Why we use this process
In the UK, Ofcom is the independent regulator for online safety. Ofcom’s guidance on the OSA states that one highly effective age assurance measure is credit card checks. This is because, in the UK, an individual must be at least 18 years of age to obtain a credit card, therefore credit card issuers are obliged to verify the age of an applicant before providing them with a credit card.
Having the credit card stored as a payment method acts as an additional deterrent against circumventing age verification by sharing a single Steam user account among multiple persons.
Privacy and security
Among all age assurance mechanisms reviewed by Valve, this process preserves the maximum degree of user privacy.
The data processed in the verification process is identical to that of the millions of other Steam users who make purchases or store their payment details for convenience. The verification process therefore provides no information about a user's content preferences to payment providers or other third parties.
Valve handles the verification process using its own internal payment processing system, which is independently certified under the PCI-DSS standard.
To find out more about our privacy practices, please see our
privacy policy
Contesting an incorrect age assurance status
Should you be unable to register your credit card on Steam, please contact your local bank. Our data minimal approach means that we typically do not have insight into reasons why a given credit card use fails. However, should you not be able to resolve such an issue with your bank, please open a
Steam Support ticket.
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