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Paying for games in the UK

Gift cards and prepaid codes, safely

Gift cards are the easiest way to put a fixed budget on a game account. They're also the payment scammers like most. Here's how to use them well.

Checked September 2026

Why people choose them

A store gift card turns a budget into a hard limit. Load £20 onto a PlayStation or Steam account and £20 is all it can spend. No saved card, no surprise statement. That's why they're popular as presents and for younger players' accounts. They also keep your card details off yet another online account.

Where to buy them

  • From the platform itself: most stores sell digital codes on their own website.
  • From large UK retailers: supermarkets, electronics chains and well-known online shops.
  • Avoid marketplace sellers offering big discounts, codes sent by strangers and "code generator" sites. Discounted codes are often bought with stolen card details, and the platform can cancel them, sometimes with the account that used them.

Region matters

A UK card loads pounds onto a UK account. Most platforms won't accept a code from another region, and switching an account's region is restricted or impossible. Buy codes that match the country your account was created in.

Redeeming a code

  1. Sign in to the account on the platform's official website or console. Never through a link someone sent you.
  2. Open the account or wallet section and choose the option to redeem a code.
  3. Type the code exactly, confirm the amount shown, and keep the receipt until the balance is used.

A balance on a store account can usually only be spent in that store. It won't normally be refunded to a bank card, so load only what you expect to use.

Paysafecard and other prepaid vouchers

Paysafecard is a prepaid voucher: you buy a 16-digit PIN from a shop or online and type it at checkout instead of card details. Steam and Riot accept it in the UK, and some other stores show it at checkout for some accounts. It can be handy for people who'd rather not use a bank card online. Look after the PIN as you would the voucher itself: whoever holds it can spend it.

The scams to know

  • "Pay us in gift cards." No tax office, energy supplier, delivery firm or tech-support desk ever asks for this. If someone does, it's a scam, every time.
  • Free currency offers. Sites and videos promising free V-Bucks, VALORANT Points or Robux in exchange for your login are phishing. See our account-security notes.
  • "Just read me the code." A code read out over the phone or sent as a photo can be spent in seconds, and it can't be recovered.

If you've been caught out, contact the platform's support team straight away with the receipt. Tell your bank if you paid by card, and report the fraud to the police through the UK's national fraud reporting service.