Steam - Cheap Shopping Via VPN Will be More Difficult
Steam has changed the payment system. From now on, purchases must be finalized by the local payment method. The move may be part of the fight against buying cheaper games from other regions through VPN.
- Steam is changing the rules for buying games, now the payment must come from our region of residence;
- The new rules are intended to make it more difficult for "clever" players to take advantage of reduced game prices offered by Steam in some regions.
Steam has made changes to the shopping system. Transactions must be finalized using the local (region-specific) payment method. Such a requirement may be dictated by the fight against buying cheaper games from economic zones. From now on it may be almost impossible to quickly "change" our place of residence using VPN to buy a game cheaper.
Here's information provided by Steam Database:
Similar information can be found on Steam's user support. There is now a requirement to complete the transaction using a local method, according to our region of residence.
This is likely to make it more difficult for some users to take advantage of the price differences of games between regions. Steam offers many cheap titles in less affluent markets (e.g. Russia, Argentina). Such a clever purchase consisted of changing the region when buying and hiding one's real location through a VPN connection. Of course the description is very general, in fact it was more complicated. Now it has been made even more difficult because local payment is also required.
However, the changed rules raise some doubts. Such may be the case for residents of countries that do not have a payment system accepted by Steam. For them "clever" shopping was the only option. Also frequent travelers may now experience some difficulties. However, it is hard to blame Valve, rather than various weasels, for taking advantage of lower prices in less prosperous regions for their own benefit.
