How to Change Your Account Country to Redeem a Gift Card (and When You Can't)

Can I change my account's country? Summary by store

What counts is the country of your account, not where you are today. Every product page on TopPlayer.gg shows the card's region, so you can check it matches before you buy.

Before you change anything: three rules that apply almost everywhere

• Your balance doesn't travel with you. Google, Microsoft, Nintendo, Amazon and Razer all say a balance stays in the old country or must be spent first.
• There are waiting periods. Google Play asks you to wait 90 days between changes; Microsoft, Steam and Riot, three months or 90 days.
• The change is meant for people who move. Several stores require you to be in the new country or to pay with a local payment method. We don't recommend VPNs or addresses that aren't yours: they break the store's terms and can get the account blocked or the balance lost.

If you just want to use a card from another region, changing country is rarely worth it. It's better to buy the card that matches your account: see gift cards by region.

Google Play: change country only if you move

Google Play gift cards "are geo-restricted and can only be redeemed in the country of purchase", and Google adds that "to redeem a gift card, you must be present in the country where the gift card was purchased". A US card is for a US Google Play account used in the US; a euro card, for an account in the country it was sold for.

To change your Google Play country, Google sets these conditions:

• "You must be in that location and have a payment method from the new country or region."
• After the first change, "you must wait at least 90 days" before changing it again.
• "Your Google Play balance is linked to your Google Play country": you can't use it in the new country (it comes back if you switch back).
• You lose your Google Play Points and level, and if you're in a Google family group you can't change country.

Steps on Android: Play Store app, your profile icon, Settings, General, Account and device preferences, Country and profiles. The change can take up to 48 hours. Sources: Google Play: how to change your country and Google Play: problems with gift cards.

Apple / App Store: spend your balance and cancel subscriptions first

Apple gift cards only work in the country or region where they were bought: "if you bought an Apple Gift Card in France, you can't redeem it in the App Store in the United States." Our cards are US cards, for Apple Accounts set to the United States.

Before changing your Apple Account country, Apple asks you to:

• Spend any remaining Apple Account balance (if it's less than the price of an item, contact Apple Support).
• Cancel subscriptions that block the change and wait until they end; also wait for pre-orders, rentals and pending refunds.
• Possibly leave your Family Sharing group.
• Have "a valid payment method for your new country or region" and enter a billing address there.

Steps on iPhone or iPad: Settings, your name, Media & Purchases, Country/Region. On the web: account.apple.com, Personal Information, Country/Region. Sources: Apple: change your Apple Account country or region and Apple: if you can't redeem your gift card.

Microsoft / Xbox: possible, but the funds stay behind

An Xbox card must match the currency of your Microsoft account; otherwise you'll see "You need to use a code from your region". Microsoft does let you change your account's country or region, with these limits:

• "The funds in your Microsoft account will not move with you", and "we can't transfer money between regions". Spend your balance first.
• You can't change it if you already changed it in the last three months.
• Items and subscriptions such as Xbox Game Pass "might not work in another" region; Microsoft recommends changing only for a long-term move.

On Xbox: guide button, Profile & system, Settings, System, Language & location, choose the new location and restart. On the web: your Microsoft account, Your info, Edit profile info. Sources: Microsoft: change your country or region and Xbox: error XBOS3004.

Nintendo eShop: only with a zero balance

In the Americas, a Nintendo eShop card only works on accounts set to the same country, so our US cards are for US Nintendo accounts. In Europe, a card works in any country that uses the same currency, so a euro card works on accounts from any euro country without changing anything.

To change your Nintendo Account country: sign in on the Nintendo Account website, User Information, Edit in "Profile", choose the new Country/region of residence, save and confirm with I agree. Nintendo blocks the change while you have:

• An eShop balance: "you will need to spend the balance". The balance doesn't move to the new country.
• An active auto-renewal (Nintendo Switch Online, for example) or a pre-order that hasn't been released yet.

Supervised accounts for minors can't change country on their own: they follow the family group admin. Sources: Nintendo: how to change your account country, Nintendo: unable to change country due to eShop balance and Nintendo Americas: cards by country.

PlayStation: the region can't be changed

PlayStation is clear: "You can't change your account's country/region after your account has been created." And a voucher only works on an account from the same region. Our PlayStation Network cards are US cards, so they're only for US accounts.

If your account is from another country, there's no setting to change: buy a card for your account's country, or, if you've really moved, create a new account for the country where you live (your games and wallet don't move to it). You can check your account's country in Account Management, Your Information, Residential Address. Source: PlayStation: check your account's country/region.

