Steam is one of the most popular digital distribution platforms for PC games. Millions of gamers use Steam to purchase, download, and play thousands of games.
One useful feature of Steam is the ability to add external funds to your Steam wallet. This allows you to deposit money from external payment sources like PayPal or gift cards, which you can then use to make purchases on Steam.
If you’ve added external funds to Steam before, you may be wondering how you can see details on how those funds have been used. There are two main ways to check on external funds usage on Steam – via your account transaction history and your purchase history.
Viewing Account Transaction History
The easiest way to see a summary of external funds added and used is to look at your account transaction history. Here’s how:
- Open the Steam client and login to your account.
- Click on your username in the top right corner and select ‘Account details’ from the dropdown menu.
- This will open up your account details page. On the right side, you’ll see a box titled ‘Transaction history’.
- By default, this shows your transactions for the past 3 months. Click on ‘View complete transaction history’ at the bottom to see all transactions.
- You’ll now see a full list of transactions on your Steam account, including:
- Purchases made on Steam
- Wallet credit added from Steam gift cards or codes
- Wallet funds added from external sources
- Transactions involving external funds will be labeled as such. For example, you may see:
- “Wallet credit added: $100 (PayPal)”
- “Wallet credit added: $50 (Visa)”
- This will allow you to quickly see a summary of all external funds added to your Steam wallet. You can also see which transactions used that wallet credit.
- If needed, you can export your full transaction history by clicking ‘Export transaction history’ at the bottom of the page.
So by viewing your account transaction history, you can get a high-level overview of all external funds added and used on your Steam account. This is the fastest way to see info on external funds in one place.
Checking Your Purchase History
If you want more detailed information on exactly what was purchased using your external funds, you can dive into your purchase history. Here’s how:
- Go to the Steam client and select the ‘Community’ menu followed by ‘Market’ to open the Steam Community Market page.
- In the top right corner click on your username, then ‘Account details’.
- On the right side click on ‘View purchase history’.
- This will display your full purchase history on Steam in chronological order.
- Click the ‘Show as list’ button to switch to a detailed list view.
- For each purchase, you’ll now see:
- Date of purchase
- Item purchased
- Price
- Payment method used
- Scroll through your purchase history looking for transactions marked as ‘Steam Wallet’ as the payment method. These are purchases made with your Steam wallet funds.
- If you see Steam wallet purchases immediately after adding external funds, those transactions likely used the newly added funds.
- You can further confirm by comparing the dates and amounts of wallet additions in your transaction history to the Steam wallet purchase dates.
- Optionally, you can export your full purchase history by clicking ‘Export purchase history’ on the bottom.
Going through your purchase history allows you to precisely see which games, DLCs, in-game items, and other content were obtained using your external funds on Steam.
This gives you more detailed insights into how those funds from PayPal, gift cards, etc were ultimately used.
Benefits of Tracking External Funds on Steam
There are a few potential benefits of keeping track of external funds usage on Steam:
- Budgeting– By reviewing your transaction history, you can analyze your spending habits on Steam. This is useful for budgeting and managing your money spent on games/items.
- Account security– Unrecognized charges from your external payment methods may be a sign of unauthorized access. Reviewing your purchase history helps you identify suspicious spending.
- Purchase clarity– Seeing exactly which items you’ve gotten with gifted/external funds can help remember what you’ve bought if you share your games/account with family members.
- Customer support– Transaction and purchase histories provide details needed for any customer service issues like refund requests on items bought with external funds.
- Taxes– If you claim game and in-game purchases on your taxes, purchase histories give you the required information.
So in summary, monitoring your external funds and purchase activities on Steam can provide important financial, security, clarity, support, and tax benefits.
Steam External Fund Options
There are a variety of popular methods players use to add funds to Steam from external sources, including:
- PayPal– Link your PayPal account to seamlessly add funds from your PayPal balance to your Steam wallet.
- Paysafecard– Redeem Paysafecard vouchers to add credit to your Steam wallet with this prepaid payment method.
- Gift cards– Redeem gift cards from various retailers by entering gift card codes to add funds to your Steam wallet.
- Wire transfer– Directly transfer funds to Steam via wire transfer. This method is often used for large transactions.
- Skrill– Connect your Skrill online wallet to transfer funds to your Steam account quickly and easily.
- Neteller– Link up your Neteller account to deposit funds into your Steam wallet.
- Boleto Bancário– This payment method allows you to print a barcode boleto voucher and pay at a supported bank or payment center to add credits to Steam. Popular in Brazil.
- QIWI– Integrate your QIWI wallet to fund your Steam account. QIWI is a popular online payment service in Russia and Eastern Europe.
