Which cards exist, and what they really cost
Every PlayStation Store denomination on sale, split into digital codes and physical cards, so you can tell at a glance which one you can wrap and hand to somebody. Amazon sells these at face value, so the saving — where there is one — comes from the marketplace sellers further down.
Cards are locked to one country.
A card bought for Canada only redeems on an account
registered to Canada. It will not work on an account set
to another country, and the credit cannot be transferred afterwards. Check the country on the
account you are buying for, not the one you happen to be in.
Delivered by email, usually within minutes. The right choice for topping up your own account.
Posted to you. The only version you can wrap and hand to somebody.
Amazon sells these at face value.
A $50 card costs $50. That is normal for gift cards and not something we can find a way
around, so the reason to buy one here is trust and speed rather than a discount.
AmazonFace value, fast delivery, and the seller most people already have an account with.EnebaA marketplace, so credit is often a few percent under face value.PlayAsiaRegional cards for stores the other two do not cover.
Affiliate links. A card must match the country of the account you are topping up.
- Are PlayStation gift cards region locked?
- Yes, and this is the mistake worth avoiding. A card bought for one country only redeems on an account registered to that same country. A US card will not work on a UK or French account no matter where you are sitting, and the credit cannot be moved between accounts afterwards.
- Is a gift card ever cheaper than paying by card?
- The card itself almost always sells at face value on Amazon, so the saving is not there. Discounted PSN credit comes from marketplace sellers such as Eneba, and the discount is usually a few percent. The real reasons to use a card are gifting, spending without a payment method on file, and topping up a child account.
- Digital code or physical card?
- A digital code arrives by email in minutes and is the right choice for yourself. A physical card can be wrapped and handed over, which a code cannot, so it is the one to buy as a present. The credit is identical either way.
- Does the credit expire?
- PlayStation Store wallet funds do not expire once they are on the account. The card itself should still be redeemed reasonably promptly, and the terms printed on it are the ones that count.
Buying a game rather than credit? Compare the download against the disc on disc vs digital.
