How to Block In-Game Purchases and Store Spending on Consoles

One saved payment card and a few excited button presses can turn into a very expensive afternoon. In-game coins, battle passes, and skin bundles are designed to be bought fast, often faster than a child understands what they cost.

The good news is that every major console lets you block spending properly. You can require a password for every purchase, set child spending to zero, or remove payment methods from child accounts completely.

This guide covers PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch, plus in-game stores inside titles like Fortnite and Roblox. Use all the layers that apply to your home, not just one.

Quick Answer

Remove payment cards from child accounts, set their monthly spending limit to zero in family settings, and require a password or passkey for every store purchase on adult accounts. On PlayStation, use Family Management spending limits and Require Password at Checkout. On Xbox, use family spending controls and Require Passkey for purchases. On Nintendo Switch, restrict eShop purchases in parental controls and require a password on the adult account.

How Console Spending Actually Happens

• Console store purchases: Games, add-ons, and subscriptions bought in the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, or Nintendo eShop.
• In-game currency: Coins bought with real money, then spent inside the game. The playful currency name makes the second step feel free.
• Direct in-game purchases: Some games sell bundles for real money without store currency.
• Subscriptions: Services and passes that renew automatically until cancelled.
• Wallet funds: Gift card credit sits in a wallet and can be spent without a card, so it still needs a limit.

Blocking only the console store is not enough. A child might still spend wallet funds inside a game, or an old subscription might keep renewing. The safest setup blocks spending at the account level, the store level, and inside big games.

Block Spending on PlayStation 5 and PS4

Set a Child Spending Limit to Zero

1. Go to Settings, then Family and Parental Controls, then Family Management.
2. Select the child’s account and choose Parental Controls, then Monthly Spending Limit.
3. Set the limit to 0.00, or a small amount if you allow pocket-money spending.
4. Confirm with your account password. The child cannot raise this limit.

With a zero limit, the child can still download free games and use items an adult bought for them, but they cannot complete a paid purchase even if wallet funds exist. That matters, because birthday gift card money often sits in the wallet.

Require a Password for Adult Purchases

1. Go to Settings, then Users and Accounts, then Payment and Subscriptions.
2. Turn on Require Password at Checkout.
3. Remove saved cards you do not need under Payment Methods.
4. Set a sign-in passcode on the adult profile itself.

Sony details these tools in its PlayStation support guide to wallet funds and spending limits for family accounts. Also audit subscriptions under Payment and Subscriptions, Subscriptions, and turn off auto-renew for anything your family no longer uses.

Block Spending on Xbox

Turn On Ask to Buy

1. As the organiser, open Settings, then Account, then Family Settings.
2. Select the child’s profile and open the spending or privacy settings.
3. Turn on Ask a Parent or Ask to Buy for store purchases. Requests come to you to approve or decline.
4. In the Microsoft Family website or Xbox Family Settings app, set the child’s spending limit and remove free ability to add funds.
5. Confirm the child account has no payment card saved in its own billing page.

Require a Passkey for Adult Purchases

1. Go to Settings, then Account, then Sign-in, Security and Passkey.
2. Create a passkey if you do not have one.
3. Choose Passkey Required for purchases and for changing settings.
4. Avoid Instant Sign-in with No Barriers on a shared family console.

Microsoft explains the approval flow in its Xbox guide to requiring adult approval for child purchases in the Microsoft Store. Test it by trying a purchase from the child profile. You should get an approval request, not a completed sale. For the full family app setup, see our complete guide to setting up parental controls on Xbox.

Block Spending on Nintendo Switch

1. Open the Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app and pair it with the console.
2. In Restriction Level or Custom Settings, restrict Spending in Nintendo eShop and purchases for the child.
3. On the adult account, open the eShop account menu and set password entry so a password is required for purchases and for opening the eShop.
4. Remove saved card information from adult accounts on the shared console, or require the card security code for every purchase.
5. Check the family group on the Nintendo Account website and confirm children are supervised accounts with the adult as admin.

Supervised accounts for younger children cannot make some purchases at all by design, which is Nintendo’s strongest protection. If your child has a standard account with an adult birth date, fix the account type first. No toggle can match a proper supervised account.

Block Purchases Inside Individual Games

Fortnite and Epic Games

Set an Epic Parental Controls PIN on the child’s Epic account, require the PIN for purchases, and review Cabined Account status for younger players, which limits spending and communication by default. Check these settings in the Epic account and inside Fortnite itself.

Roblox

In Roblox, open Settings, then Parental Controls on the child’s account. Set a monthly spend limit for Robux, turn on spend notifications to the parent email, and set an Account PIN so the child cannot change the controls. Roblox spending can sit outside the console store, so this layer is essential.

Other games with shops, including Minecraft, EA Sports FC, Call of Duty, and Genshin Impact, follow the same pattern. Find Parental Controls or Account inside the game, set a PIN, and cap or block real-money purchases. Spend ten minutes in your child’s top three games, because that is where money usually goes.

Safer Money Habits for the Whole Family

• Remove saved cards: If a card does not need to be on the console, delete it. Entering details fresh for rare adult purchases is a small price for safety.
• Use small gift cards as an allowance: A fixed card gives a clear budget with a hard end. When it runs out, spending stops.
• Turn on purchase emails: Make sure receipts go to an email the organiser reads. Check spam once and mark receipts as safe.
• Set bank alerts: Most banks can send a phone alert for any card payment, so you catch mistakes the same day.
• Review history monthly: Each platform has a transaction history page. A two-minute check finds forgotten subscriptions early.

If an unauthorised purchase has already happened, act quickly. Do not spend the in-game currency, keep the receipt, and contact platform support for a refund. All three platforms consider child purchase requests, especially a first incident, but none guarantee a refund. Prevention is far more reliable.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Only setting a store password: Wallet funds can bypass a simple password in some flows. Pair it with a zero child limit.
• Letting a child use an adult account: Adult accounts skip almost every spending control.
• Saving the card after one purchase: Stores often pre-tick save this card. Remove the card right after in payment settings.
• Forgetting subscriptions: One forgotten auto-renewing pass can cost more in a year than one big purchase.
• Sharing your PIN: A code your child watched you type is not a control. Change codes children may have seen.
• Skipping in-game shops: Console blocks do not cover every Roblox or Epic setting. Check main games individually.

Conclusion

Blocking spending works best in layers: no card on child accounts, a zero or low limit in family settings, a password or passkey on adult purchases, and PIN protection inside the games your children play most.

Set the layers up today, test a purchase from the child profile yourself, and review receipts and subscriptions each month. That routine turns a surprise bill into a problem your family simply does not have.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can my child play games I buy if their spending limit is zero?

Yes. A zero limit blocks the child from buying, not from playing. An adult can buy the game and the child can download and play it normally, including many free games and add-ons.

Will removing my card stop a subscription renewing?

Not always. Services may use wallet funds or a backup method. Cancel the subscription itself in the subscriptions menu instead of relying on removing the card.

What is the safest way to let my child buy small items?

Use ask-to-buy approval or a small monthly limit with a low-value gift card. The child spends within a fixed pot and an adult sees every purchase. Avoid giving direct access to a saved bank card.

My child spent money without permission. Can I get a refund?

Contact platform support quickly, keep the receipt, and do not use the purchased currency or items. PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo review child purchase requests case by case, with a first fast-reported incident most likely to be approved.

Do these settings also block free downloads?

No. Spending controls target paid purchases. To control free downloads by age, set content and age filters in parental controls, which block games above the chosen rating whether free or paid.