How credit-card age verification works

Debit and gift cards are excluded. Card storage is optional when adding it as a payment method.

Bluesky’s post names “credit card verification and face scans” through Epic Games’ Kids Web Services and gives no retention line. KWS’s own developer page: “Stripe (stripe.com) verifies credit card details.” and, for the UK, “KWS authorizes a £0.05 charge” that is not withdrawn. Debit cards are listed as unavailable in the United Kingdom.

Discord’s page: “What’s actually available to you depends on factors such as your region or device, so the options below may not be the same for everyone.”

Discord’s page: “A small temporary charge (under $0.50 USD) may be placed to confirm your card is valid and will be fully refunded within 14 business days. Stripe retains limited financial records, as required by financial regulations, but this information isn’t shared with Discord.” Only credit cards are accepted; debit and prepaid cards are not eligible.

This statement covers the bladed-product credit-card check only.

Credit cards only in the UK; KWS’s page lists debit-card verification as unavailable in the United Kingdom.

Epic’s Parental Verification FAQ: “placing an authorization or small refundable charge on a credit card”. Kids Web Services’ developer page: “Stripe (stripe.com) verifies credit card details.” and “For users outside the United States, KWS authorizes a small charge in the local currency but does not withdraw the money from their credit card. For example, KWS authorizes a £0.05 charge for users in the United Kingdom.” Debit cards: “Worldwide except in Belarus, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.”

Google’s page: “You won’t be charged to verify your age.” “This authorization happens so Google can make sure the card is valid.” “An authorization may stay in your account for 1 to 14 business days depending on your bank.”

Availability varies by jurisdiction; the recorded FAQ does not confirm which methods UK viewers receive.

Card details are processed by Stripe. Kick's FAQ: “neither k-ID nor Stripe stores this information after it is validated.” A small charge may appear and is refunded within 1 to 14 business days.

Riot: adult verification is required “in some regions”; the regions are not listed and the UK is not named.

Riot: “To prove that you are an adult, you must submit information like a credit card or government ID that will be processed through Kids Web Services (KWS), a third-party service.” Riot’s page does not state whether a charge or authorisation is made. The retention quotation is from KWS’s own privacy policy, not a Riot page.

Valve’s own support page: “Your UK Steam user account is considered age verified for as long as a valid credit card is stored on the account.”, “Unfortunately, debit cards do not qualify for age assurance purposes as these can be issued to minors.” and “Valve handles the verification process using its own internal payment processing system, which is independently certified under the PCI-DSS standard.” For some cards a £1 authorisation shows that Steam does not collect. The page publishes no retention period; the card stays stored on the account as a payment method.

Not listed on Microsoft’s current age-assurance FAQ (24 August 2026); the July 2025 announcement is the only source for this method.

Listed in the July 2025 Xbox Wire announcement (“mobile provider check, and credit card check”). Microsoft’s age-assurance FAQ dated 24 August 2026 (read 18 October 2026) lists only facial age estimation, document upload and a government-system login for Singapore; it does not list this method. The Xbox Wire page names no vendor.

Google’s page: “You won’t be charged to verify your age.” and “This is an authorization request, and not a charge.”