain after this date has passed, please call the Toll Free number found on your Visa Virtual eGift Card for a replacement card. A one-time purchase fee applies at the time of checkout.
  • This item is not eligible for refund, resale, or return. Available for sale within the United States only. Not available to residents of Puerto Rico, Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, West Virginia and the US Virgin Islands.

Why a game gift may not work

  • Regional restrictions: Price differences between purchase regions can prevent a game gift from being sent. Steam displays restrictions on the Store page or during checkout, and the countries affected can change. Steam Support cannot remove these restrictions. Do not use a VPN or proxy to disguise your location: Steam says this violates its terms and may lead to account restrictions. See Steam’s region-restriction guidance.
  • Your friend already owns the game: Steam may gray out a friend who owns the item. Check their library before buying.
  • DLC: Your friend must own the base game before you can gift its downloadable content.
  • Bundles and multipacks: Some account-customized bundles cannot be gifted. Multipacks themselves cannot be gifted, though extra copies from a multipack may be giftable in some cases. Check the available checkout options.
  • The item is not giftable: Some games and add-ons cannot be sent as gifts. Steam suggests a digital gift card so your friend can purchase the item themselves. See its purchasing and billing FAQ.

What about transferring Wallet funds or buying a physical card?

Steam does not let you move or gift existing Wallet funds to another account. Its trading interface also does not transfer money or Wallet credit, so a trade is not a workaround. Use a digital Steam Gift Card to give Steam spending value instead. See Steam’s Steam Wallet guidance and recommended trading practices.

Physical retail Steam Gift Cards remain usable on Steam, subject to local laws, but Steam says it is not restocking them and expects retailers to be out of stock by the end of 2026. Digital cards remain available. If you specifically want a tangible card, check current stock and currency before buying.

Rank #2
Visa Virtual eGift Card
  • Visa Virtual eGift Cards are designed for online use only. Gift Cards are subject to Terms and Conditions: a.co/5bw3qXJ
  • When you access your Visa Virtual eGift Card for the first time, you’ll need to register your name, address, phone number, and email address via activationspot.com. These details should also be used as your billing address for online purchases, as many merchants require address verification for purchase authorization.
  • This Visa Virtual eGift Card is non-reloadable. No cash or ATM access. Visa Virtual eGift Cards are emailed active.
  • Funds do not expire but your Visa Virtual eGift Card has a ‘valid thru’ date (9 years from date of purchase). If funds remain after this date has passed, please call the Toll Free number found on your Visa Virtual eGift Card for a replacement card. A one-time purchase fee applies at the time of checkout.
  • This item is not eligible for refund, resale, or return. Available for sale within the United States only. Not available to residents of Puerto Rico, Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, West Virginia and the US Virgin Islands.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Support on Ko-Fi

Protect the gift-card code

A Steam Gift Card code is for redeeming value on Steam, not a safe way to pay an unknown person. Steam warns against giving codes to someone who demands them for taxes, debts, bail, delivery, or a prize. Use Steam’s gifting flow for a friend you know, and do not treat a trade or a code sent to a stranger as a money transfer. See Steam’s gift-card scam guidance.

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$500 Apple Gift Card—Email Delivery
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The perfect gift to say happy birthday, thank you, congratulations, and more.; Available in $15 - 500, Card delivered via email or SMS
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Visa Virtual eGift Card
  • Visa Virtual eGift Cards are designed for online use only. Gift Cards are subject to Terms and Conditions: a.co/5bw3qXJ
  • When you access your Visa Virtual eGift Card for the first time, you’ll need to register your name, address, phone number, and email address via activationspot.com. These details should also be used as your billing address for online purchases, as many merchants require address verification for purchase authorization.
  • This Visa Virtual eGift Card is non-reloadable. No cash or ATM access. Visa Virtual eGift Cards are emailed active.
  • Funds do not expire but your Visa Virtual eGift Card has a ‘valid thru’ date (9 years from date of purchase). If funds remain after this date has passed, please call the Toll Free number found on your Visa Virtual eGift Card for a replacement card. A one-time purchase fee applies at the time of checkout.
  • This item is not eligible for refund, resale, or return. Available for sale within the United States only. Not available to residents of Puerto Rico, Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, West Virginia and the US Virgin Islands.
Rank #4
$500 Apple Gift Card—Email Delivery
  • For all things Apple - products, accessories, apps, games, music, movies, TV shows, iCloud+, and more.
  • Perfect for App Store purchases and subscriptions—get apps, games, music, movies, TV shows, and more.
  • The perfect gift to say happy birthday, thank you, congratulations, and more.
  • Available in $15 - 500, Card delivered via email or SMS
  • Use it for purchases at any Apple Store location, on the Apple Store app, apple.com, the App Store, iTunes, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple News+, Apple Books, Apple Arcade, iCloud+, Fitness+, Apple One, and other Apple properties in US only
Rank #3
Visa Virtual eGift Card
  • Visa Virtual eGift Cards are designed for online use only. Gift Cards are subject to Terms and Conditions: a.co/5bw3qXJ
  • When you access your Visa Virtual eGift Card for the first time, you’ll need to register your name, address, phone number, and email address via activationspot.com. These details should also be used as your billing address for online purchases, as many merchants require address verification for purchase authorization.
  • This Visa Virtual eGift Card is non-reloadable. No cash or ATM access. Visa Virtual eGift Cards are emailed active.
  • Funds do not expire but your Visa Virtual eGift Card has a ‘valid thru’ date (9 years from date of purchase). If funds remain after this date has passed, please call the Toll Free number found on your Visa Virtual eGift Card for a replacement card. A one-time purchase fee applies at the time of checkout.
  • This item is not eligible for refund, resale, or return. Available for sale within the United States only. Not available to residents of Puerto Rico, Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, West Virginia and the US Virgin Islands.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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