Valve says that they will no longer release new stock of Steam Gift Cards at retail outlets. This surprising news was shared somewhat quietly through an update to the Support page for the Steam Wallet.
As part of the FAQ on that support page, Valve says that the supply of physical gift cards will not be replenished once the current supply is sold. Valve says that scammers are to blame for the end of the physical Steam Gift Cards at retailers. They specifically cite the issue of scammers using gift cards from major brands to take advantage of people through social engineering. This is an issue that has been going on for years and is in no way limited to just Steam Gift Cards.
We introduced Steam Gift Cards to retail stores back in 2012, and added the digital program in 2017. Unfortunately, scammers use gift cards from major brands like Steam to take advantage of all people all over the world.
We’ve responded to gift card scams over the years by taking a number of actions to protect customers, including:
We’ve responded to gift card scams over the years by taking a number of actions to protect customers, including:
- Working with retailers
- Working with law enforcement
- Making changes to the cards, including adding a prominent scam warning
- Limiting redemption to be in the currency of your Steam wallet
- Limiting availability of cards
- Removing cards from sale when we observed abnormal activity
Going forward, Steam Digital Gift Cards will be the only option available. Valve says that they are "working to make this an even better experience." This includes the recent addition of a guest checkout.
