Valve (Steam’s owner) confirms: US Steam Gift Cards and Steam Wallet funds never expire. This is a long-standing policy—whether you bought a physical card (Best Buy, Walmart, etc.) or digital code, the value stays permanent once added to your wallet.
Steam’s
official terms spell it out: “Steam Gift Cards do not expire and are non-refundable.” Unlike other retailers (12–24 month expiration or inactivity fees), Steam has no such restrictions.
Funds don’t expire, but a few cases might make it seem like they do:
Retailers may print a “suggested use by” date—this is for stock management, not expiration. Once purchased, Steam’s policy applies. Old cards with passed dates still work; if not, contact Steam Support with the serial number.
Digital codes don’t expire, but Valve deactivates fraudulent ones (e.g., bought with stolen cards, sold by unapproved sellers). Buy from
Steam’s official site or authorized sellers—verify via Valve’s approved list if unsure.
Funds are tied to your account—Valve doesn’t delete inactive accounts or seize funds. Only banned accounts (for rule-breaking) lock access to funds (not expiration).
- Redeem immediately: Avoid loss/theft of physical/digital codes—add to your wallet fast.
- Save receipts: Helps Steam Support resolve code issues.
- Secure your account: Use 2FA to block hackers from accessing funds.
- Avoid cheap unknown sellers: Deep discounts mean fake/stolen codes.
If redemption fails, skip assuming expiration—try these:
- Double-check the code (watch for “O”/“0” or “I”/“1” mix-ups).
- Verify the seller is authorized.
- Contact Steam Support (select “Purchases”) with serial/order number and receipt.