- WebMoney– Link your WebMoney account to move funds into your Steam wallet. WebMoney is a widely used online payment system in Eastern Europe and Russia.
- SEPA direct debit– In Europe, you can directly connect your bank account to Steam via SEPA direct debit for deposits into your Steam wallet.
These are some of the most common methods players utilize to add external funds from various sources into their Steam wallets. The ability to integrate Steam with external payment methods like these offers more flexibility when funding your Steam account.
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Tips for Managing External Funds on Steam
If you regularly add external funds to Steam, here are some helpful tips for tracking and managing those wallet credits:
- Periodically review transaction history so you know your balance of external funds. Don’t let it build up too high.
- Limit card/PayPal links to reduce unauthorized access risk. Disable when not actively adding funds.
- Only redeem gift cards when you plan to spend the funds, so the balance doesn’t sit there indefinitely.
- Use external funds first before adding more. Let the balance fully deplete before depositing more.
- Keep note of which payment methods you use for Steam, so you can quickly trace large purchases if needed.
- If your purchase history looks fishy, change your password and security info to lock down your account.
- For taxes, be sure to download and maintain purchase history records from the years you claim deductions.
- Remove expired/unused payment methods and update details on active ones to keep them current.
- Check for unused external funds still in your Steam wallet. You can submit a refund request for those credits.
By regularly reviewing transaction and purchase data and following other best practices, you can stay on top of external funds usage on your Steam account.
Frequently Asked Questions About Steam External Funds
Here are some common FAQs about using external funds on Steam:
Q: Can I add funds to my Steam wallet from an external source?
A: Yes, Steam provides multiple options to add funds from external sources like PayPal, gift cards, and pre-paid vouchers. These credits are added to your Steam wallet.
Q: What external sources can I use to add funds to Steam?
A: You can add funds from credit cards, PayPal, bank transfers, gift cards, and pre-paid payment services. Refer to the section above for some of the most popular methods players use.
Q: Is there a fee for adding external funds to my Steam wallet?
A: Steam does not charge any fees for adding funds to your Steam wallet from external sources. However, some external services may levy charges, like gift card activation fees.
Q: Can I transfer external funds back out of my Steam wallet?
A: Unfortunately, you cannot transfer any Steam wallet funds back to external sources. Steam wallet credits can only be used to purchase items on Steam.
Q: Do external funds in my Steam wallet expire?
A: Your Steam wallet has no expiration date. External funds added to your Steam wallet will remain there until used to make purchases on Steam.
Q: How do I view my transaction history showing external funds?
A: You can see your full transaction history showing external funds added by going to your Account Details > View Transaction History.
Q: Can I export my Steam transaction history for records?
A: Yes, on your transaction history page, click the ‘Export Transaction History’ button to download your full transaction data to a CSV file.
Q: How can I see what was purchased using my external Steam wallet funds?
A: Check your Purchase History, accessible from your Account Details. Look for transactions with ‘Steam Wallet’ set as the payment method.
Q: Is there a way to tell Steam specifically which payment method to use for a purchase?
A: Unfortunately there is no way to select a specific payment method on Steam for individual transactions. It will automatically use your Steam wallet balance first before other methods.
Conclusion
Adding external funds is a handy way to supplement your Steam wallet balance for game and item purchases. Using your transaction and purchase history, you can easily track details on those external funds added and spent on Steam.
Reviewing this info can provide valuable insights into your Steam spending, help secure your account, clarify your purchases, and assist with customer support or taxes.
With many flexible external payment options from PayPal to gift cards, Steam makes it simple to integrate these other funding sources into your gaming budget. By managing your external funds smartly and taking advantage of Steam tools like transaction and purchase history, you can make the most of this useful feature.
Mustafa Al Mahmud is the founder and owner of Gizmo Concept, a leading technology news and review site. With over 10 years of experience in the tech industry, Mustafa started Gizmo Concept in 2017 to provide honest, in-depth analysis and insights on the latest gadgets, apps, and tech trends. A self-proclaimed “tech geek,” Mustafa first developed a passion for technology as a computer science student at the Hi-Tech Institute of Engineering & Technology. After graduation, he worked at several top tech firms leading product development teams and honing his skills as both an engineer and innovator. However, he always dreamed of having his own platform to share his perspectives on the tech world. With the launch of Gizmo Concept, Mustafa has built an engaged community of tech enthusiasts who look to the site for trusted, informed takes on everything from smartphones to smart homes. Under his leadership, Gizmo Concept has become a top destination for tech reviews, news, and expert commentary. Outside of running Gizmo Concept, Mustafa is an avid traveler who enjoys experiencing new cultures and tech scenes worldwide. He also serves as a tech advisor and angel investor for several startups. Mustafa holds a B.S. in Computer Science from HIET.