Is there a Steam gift-card equivalent? - Page 3

12-13-2011, 10:54 PM

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bigdoggydog · 12-20-2011, 12:00 PM

It's Christmas time and I have a friend who wants to purchase a large pack of games (the Bathesda Pack) and he's just short $20 bucks. I want to give him $20 gift card for Christmas so he can buy it for himself, but can't since Valve doesn't offer it. I don't want to give him cash because if it goes into his bank account his wife won't let him spend it on games (His first $25 is an Am Ex gift card). I don't want to deal with buying him something like that when a Steam gift card/credit would suffice and actually be better.

BTW... if iTunes and Amazon can have gift cards and still operate internationally why wouldn't Steam be able to?

antdude · 12-20-2011, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigdoggydog

It's Christmas time and I have a friend who wants to purchase a large pack of games (the Bathesda Pack) and he's just short $20 bucks. I want to give him $20 gift card for Christmas so he can buy it for himself, but can't since Valve doesn't offer it. I don't want to give him cash because if it goes into his bank account his wife won't let him spend it on games (His first $25 is an Am Ex gift card). I don't want to deal with buying him something like that when a Steam gift card/credit would suffice and actually be better.

BTW... if iTunes and Amazon can have gift cards and still operate internationally why wouldn't Steam be able to?

I noticed for Amazon's digital downloads for PC softwares like games, I still have to give them my credit/debt card information. It's lame!

Kalabalana · 12-20-2011, 12:24 PM

Steam gift money is otw, I don't see why it wouldn't be, unfortunately though, I don't think it will be here in time for XMAS.

antdude · 12-20-2011, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kalabalana

Steam gift money is otw, I don't see why it wouldn't be, unfortunately though, I don't think it will be here in time for XMAS.

What is OTW?

icecoldhaterade · 02-16-2012, 12:46 AM

people the solution is simple just ask yur loved ones for a prepaid visa giftcard or a card from another major credit card issuer then redeem it here on steam that way for the people who want to give you a physical poduct bam you have one and you can still use it on steam to buy what ever games you want

doohnairb · 03-14-2012, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by antdude

What is OTW?

i think on the way

antdude · 03-14-2012, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doohnairb

i think on the way

Ah and thanks.

setsunaluvr · 03-14-2012, 05:34 PM

This would be perfect for me, because I buy all my own games, but I don't have a paypal account or a checking account. So if I want to buy games or anything else online, I buy a gift card. But with Steam, I have to cart the cash up to NH to my Dad's place(a good 300 mile drive, and me without a car), give him the money, have him deposit it into his paypal account, and then, finally, when I get home, I can buy the game. Yeah, Steam Gift Cards would be nice.

cl4ym4n · 03-14-2012, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by setsunaluvr

This would be perfect for me, because I buy all my own games, but I don't have a paypal account or a checking account. So if I want to buy games or anything else online, I buy a gift card. But with Steam, I have to cart the cash up to NH to my Dad's place(a good 300 mile drive, and me without a car), give him the money, have him deposit it into his paypal account, and then, finally, when I get home, I can buy the game. Yeah, Steam Gift Cards would be nice.

Eh, why don't you simply create a Paypal account yourself?

If you're underaged and depending on where you live there are still other ways like Visa gift cards or PaySafeCards.

Satoru · 03-14-2012, 06:31 PM

As I have stated in previous such threads, the trading of 'money' in Steam would be an unmitigated disaster. There would be absolutely no way of stopping fraud and back-tracking transactions.

Say you get $5 from a scammer. You then use it and some other money purchase Skyrim, which you then trade for MW3. How do you separate out the $5 bad money from the $55 legit money you spent on Skyrim? Now multiply that by a few million transactions and you can see how problematic this is.

This is aside from basic things like exchange rate issues between wallets. Steam Wallet already has problems 'mixing' currencies when people move from one region to another. It would also mean that in some countries Steam woudl be considered a 'bank' subject to regulation.

While nice, unfortunately scammers make the trading of Steam Money an impossibility.

Ssyrie · 04-30-2012, 05:24 AM

But here's the real question, Why can I go to the grocery store and buy a gift card for ITunes, XBox, PSN, or the WII to purchase games, music, movies and such, but I can't do the same for Steam? Seriously. Why not?

Sure people could buy the gift cards with stolen credit card info, but they can do that with any other gift card out there anyway.

Gift cards would make it easy for non-computer people to give them as gifts to their friends and family members who express interest in them. Also, people who work jobs that pay cash (waiters, pizza delivery, etc...), could pick up gift cards without having to deposit the money in the bank first.

Satoru · 04-30-2012, 05:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ssyrie

But here's the real question, Why can I go to the grocery store and buy a gift card for ITunes, XBox, PSN, or the WII to purchase games, music, movies and such, but I can't do the same for Steam? Seriously. Why not?

Sure people could buy the gift cards with stolen credit card info, but they can do that with any other gift card out there anyway.

Gift cards would make it easy for non-computer people to give them as gifts to their friends and family members who express interest in them. Also, people who work jobs that pay cash (waiters, pizza delivery, etc...), could pick up gift cards without having to deposit the money in the bank first.

