G2A Creates Controversy by Charging Users With an Inactivity Fee

One of G2A's payment policies that charges users who have inactive accounts recently created controversy from account holders who are being fined for not logging in.

G2A is a digital marketplace where players can buy and sell game keys for products across different platforms. People with G2A accounts recently got emails from its payment branch, G2A Pay, that told them they'd be receiving a charge of one euro for not logging into their accounts after a set number of days. Discussions regarding the inactivity fee originated from a post on Reddit where a user submitted an image of an email they'd received which explained how the fee worked.

Why the hell am I being charged for not logging in? from r/assholedesign

"After the 180 days have passed, you will be charged a €1 inactivity and will continue to be charged €1 for each additional month during which you do not log in," the email from G2A Pay said. "The funds will be taken from you [sic] G2A Wallet."

With nearly 40,000 upvotes pushing the post up into the public view, a response which allegedly came from G2A Pay gave some insight into the fee. The response came from an account called G2APayOfficial, but it's worth pointing out that the account is quite new and G2A already operated under a different account, though not one that was attributed to the G2A Pay system.

"It costs money to upkeep accounts (IT infrastructure, server maintenance, etc.) and if someone does not use the account, it doesn't make sense to upkeep it," the response from the new account said. "We don't require these users to buy anything, just log in at least once every 6 months, just so that we know they are still with us. As a financial institution we are also monitored, supervised, and audited and have to back up and explain all our accounts and the funds stored on these accounts. Once an account may be considered 'abandoned,' we take certain steps to make sure we are in line with all regulations, jurisdictions and laws."

In a response shared by the known G2A account within a separate post, it was confirmed that the inactivity fee would only be taken from G2A Wallet funds and wouldn't come from any other payment methods.

G2A's business practices have come under fire in the past due for allegedly ignoring the fact that fraudulent and stolen game keys pass through its marketplace. Gearbox Publishing and G2A also infamously clashed amid some of these issues, the disagreements resulting in Gearbox severing ties with the marketplace.