We can not overemphasize the relevance and importance of Steam gift cards to its users, most gamers and game developers. This is why knowing how to check if a Steam gift card is activated is imperative.
Steam gift cards are one of the popular gaming gift cards in the global gift card market as there are even some best PC games you can buy with your Steam gift cards, but that does not rule out the instance of you being able to sell Steam gift cards for cash if you choose. This is to say that Steam cards can cater for varying needs, but the understanding of its activation process is sacrosanct.
For a better understanding, a Steam gift card is a prepaid card that you can use to buy games, software, and other in-gaming content on the Steam store, a world-renowned digital gaming platform.
Steam cards exist in both physical and digital forms with varying amounts on them. The denomination for physical Steam gift cards ranges from $20 to $100, while digital Steam gift cards range between $5 and $100. But you can customise your Steam card by entering your preferred amount above the $100 benchmark.
In the event of redeeming a Steam gift card, activation always proceeds redemption – meaning that you must activate your Steam gift cards before you can redeem your gift card, or else errors will persist. Moreover, verifying the activation of your Steam gift card is crucial to ascertain the eligibility of your Steam card for redemption.
Understanding Steam Gift Card Activation
In the purview of gift card use, an inactive card can not work, making checking the activation status of your Steam gift card important. This is because the process of redeeming an inactive Steam card is deemed futile regardless of the number of trials, and it can be frustrating when you anticipate the funds from your Steam card but can not access them.
But do you know that your Steam account may be flagged for suspicious activity if you try to redeem your inactive Steam card multiple times? Yes! And this may lead to your account being temporarily or permanently suspended, as the case may be. A good understanding of this outcome makes you proactive in checking the activation status of your Steam gift card.
What Are The Common Issues With Steam Gift Cards Activation?
1. Buy Fake Or Inactive Steam Gift Cards
The popularity of gift cards has culminated in an increase in the number of scammers who schemes to sell fake or inactive Steam gift cards to naive buyers. There is no way buyers can redeem these gift cards, which leads to being defrauded of their money.
This is why you must be wary of the platform you buy your Steam gift cards. Do your due diligence to know the online reputation of your online retailer or the physical store from which you want to buy your Steam card.
A credible gift card retailer will not sell you a fake or inactive Steam card. In this regard, I recommend Prestmit as the best place to buy your Steam gift cards. We are reputed to be one of the best gift card trading platforms in Nigeria and Ghana, and our good online reputation is deduced from the positive feedback from our customers that won us this crown.
2. Buying A Used Steam Gift Card
It is possible that the Steam card you receive as a gift has been accidentally activated at the store, and a mere exposure of its 15-alphanumeric code can be redeemed by anyone without your prior notice. This may be the case whereby the seal of the code is sealed off for a physical Steam gift card, or someone accessed your email to get the code.
3. Incorrectly Entering The Code
You can face an activation bottleneck when you don’t enter the 15-alphanumeric code of your Steam gift card correctly. Therefore, you must painstakingly enter the correct code to enable the successful activation of your gift card. Also, do not mistake digits for letters and vice-versa.
Importance Of Verifying Activation Status Before Redeeming The Steam Card
You may forestall potential gift card issues associated with an accidental activation of your Steam gift card when you check the Steam card’s activation status before redeeming it. Above all, this practice helps to prevent fraud and disappointment and ensures a seamless redemption process for your Steam gift card.
You must also note that an inactive Steam can not be redeemed, and if you try to redeem the card many times, your account suspension is imminent, as it will be flagged as a fraudulent account.
How To Check Steam Gift Card Activation Online
The following steps are how to check the activation status of your Steam gift card:
- Locate the alphanumeric code at the back of your Steam gift card
- Check the expiration date of the Steam card to be sure the card can be redeemed within its validity period
- Create or log into your Steam account on the Steam website
- Redeem the code by entering the 15-alphanumeric code on the Steam gift card redemption page. You will receive an “invalid card” error message if your Steam gift card is inactive.
- Contact Steam support if you are unclear about the activation status of your Steam gift card
In the meantime, the benefit of checking the activation status of your Steam gift card online is to get a verifiable answer to your query from Steam, the parent brand that issues the Steam gift card. This means that their verdict on the status of your gift card is valid and supreme.
How To Check Steam Gift Card Activation In-Store
- Visit any physical that sells Steam gift cards.
- Give your Steam gift card to the cashier to help you activate the Steam card.
- Redeem your Steam gift card at the physical store. If the gift card gives an error message upon redemption, the Steam gift card is inactive.
- You can request another Steam gift card, or the physical store contacts Steam support.
Tips For Best Practices For Steam Gift Cards
Are you a newbie to Steam gift cards? Here are some helpful tips for buying Steam cards safely and enjoying their benefits.
1. Buy From A Credible Retailer
There are different platforms where you can buy your Steam gift card if you do not want to buy directly from the Steam store. As such, you must be careful of buying your gift card outside the Steam store because of dubious sellers scavenging different places to scam you.
But look no further, as you can safely buy your Steam gift card from us at Prestmit. We deliver immediately without a glitch.
2. Keep Track Of Your Card’s Value
You must keep track of the value of your Steam gift card, including different purchases or redemptions you have used the card for. This prevents you from accidentally redeeming the wrong card or spending beyond the value of your Steam gift card.
3. Redeem Your Steam Card Immediately
Nothing should stop you from redeeming your Steam gift card immediately after purchase and activation. This would enable you to have access to your funds instantly before the expiration of the gift card. Remember that your Steam gift card becomes invalid after its expiration date.
4. Spend Your Funds Wisely
Your Steam gift card takes a semblance of your credit card’s value. So it is important to make a budget around the value of your Steam gift card to achieve wise and sustainable spending.
For instance, your spending behaviour is unhealthy if you have a $100 Steam gift card and want to buy gaming content for about $95. You can only do this if the purchase is of great necessity. Therefore, learn to spend the value of your Steam card wisely.
Conclusion
Activation is your first point of call if you want to use your Steam gift card. That is why you can not proceed before redeeming your gift card. When you activate your gift card, it validates using the Steam card for varying usage.
However, you must always check the activation status of your Steam gift card immediately after purchase to ascertain its validity of use.
Do you wish to buy an original and active Steam gift card today? Talk to us at Prestmit, as that is our business in trading gift cards at the best prices and rates.
