Hey everyone! I’m currently living in Italy but I’m originally from Brazil, and I’ve been dreaming about getting a Steam Deck since we can’t buy them back home. The issue is that when I tried changing my account’s region to Italy, I got hit with a message saying I need a local payment method. Since I don’t have one, I reached out to Steam support for help, but they told me to buy a game in Euros first. I really didn’t want to spend money on a random game just to switch regions, and I’m reluctant to ask someone with an Italian account for help buying one for me. I’ve already gotten 3-4 negative responses from Steam support, which has me questioning whether I should even go through with buying a Steam Deck if this is the level of support I’m getting. Also, I use WISE bank here in Italy, but it’s an international account, so Steam won’t accept it for purchases. Any advice?
3 Answers
As a Brazilian myself, I went through a similar path! I created a new Steam account with a Canadian region and bought my Steam Deck there. It was super straightforward, and I linked my main account afterward. I called my other account ‘steam deck for hendrickx’ since it was solely for that purpose.
Considering your situation, I’d suggest making a new Steam account. This way, you won’t lose your Brazilian game prices, and switching back might be less of a hassle. Just make sure you understand the potential loss of rewards or warranty issues with the Steam Deck if you do this.
I get where you’re coming from! When I had a similar issue, I bought the cheapest game available in the store with my foreign credit card, and surprisingly, it worked for me. After that, I had no problems buying a Steam Deck! You might want to give that a shot.
Thanks for the suggestion! I’m really hoping I can find a cheap game that works. If I manage to switch my region, I’ll definitely update you!
I thought about that, too! But I’m a bit worried about missing out on rewards or warranty stuff. I guess if I need to switch back, I could just wait out the cooldown.