In a historical UK comparison from Steam’s 2023 Summer Sale, reaching level 40 on the Points Shop’s Summer Collection badge was estimated to require £400 in Steam purchases—more than the sale price of the least expensive Steam Deck model cited at the time. That was not a £400 checkout price for the badge: it was an estimate of the spending needed to earn enough Steam Points. The figures are specific to that sale and should not be read as current prices or costs.
What the headline’s £400 figure actually means
The comparison concerns the Points Shop seasonal badge, not the separate badge made by crafting Steam trading cards. In a July 2023 Steam Community discussion, users identified the badge in question as the Points Shop version and reported that it required 1,000 Steam Points per level, or 40,000 points for level 40. Those are community-reported historical details, not a current official Valve price statement. Steam Community discussion, July 2023
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WePC’s July 3, 2023 calculation applied a reported conversion of 100 Steam Points per £1 spent. At that rate, accumulating 40,000 points would correspond to £400 of purchases. This describes a spend-to-earn estimate under the conversion reported for that period; it does not mean Valve sold the badge for £400, nor that every purchase necessarily earned points on identical terms. WePC, July 3, 2023
How the 2023 UK Steam Deck comparison worked
WePC compared that estimated £400 in purchases with UK Steam Deck sale prices during the 2023 Summer Sale: £314 for the discounted base model and roughly £390 for another model. On those historical figures, the estimated spending to earn the badge’s points exceeded both cited sale prices. The comparison was about what the purchases could have cost in aggregate versus a one-time hardware purchase—not a claim that the badge itself was priced above the Deck.
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- 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.
| Item in the July 2023 comparison | Reported figure | What it represents |
|---|---|---|
| Level 40 Points Shop badge | 40,000 Steam Points | Historical requirement reported by Steam Community users and contemporaneous coverage. |
| Purchases associated with earning 40,000 points | £400 | WePC’s estimate using its reported 100-points-per-£1 conversion; not a direct badge price. |
| Discounted base Steam Deck | £314 | UK Summer Sale price reported by WePC in 2023. |
| Another Steam Deck model | Roughly £390 | UK Summer Sale price reported by WePC in 2023. |
The Steam Deck is a handheld gaming PC, while the badge is a profile customization and level item. They are different kinds of purchases and deliver different things; the comparison is useful as a measure of historical opportunity cost, not as a like-for-like product comparison. Steam Deck official page
Do not confuse the Points Shop badge with a trading-card badge
Steam has a separate badge route based on collecting and crafting trading-card sets. Its costs depend on how many cards are needed and what those cards cost in the market, so it should not be folded into the 40,000-point estimate.
Rank #2
- 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.
A May 22, 2026 article modeled level 40 as forty complete card sets and illustrated the arithmetic with assumed average card prices from $0.10 to $1.50. Under those assumptions, its examples ran from $40 to $600 for 400 cards. These are hypothetical scenarios based on assumed card prices—not observed market-wide averages, a verified cost for the Points Shop badge, or a current fixed price for crafting a badge. Position is Everything, May 22, 2026
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What you can—and cannot—conclude today
The 2023 figures support a narrow conclusion: under the conversion and UK sale prices reported at the time, the purchases estimated to earn enough points for a level 40 Points Shop badge cost more than the Steam Deck models cited. They do not establish that the same badge is currently available, that its point requirement is unchanged, or that the same points conversion and Deck prices apply now. The current official Points Shop page capture does not expose readable details for this badge, and the official Steam Deck page does not establish current prices or regional availability.
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- 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.
For a present-day decision, check the badge’s listing and point requirement in the Steam Points Shop and the Steam Deck price for your region at the time you are considering buying. Treat any comparison as date- and region-specific, and keep the points-based and trading-card crafting routes separate.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- 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.
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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.