Perhaps because those are gigantic multinational companies that operate offices and retail space in literally every single country. You may be surprised to note that getting something INTO RETAIL is very very very difficult. That's what publishers do in the video game world, their job is to go around the world and ensure their game is in retail spaces. This means you need an office in every single country or region, and sales people dining and wooing your retail customers to stock your product. This is as you'd imagine really really really expensive to do. Steam operates physically in a single region, Washington state in the USA. That's it. To even get a gift card program going in the USA alone would be a huge undertaking, let alone something that would be international.

Nyaamos · 04-30-2012, 09:41 AM

If u are in a country that has paysafecards u can just ask your wife/mom for those.
Those cards can also be used for steam and there are no strings attached (like info/account requirements).

oldskoolfool · 05-02-2012, 02:15 AM

Prepaid visa/mastercard or whatever equivalent your country has. Its like a gift card that doesn't tell you were to spend it but can be used for almost anything. Dont even know why gift cards exist anymore

12-20-2011, 12:00 PM	#32
bigdoggydog Join Date: Sep 2009 Reputation: 0 Posts: 1	Gift Cards please! It's Christmas time and I have a friend who wants to purchase a large pack of games (the Bathesda Pack) and he's just short $20 bucks. I want to give him $20 gift card for Christmas so he can buy it for himself, but can't since Valve doesn't offer it. I don't want to give him cash because if it goes into his bank account his wife won't let him spend it on games (His first $25 is an Am Ex gift card). I don't want to deal with buying him something like that when a Steam gift card/credit would suffice and actually be better. BTW... if iTunes and Amazon can have gift cards and still operate internationally why wouldn't Steam be able to?

03-14-2012, 06:31 PM	#41
Satoru Join Date: Jul 2008 Reputation: 3146 Posts: 9,070	As I have stated in previous such threads, the trading of 'money' in Steam would be an unmitigated disaster. There would be absolutely no way of stopping fraud and back-tracking transactions. Say you get $5 from a scammer. You then use it and some other money purchase Skyrim, which you then trade for MW3. How do you separate out the $5 bad money from the $55 legit money you spent on Skyrim? Now multiply that by a few million transactions and you can see how problematic this is. This is aside from basic things like exchange rate issues between wallets. Steam Wallet already has problems 'mixing' currencies when people move from one region to another. It would also mean that in some countries Steam woudl be considered a 'bank' subject to regulation. While nice, unfortunately scammers make the trading of Steam Money an impossibility. Last edited by Satoru: 03-14-2012 at 06:34 PM.

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12-13-2011, 10:54 PM	#31
vizui123 Guest Posts: n/a	http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m.../nobrainer.jpg

12-20-2011, 12:24 PM	#34
Kalabalana Join Date: Dec 2003 Reputation: 188 Posts: 4,361	Steam gift money is otw, I don't see why it wouldn't be, unfortunately though, I don't think it will be here in time for XMAS.

02-16-2012, 12:46 AM	#36
icecoldhaterade Join Date: Jan 2012 Reputation: 5 Posts: 57	people the solution is simple just ask yur loved ones for a prepaid visa giftcard or a card from another major credit card issuer then redeem it here on steam that way for the people who want to give you a physical poduct bam you have one and you can still use it on steam to buy what ever games you want

03-14-2012, 05:34 PM	#39
setsunaluvr Join Date: Mar 2012 Reputation: 0 Posts: 9	This would be perfect for me, because I buy all my own games, but I don't have a paypal account or a checking account. So if I want to buy games or anything else online, I buy a gift card. But with Steam, I have to cart the cash up to NH to my Dad's place(a good 300 mile drive, and me without a car), give him the money, have him deposit it into his paypal account, and then, finally, when I get home, I can buy the game. Yeah, Steam Gift Cards would be nice.

04-30-2012, 05:24 AM	#42
Ssyrie Join Date: Feb 2009 Reputation: 0 Posts: 10	But here's the real question, Why can I go to the grocery store and buy a gift card for ITunes, XBox, PSN, or the WII to purchase games, music, movies and such, but I can't do the same for Steam? Seriously. Why not? Sure people could buy the gift cards with stolen credit card info, but they can do that with any other gift card out there anyway. Gift cards would make it easy for non-computer people to give them as gifts to their friends and family members who express interest in them. Also, people who work jobs that pay cash (waiters, pizza delivery, etc...), could pick up gift cards without having to deposit the money in the bank first.

04-30-2012, 09:41 AM	#44
Nyaamos Join Date: Oct 2011 Reputation: 25 Posts: 81	If u are in a country that has paysafecards u can just ask your wife/mom for those. Those cards can also be used for steam and there are no strings attached (like info/account requirements).

05-02-2012, 02:15 AM	#45
oldskoolfool Join Date: Jan 2011 Reputation: 0 Posts: 13	Prepaid visa/mastercard or whatever equivalent your country has. Its like a gift card that doesn't tell you were to spend it but can be used for almost anything. Dont even know why gift cards exist anymore