A Wallet code and a friend gift arrive differently
Steam's own Digital Gift Card service sends money straight to a friend: once the friend accepts it, the gift lands in their Wallet and Steam converts it into their currency. A Steam Wallet code works differently. You type it in yourself, and it adds money to the Wallet of the account you are signed in to. A game key is a third, separate product, so look at what a card page says it delivers before comparing amounts.
Steam: direct Digital Gift Card service and recipient conversion
Your Wallet currency decides which card works
Steam now redeems a Wallet code only in the currency of the account's Wallet. Valve made this change to cut gift-card scams. If the account already has a Wallet, even one with a zero balance, the money is added in that Wallet's current currency. A brand-new Wallet may ask for your address first, to set its currency. So open Steam, see which currency your Wallet uses, and pick the card in that same currency. A dollar sign on the card art is not enough, because several countries use dollars.
Steam Support: current Wallet-code restrictions and retail-card notice
Redeem it in a minute
Sign in to the account that should get the money, open Steam's Redeem a Steam Gift Card or Wallet Code page, type the code into the Steam Wallet Code field and press Continue. Your balance then shows in the top right corner, next to your profile name. If it does not cover a game, Steam lets you pay the rest with another payment method at checkout. Wallet money cannot be moved or gifted to another Steam account later, so redeem the code on the right account the first time. If the balance does not appear, restart the Steam client; if it is still missing after two hours, contact Steam Support. Buying for someone else? Send them the code and let them redeem it; nobody needs their password.
Steam Support: current Wallet-code restrictions and retail-card notice
Store cards are ending, codes still work
Valve says it is ending the physical Steam gift card program at retail stores and expects shops to run out by the end of 2026. Cards that people already hold stay usable on Steam whenever they choose, subject to local laws, and Steam's Digital Gift Cards keep running. A Wallet code bought today adds money to your Wallet the same way as before: in your Wallet's currency, on the account you redeem it on.
Steam Support: current Wallet-code restrictions and retail-card notice Steam: direct Digital Gift Card service and recipient conversion
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