Steam Wallet
The Steam Wallet is a feature Valve has implemented into their Steam content delivery system for the purpose of micro-transactions. The Steam Wallet beta was released on September 10th, 2010, and was officially released as of September 30th, 2010 in line with the Mann Co. update. Steam Wallet is essentially a bank on Steam which contains money to be spent on games, DLCs and in-game content.
Usage
In order to use their Steam Wallet, users must add funds to it. The money that is added will be 'pre-loaded' so that bank details do not need to be exchanged at the time of purchase. Adding money is similar to how users currently make purchases through Steam, though a user must purchase at least a $5/£4/€5 increment for their Steam Wallet to make purchases. The current balance of your Steam Wallet can be seen in the top right of your Steam client window.
The Steam Wallet can be used to make purchases over the Steam Store, like how users could with a credit card or Paypal account, as well as make purchases in-game. In-game purchases can be done quickly through the in-game browser simply by verifying the purchase. If users do not have enough money in their Steam Wallet, they will be able to add more funds at the time of purchase.
Currently, the only way to buy items from the Mann Co. Store is through the Steam Wallet. Once a user checks out from the store, they are brought to the in-game browser and asked to verify their transaction or to add additional funds to their wallet. Once the transaction has been verified, the money required is automatically transferred and players will receive their item.
Pricing
You can add funds to your wallet in increments on the Steam Website or whilst visiting the Mann Co. Store. These increments are:
- $5.00 / £4.00 / €5.00
- $10.00 / £10.00 / €10.00
- $25.00 / £25.00 / €25.00
- $50.00 / £50.00 / €50.00
- $100.00 / £100.00 / €100.00
When adding funds through the Mann Co. Store, you don't have to follow these set increments as they only apply if you are putting money into your Steam Wallet through the Steam Website. Instead you are given the option to put in the exact amount needed for your transaction provided that amount is more than the minimum amount you can put in the wallet, that being $5.00/£4.00/€5.00.
You can view your past purchases as well as what in-game items you bought on which day at the game transactions screen under account details on the Steam client or web page. However it doesn't display the quantity of items that were purchased in one transaction. Similarly you can see store transactions which shows when funds were added to account or another game has been purchased either with Steam wallet funds or with other payment methods.
Steam Agreement
The Steam Subscriber Agreement states below that Steam Wallet funds cannot be refunded, as well as have no real-world value outside Steam. It also states that if you try to pay for something with Steam Wallet, but lack the proper funds and have a credit card on file, it will charge the rest to your credit card.
| “ | C. Steam Wallet.
ALL STEAM FEES ARE PAYABLE IN ADVANCE AND ARE NOT REFUNDABLE IN WHOLE OR IN PART. Steam may make available an account balance associated with your Account (the “Steam Wallet”). You may place funds in your Steam Wallet up to a maximum amount determined by Valve, by credit card, prepaid card, promotional code, or any other payment method accepted by Steam. You may use Steam Wallet funds to purchase Subscriptions or make transactions within Subscriptions, where Steam Wallet transactions are enabled. Funds added to the Steam Wallet are non-refundable and non-transferable. Steam Wallet funds have no value outside Steam and can only be used to purchase Subscriptions and related content via Steam (including but not limited to games offered on the Steam Store). To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Steam Wallet funds that are deemed abandoned or unused by law will not be returned or restored. When your account uses your Steam Wallet to fund a purchase, you authorize Valve to deduct the amount of the purchase from your Steam Wallet. If you do not have sufficient funds in your Steam Wallet to make a purchase and you have previously entered your credit card information, we may automatically charge your credit card a minimum amount determined by Valve to make the purchase, even if such minimum amount exceeds the cost of your purchase. Any difference between the minimum charge and the cost of the purchase will be credited to your Steam Wallet. |
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