Amazon: an Amazon.com card only works on amazon.com

Amazon.com gift cards can only be used "on www.amazon.com, or certain of its affiliated properties", and not at Amazon stores outside the United States (amazon.es, amazon.com.mx…). You don't need to change any country to use one: redeem it on an amazon.com account.

Amazon's "account country" (under Manage Your Content and Devices, Preferences, Country Settings) is for digital content such as Kindle or apps. If you change it, "Amazon Gift Card and promotional balances won't transfer. The balance remains available on your original Amazon marketplace", and Prime or Music Unlimited don't transfer either. Sources: Amazon.com gift card terms, Amazon: change your account country and Amazon: what's transferred.

Netflix: what matters is your bill's currency

Netflix says you can use "a gift card purchased in a different country", "as long as the gift card is in the same currency as your Netflix bill". Our cards are in US dollars: they work if your Netflix bill is in US dollars. They can't be used if you pay Netflix through Apple or through a package with another company.

The account country only changes if you move: cancel your account, wait for your membership to end and restart it, and "you must be in the country you moved to at the time you restart your account". The balance of an account paid with a gift card "is non-refundable and cannot be transferred". Sources: Netflix gift cards, Moving with Netflix and Netflix: account can't be used in this location.

Steam: you don't need to change anything to redeem a code

Steam wallet codes convert to your Steam Wallet currency when you redeem them, wherever they were bought, so a US or euro card works on any account. See gift cards by region.

Your store country is a different matter, and you can't change it whenever you like. Steam sets it with your first purchase, and you can only update it "when you complete your first purchase using a payment method from that country", "once every 3 months". And: "CD Keys and Steam Wallet Codes cannot be used to change your store country setting." Source: Steam: store country.

Razer Gold: the wallet region can't be changed

A Razer Gold PIN reloads wallets "in the same region they were purchased from". So a US PIN is for a US wallet, a Europe PIN for a Europe wallet, and a Global PIN for a Global wallet.

Razer Gold's help says that since 3 June 2024 it no longer changes the region of a wallet: if you chose the wrong region or moved, you have to create a new wallet in the right region, and balance can't be moved between wallets. The currency of a wallet can't be changed once set either. Sources: Razer Gold: help and Razer Gold PIN.

Roblox: no country change needed

Roblox says: "All Roblox codes can be redeemed worldwide. The value will automatically convert to your account's local currency upon redemption." So you don't need to change anything; redeem the card in a browser at roblox.com/redeem. More details in our Roblox gift card guide.

Riot (Valorant, League of Legends): region of residence and server

Riot prepaid codes are locked: "You can only redeem cash codes in the region where they were purchased." A US card is for an NA account, a Europe card for an EU account, and a LATAM card for a Latin America account. If you see "This Code is Not Valid in Your Region", the code doesn't match your account's server.

• Region of residence: it decides your server, payment methods and who you play with. Riot changes it with a self-service tool on its support site, if your account is eligible.
• Valorant: "you can only change your shard or Region of Residence to match your physical location", you can't change again for 90 days, and you lose the current ranked season progress, match history and purchase history.
• League of Legends: a server transfer costs 2600 RP, has a 90-day cooldown and can't be reversed or refunded.

Sources: Riot: prepaid cards and codes, Riot: change your region of residence, Valorant: account transfer and League of Legends: account transfer.

What about a VPN?

Some people use a VPN to appear to be in the card's country when they redeem it. We don't give step-by-step instructions, because it goes against the terms of Google, Apple, Riot and most stores, and it often doesn't work: Google also checks your payments profile and payment method, Apple asks for a payment method from the new country, Xbox requires the card's currency to match your account, and PlayStation doesn't allow any change.

• The risk is yours. The store can block the account or hold the balance you redeemed, and a revealed code can't be returned.
• A VPN doesn't change your account's country. The card still has to match the country and currency of your account.
• If the card doesn't work on your account, the safe solution is to buy the card for your account's region.

We do sell VPNs for their everyday uses, such as privacy, public Wi-Fi and travel: see the VPNs available on TopPlayer.

The simplest option: buy the card for your account's region

Changing country costs you your balance, waiting periods and often subscriptions, and many stores only allow it if you really live in the new country. If your account is fine as it is, choose the card for its region:

• Google Play, Apple, Xbox, Nintendo and PlayStation: check your account's country before buying.
• Amazon and Netflix: Amazon.com account or Netflix bill in US dollars.
• Steam and Roblox: they convert to your currency, any region works.
• Razer Gold and Valorant: same region as your wallet or server.

A revealed code can't be returned, so check the region before revealing it. If the code doesn't match the region shown on the product page, contact support and see our refund policy.