Does Steam Refund Subscriptions?

Steam offers refunds for subscriptions under certain conditions, allowing users to request a refund within 48 hours of the initial purchase or any automatic renewal, provided the subscription has not been used during the current billing cycle. Valve, the company behind Steam, has a refund policy in place to ensure that users can easily manage their subscriptions and purchases, and the refund process is relatively straightforward.

Understanding Steam Refund Policy

To provide more insight into Steam’s refund policy, we’ve compiled a list of frequently asked questions that address various aspects of refunds, subscriptions, and purchases on the platform.

Refund FAQs

1. Can I get a refund for a renewable subscription on Steam?: Yes, you can request a refund within 48 hours of the initial purchase or any automatic renewal, provided the subscription has not been used during the current billing cycle.
2. Does Steam refund everything?: Valve will issue a refund for any title that is requested within 14 days of purchase and has been played for less than 2 hours.
3. How do I cancel a subscription on Steam?: You can visit Account Details to edit your payment method or cancel a subscription at any time, and your cancelled subscription will remain active until the paid plan expires.
4. Does Steam refund pre-orders?: You can refund your pre-order any time prior to the release of the game, but if the pre-order title was purchased more than 3 months ago, you may not be able to refund back to your original payment method.
5. What happens if I cancel a purchase on Steam?: Steam will use the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction unless you have expressly agreed otherwise, or your original payment method does not technically support the refund.
6. Is a Steam purchase permanent?: Any game you buy on Steam stays with your account until eternity, and you can download it, delete it, and reinstall it as many times as you want.
7. How long does it take for Steam to refund?: Approved refunds can take up to 7 days to appear in your account, but refunds to international payment methods may take longer.
8. Why won’t Steam refund my pre-order?: You may not be able to refund a pre-order if it was purchased more than 3 months ago, but you may still request a credit to your Steam Wallet.
9. Can I cancel a Steam buy order?: Yes, you can cancel any of your active buy orders from the Steam Community Market.
10. Can I cancel a subscription payment?: Most credit card companies and banks will allow you to revoke authorization or request a stop payment order to prevent a recurring payment that hasn’t been processed yet.
11. How do I politely cancel a subscription?: You can contact the company providing the service and request to cancel your subscription, providing your account details and confirmation of the cancellation.
12. Can I cancel a subscription transaction?: You should contact the merchant in writing and tell them to cancel both the service and the charges to your account.
13. How generous is Steam refund?: The average indie game on Steam usually has a refund rate of around 10-12%, and for your first indie game on Steam, it’s expected you’ll have a refund rate of around 15-18%.
14. Does Steam refund stolen items?: Steam Support does not restore lost items, as they often exchange hands multiple times before a restoration request, and this means they cannot be restored without duplicating them or removing them from another innocent user’s inventory.
15. What does Steam refund do?: You can refund a game purchased on Steam if you request the refund within 2 weeks of purchase, and have played the game for less than 2 hours total, and when your game is refunded, it will be removed from your Steam library, and you’ll receive the full value of your purchase back.