Can I Buy a Steam Gift Card in the UK and Send it to the USA? Everything You Need to Know
As a passionate gamer and content creator, I get asked this question a lot: "Can I buy a Steam card in the UK and send it to my friend in the USA?"
The short answer is yes! But to help you out, I‘ve put together this complete guide on purchasing Steam wallet gift cards in the UK and sending them overseas.
How Steam Gift Cards Work Internationally
The first thing to know is that Steam digital gift cards and wallet codes work worldwide. When your friend redeems the code with their Steam account, the funds are automatically converted to their local currency.
This makes Steam gift cards easy to gift globally. According to Steam statistics from 2022, over 120 million active monthly users span nearly every country. Steam‘s massive worldwide presence and auto-converting digital cards simplify international gifting.
Buying Options: Digital vs Physical Steam Gift Cards
When buying a Steam gift card in the UK, you have two options:
- Digital Steam Gift Card: This is an online code that is emailed to you instantly. You can forward this code to your friend overseas.
- Physical Steam Gift Card: This is a tangible card bought in-store with a scratch-off code panel on the back. You‘ll need to carefully scratch this panel to reveal the game code, take a clear picture, and send your friend the image.
Here‘s an overview of the denominations and prices of UK Steam gift cards, both digital and physical:
| Gift Card Value | Digital Price | Physical Price* |
|---|---|---|
| £4 | £3.99 | £4.00 |
| £10 | £8.50 | £10.00 |
| £20 | £16.99 | £20.00 |
| £50 | £41.99 | £50.00 |
| £100 | £83.99 | £100.00 |
*In major UK retail chains like Tesco, Sainsbury‘s, Argos, & Game
As you can see, buying digital Steam codes online provides a small discount over the face value. This is because third party online retailers purchase Steam codes in bulk.
Step By Step Guide to Purchasing and Sending
Follow this straightforward process when buying and sending Steam gift cards from the UK internationally:
Buying Digital Steam Gift Cards
- Choose an online retailer selling Steam wallet top up codes at a discount like CDKeys, Eneba, or Instant Gaming
- Select your gift card value, such as £20
- Complete checkout with your payment info
- Receive the gift card code instantly via email
- Forward this email containing the gift card code directly to your friend overseas!
Buying Physical Steam Gift Cards
- Visit a local UK shop that stocks Steam gift cards like Tesco, Sainsbury‘s, Argos or Game
- Select your gift card value, for example £50
- Purchase the physical card and keep the receipt
- Carefully scratch off the gift card code panel on the back to reveal the code
- Take a clear picture of the code ensuring all digits are visible
- Send this photo to your friend via your messaging app of choice!
- Mail the physical card separately so they can redeem the full value once received
And that‘s it! Whether you choose digital or physical, Steam gift cards make it simple to surprise your gaming pals worldwide.
Safely Buying Region Locked Gift Cards
Some Steam gift cards sold in Southeast Asian regions may be region locked. If your friend lives in one of these countries, you can still gift them wallet funds using a VPN:
- Connect to a VPN server located in the gift card‘s country
- Purchase the region locked Steam gift card online
- Disable the VPN connection
- Forward the gift card code to your friend as usual
While this does technically violate Steam‘s terms of service, it allows you to send region locked wallet codes anywhere in the world. However, I always recommend buying region-free Steam cards when possible, which work globally without VPNs.
Great Reasons to Gift Steam Wallet Funds
Why are Steam gift cards so popular for gifting PC gamers internationally?
- Global redemption as Steam has no regional currency restrictions
- Automatic conversion to your friend‘s local currency
- Huge selection of games & items to purchase with wallet credit
- Seamless digital delivery for instant redemption worldwide
- Availability online and locally with major retailers
Plus, according to data from Forbes, the average Steam user owns 55 games, worth $723! PC gamers love trying new titles and expanding their libraries. So you really can‘t go wrong gifting wallet funds to explore Steam‘s 50,000+ game catalogue.
Top Items to Purchase with Steam Credit
Once your international friend redeems their Steam gift card, what should they spend the wallet credit on?
Here are the most popular purchases according to Steam statistics:
- New release games – Always a top choice, like Hogwarts Legacy!
- In-game items – Weapon skins, XP boosts, loot boxes, etc.
- Downloadable Content (DLC) – Extra content packs for existing games
- Indie games – Well-rated independent games for under $10
- Game bundles – Heavily discounted collections of titles
- Software – Animation, music, and creative tools
Hopefully this guide gives you all the details on buying and sending Steam gift cards internationally. Surprise your PC gaming buddy wherever they are in the world!
Do you have any other questions on gifting wallet credit? Let me know in the comments!
