{"rewrite":{"id":"r_65d5ed6d73471a34d19c864d","clusterId":"c_14546b5dd71c72b49003323a","slug":"valve-adds-six-month-expiry-to-steam-wallet-funds-in-japan","model":"deepseek-v4-1-flash","headline":"Valve Adds Six Month Expiry To Steam Wallet Funds In Japan","summary":"Valve revised the Steam Subscriber Agreement for Japan on April 20, adding a clause that funds added to the Steam Wallet expire if unused within 6 months of the date of addition. The change appears tied to Japanese prepaid payment rules that exempt instruments with a 6 month expiration. Credits are sold from 500 yen, and it is unclear whether existing balances are covered or when the display will appear.","whyItMatters":"The clause likely exists to keep Valve outside the prepaid instrument deposit obligation that would otherwise require reserving half of unused balances above a 10 million yen threshold.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe agreement text as of October 9 states the expiry under a section titled \u0026#34;Customers located in Japan.\u0026#34; Valve has not said whether credits charged before the April 20 revision are covered, or whether the six months runs from the charge date or from the revision date. The agreement says the expiry and balance can be checked from the Steam Wallet in a Steam account, but the display could not be found at present. If the revision date is the reference point, affected balances would begin expiring on the 20th of this month.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Valve's 6 month expiry puts unused Steam Wallet credit in Japan on a clock, but Valve has not said whether balances already sitting in accounts are covered. That gap decides how many users are affected and when they find out.","twitterPost":"The 6 month clock on Steam Wallet funds in Japan is clear. Whether credit already loaded in accounts is covered is not, and Valve has not said when it will show.","threadsPost":"Valve's new Japan clause gives Steam Wallet credit a 6 month shelf life, but two details are still open: whether money already in user accounts is covered, and when the expiry will be visible. Those determine who loses yen versus who just sees a timer.","newsletterBlurb":"Valve updated the Steam Subscriber Agreement on April 20, adding a Japan-specific clause that Steam Wallet funds expire if unused within six months. The language appears aimed at a prepaid instrument exemption, but Steam has not explained how it applies to existing balances or where the expiry date is displayed. If the revision date counts as the start, some credits expire from the 20th of this month.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Automaton\",\"url\":\"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20261009-472868/\",\"title\":\"Credits added to Steam Wallet actually expire if not used within '6 months'; Valve quietly updated the 'Steam Subscriber Agreement' for Japan\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4466,"outputTokens":548,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1791550328,"createdAt":"2026-10-09T12:46:46.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-10-09T12:51:05.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-09T12:51:05.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_14546b5dd71c72b49003323a","canonicalTitle":"Steamウォレットに追加したクレジット、実は“6か月以内”に使わないと消える。Valveが日本向け「Steam利用規約」をひっそり更新していた","representativeArticleId":"a_eb4f533cd9f7584a4f81d1d3","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Steam\"],\"studios\":[\"Valve\"],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-10-09T11:56:33.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-10-09T11:56:33.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-09T12:51:06.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Automaton","url":"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20261009-472868/","title":"Steamウォレットに追加したクレジット、実は“6か月以内”に使わないと消える。Valveが日本向け「Steam利用規約」をひっそり更新していた"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Steam"],"studios":["Valve"],"people":[],"type":"news","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}