Navagon: Debit cards simply aren't an option. I doubt that there would be any security concerns if you're using a suitably protected site though.

Navagon: Despite the alternatives provided, Paypal is really the only way you can buy from GOG. Credit card companies don't like the fact that GOG has split its operations across Europe and they still manage to mistake it for a scam... two years later.

Debit cards simply aren't an option. I doubt that there would be any security concerns if you're using a suitably protected site though.

MaxWilco: I love GOG.com. The site has provided me and countless others with a wide catalog of classic games, and despite the controversy over the shift out of the beta, I still support the site.

However, the one problem I've had with GOG is with purchasing products.

The majority of the games that I've bought on GOG have been purchased with the use of gift cards. It was convenient for me to do so since I could just put twenty or thirty dollars on a card, go home, register the card, and buy games on GOG.

However, there were a few instances in which I bought cards, but when I tried to make purchases on GOG, the transaction would be declined. The reason was that certain gift cards are limited to only making purchases in the U.S., and since GOG is located in Poland, the cards will not accept the orders . After purchasing a few cards that had that issue, I took precaution when choosing a card, and I stuck to buying a certain type of Visa card, which always worked, up until today.

When I visited the site this morning, I saw the 'Community Favorites" sales, and I found a couple of games that I had been thinking about buying. However, when I tried to buy them , my card was declined. At first, I thought it might have been something that had been changed at GOG when they shifted out of beta. However, after checking the online Terms and Conditions for my gift card, I found that they had changed, and foreign transactions were no longer allowed. Needless to say, I was frustrated, mainly because the little money I had left on the card was now useless on GOG.

Now I'm sure a lot of you are reading this in thinking, "Why not just use a credit card?" Well the problem is that I don't have a job, and if you don't have a job, you can't get a credit card. I am searching for a job, but even if I was able to get a credit card, I would be skeptical of using one, since I worry that I may end up charging too much onto the card, and ending up in serious debt. On top of that, I'd rather make purchases with money that I actually have.

So the next thing you'd say is, "Then why not use a debit card?" I do have a debit card, and I could afford to buy a couple of games. However, the problem is with using a debit card to make online purchases. When you buy anything online, there's always the chance that someone could possibly hack or intercept you card information. Now if you're using a credit card, it's safer, since you can always contact your credit card company and debate any charges that you did not make. However, if someone intercepts your debit card information, they could drain out your entire checking account.

"So why not get another gift card that allows international transactions?" Well, I could do that. The problem is that I can't transfer the money off of the card that I've got onto another, so I'll have to take more money out of my wallet to do that, and I rather not.

So many of you are now asking, "Why are you complaining on the GOG forums? Why not complain to Visa, or the gift card distributors?" Well it is true that the gift cards are my main gripe. However, I'm somewhat sure that there are others have had issue with this, and I wanted to share my feelings in hope that someone will offer their thoughts on the subject or solutions.

I'm not asking for GOG to move their operations to the U.S., but I would like it if there was a way to make purchases that didn't involve international transactions. I don't know if that's possible, but it would make things a bit easier.

KavazovAngel: I'm using a Visa Electron debit card to purchase from here. It works just fine. Different banks / countries work differently I guess. He can try, at least. ;)

iskai: I only ever buy using a Debit card and have never had any problem. PayPal is appalling and should be avoided.

Navagon: Paypal is appalling. Avoiding it isn't always easy though. Especially when credit cards tend to be the only alternative... and tend to be worse.

stonebro: Don't put any excessive funds into the account and PayPal is OK for things like buying GOGs every now and them.

I wouldn't trust them with any amount of money exceeding 20 bucks though. They have an affinity for closing down accounts and keeping the money for undisclosed reasons.

Foxhack: Whereas Steam won't let me use it because my IP doesn't match my address. Bleh.

bansama: If it really bothers you

bansama: If it really bothers you, contact Steam Support and they can sort that out for you -- at least for your next purchase. When it comes to you not being able to give them money, they tend to bend over backwards to help you (probably even faster than dealing with phished accounts). It's just in all over areas of (non-money making) support that they truly suck.