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    Don't tip streamers, don't top up games, and don't place orders on impulse

    • Moderate value
    • Evidence B
    • Saves money
    • Free
    • Takes minutes
    • Some willpower

    In plain words

    Domestic game players spend about 480 CNY a year each on games on average, and once spent it is basically not recoverable. The law only returns money that minors spent without their parents' consent, and there is no such provision for adults. The least effortful method is to set up defenses ahead of time: turn off password-free payment, set per-payment and daily limits, and unlink your payment methods.

    Cost

    Free. Spend a few minutes on three things: turn off password-free payment, set per-payment and daily limits, and delete the payment methods linked in the platform. The hard part is holding back in the moment from tapping.

    What you get

    This is a large expense. In 2024, actual sales revenue of China's game market was 325,783,000,000 (3257.83亿) CNY, with 674,000,000 (6.74亿) users, about 480 CNY per person (calculated by dividing the two numbers before it). Money spent is basically not recoverable. There is only one exception: for tips and top-ups made by a person with limited capacity for civil conduct (here meaning a minor) without the guardian's consent, when the guardian asks for a refund, "the people's court shall support it." There is no such provision for adults' own tips and top-ups. Also, minors may play online games only on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays, for 1 hour a day from 20:00 to 21:00 (China, 2020 and 2021)

    Notes

    Rated B because no one has directly measured "how much you save by not tipping," and all we have is industry-wide totals for games. The two tricks of turning off password-free payment and setting limits are practical experience, and on their own they would rate C. The text of Articles 19 and 145 of the Civil Code (民法典) is quoted word for word in §5.9 (children's phone top-ups and tips). This is not investment advice. If a spouse makes large tips behind your back with shared money, see §10.22 (tipping streamers).

    Evidence grade
    B : Supported by research but without a precise number, or based on small or single studies.
    Sources
    1. National Press and Publication Administration (2024). China's Game Market Revenue Exceeds 325.7 Billion Yuan This Year, a Record High [in Chinese] (from the 2024 China Game Industry Report by the Game Publishing Committee of the China Audio-video and Digital Publishing Association). https://www.nppa.gov.cn/xxfb/ywdt/202412/t20241216_877445.html
    2. Supreme People's Court (2020). Guiding Opinions (II) on Properly Handling Civil Cases Related to the COVID-19 Epidemic in Accordance with the Law [in Chinese] (Fa Fa [2020] No. 17, §5.9). https://www.court.gov.cn/zixun/xiangqing/230181.html
    3. National Press and Publication Administration (2021). Notice on Further Strictly Managing and Effectively Preventing Minors from Becoming Addicted to Online Games [in Chinese] (Guo Xin Chu Fa [2021] No. 14). https://www.nppa.gov.cn/xxfb/tzgs/202108/t20210830_666285.html

    Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 5, tip 8. This section is about money and spending. It is general information, not financial or investment advice. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer