Gift cards and wallet codes
Where to buy them, how they work, and why you should load only what you plan to spend.
Steam Wallet codes
Physical Steam cards are sold in most big UK chains: GAME, Argos, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons, WHSmith and Currys all stock them at the till or on a rack, typically in £5, £10, £20, £50 and £100 values. Steam also sells digital gift cards from its own site that are sent straight to a friend's account. A code is redeemed at steampowered.com and lands in the wallet as a pound balance.
GOG gift cards
GOG sells digital gift cards in pounds that are emailed to the recipient and redeemed on the account page. You will not find GOG cards on a high-street rack, so the digital route is the only one.
What to know before you load a wallet
- Wallet money is spent on that store and nowhere else, and it cannot be withdrawn to a bank. Load what you intend to spend.
- Codes can be refunded only if they have not been redeemed; once the balance is in a wallet it stays there.
- Nobody legitimate will ever ask you to pay a bill, a fine or a fee in Steam Wallet codes. That request is always a scam, however it is dressed up.
- Buy codes from the store's own site or a shop till. Codes offered cheaply on marketplaces are frequently already used or bought with stolen cards and get pulled.
Gifting a game rather than a card
Both stores let you buy a specific game as a gift for a friend's account. On Steam it needs the two of you to be friends for three days first and the friend's region to match. If you are not sure which game they want, a card is the safer present; Pick a defence is the other way to decide.
General information for players in the UK, checked on 31 October 2026. It is not legal or financial advice, and nothing here suggests borrowing to buy a game. Where we quote a law we link to the official text so you can read it yourself.