Is Your Steam Gift Card Not Working? Learn How to Fix It

The Steam gift card is a convenient way to add funds to your Steam wallet to buy games and related upgrades. However, there are well known Steam gift card errors that can become a headache for you. You may face these errors making you wonder, “Why is my Steam gift card not working?” 

So, it is better to be aware of the errors and ways to fix them. This will enhance your Steam gift card experience, and you will be calm and composed when you face such issues.  

This article will cover Steam gift card errors, and if you go through the entire article, you will get a bonus tip to overcome errors related to Steam gift cards. 

Let’s delve right into it and explore Steam gift card errors in detail. 

5 Errors and Fixes for Steam Gift Cards 

Users may encounter errors at times that come while trying to use or redeem the Steam gift card. These errors can be annoying and the solutions at times can be time taking requiring patience. 

However, understanding these issues and their resolution can help you save time and frustration. Here are 5 most frequently occurring Steam gift card errors and their fixes: 

1. Steam Gift Card is Not Activated 

The most common issue that users may face is that their Steam gift cards are not activated after the purchase. This is due to the retailer’s negligence. 

The retailer fails to activate the cards at the point of purchase properly. When you try to redeem such gift cards Steam will give you an error that will inform you that the card is not activated. 

How to Fix 

You can fix the activation issue by: 

• Ensuring that the card was successfully activated at the time of purchase. This should be indicated on the receipt. 

• If the Steam gift card was not activated take it back to the store from where you bought it. Provide the retailer with your receipt and they should be able to activate your card. 

2. Having an Invalid Steam Gift Card Code 

An invalid Steam gift card code error occurs when the code you are entering does not match the Steam’s format. 

The error may occur due to various reasons like topographical error, physical damage to the card, or purchasing a counterfeit or expired card. 

How to Fix 

You can fix the invalid code issue by: 

• You must first make sure that you are entering the code correctly. Steam gift card code is a mix of letters and numbers, so there is a chance people may mix “O” for “0” or “B” for “8”. 

• If the code is damaged or unreadable, contact the retailer to ask for the code or check the original purchase receipt for the code. 

• If the card were bought from an unofficial seller, it could be a fake or expired. Ensure the retailer is trustworthy and has an excellent track record like Send Credit. 

3. Steam’s Regional Restriction Policy 

Some gift cards are regionally locked. Similarly, physical steam gift cards are regionally locked, but digital ones don’t have such restrictions.

However, there are some regions and countries where the digital steam gift cards may be restricted. The error may occur when the users use the gift card bought in one country in another one. 

 This happens due to regional currency differences or local geographical restrictions. Due to regional restrictions, certain gift cards can only be redeemed in Russia and a few neighboring countries.   

How to Fix 

Here’s how to fix a regional restriction issue: 

Ensure that your Steam account region matches the gift card’s country of origin. Steam uses the region to determine the currency, so any mismatches may cause you trouble redeeming. 

If you have moved to a different country, you can change your accounts region by making a purchase using the payment method of the new country. 

To avoid such errors always use a Steam gift card that is bought from a local retailer or websites in your region. 

4. The Steam Gift Card is Already Redeemed 

If you receive an error saying that your Steam gift card has already been redeemed, that means the gift card code has already been redeemed before. 

This can be due to various reasons, such as purchasing a second-hand card that has been redeemed or used before to make purchases or you are entering a code that has been depleted of its balance. 

How to Check 

You can check whether your gift card is redeemed by: 

1. If you want to check whether your gift card has been redeemed or not, you can check your Steam Wallet transaction history to see if the funds were added to your account. 

2. If the Steam gift card was given to you, then you must verify from the person who gave it to you whether the Steam gift card has been redeemed or not. 

5. Insufficient Balance in Your Steam Gift Card 

At times you will face an insufficient balance Steam gift card error that will pop up when trying to make a purchase within Steam. 

This often happens to people who are unaware of the gift card credit. It may also occur if the card did not contain the full amount you expected.   

How to Check 

To check why you are having an insufficient balance error on your Steam gift card, here’s what you should do: 

1. You can check your Steam Wallet balance by going to the Steam account and selecting “Account Settings.” Here you can see the available balance in your gift card.  

2. If the numbers don’t add up, make sure to check the initial amount you received while adding the gift card to the Steam Wallet. If there is a difference you must contact the retailer to clear up the issue. 

3. You can make a partial payment with the remaining balance in the gift card covering the remaining payment using a different card.  

Bonus Tip – Steam Gift Card Customer Support 

For the bonus tip, if you have tried and exhausted all the above-mentioned solutions, it may be time to consider contacting customer support.  

Steam’s customer support team can help with issues like gift card activation, invalid codes, or compromised cards.  

How to Properly Connect with the Steam Customer Support 

To connect with Steam’s Customer Support team and get your problem fix you need to follow this process: 

1. Go to the Steam Help website. 

2. Navigate to the Steam Wallet Section. 

3. Be ready to provide essential details (Account information, gift card code, proof of purchase). 

4. It may take time for Steam support to investigate the matter and resolve it promptly. 

This is a simple way to connect with support. Patience is key when dealing with any issue, so you need to be ready to bear a little back and forth with support and your issue will be resolved. 

Wrapping It Up 

To sum up, Steam gift cards offer a flexible and easy way to add funds to your Steam account, but errors can occur during the redemption or usage.  

 You can face errors like Steam gift card activation, invalid gift card code, regional restrictions and more. However, you can fix these issues promptly by following steps in this article.  

For some reason, if you are unable to fix issues you can contact the Steam Customer support department to get your issue resolved.  

Finally, you must purchase your Steam gift cards from reliable sources like Send Credit, keep your receipts, and contact support when you face issues.