How to Gift in League of Legends

Last week, I tried to surprise my duo partner with the new Prestige K/DA Ahri skin. Simple, right? Wrong. After hitting every possible error message and waiting through mysterious “friend requirements,” I realized the League of Legends gifting system isn’t as straightforward as it seems. If you’re trying to send gifts in League of Legends and getting frustrated, you’re not alone.

The good news? Once you understand how the system works, gifting becomes easy. This guide breaks down everything: requirements, restrictions, common problems, and workarounds I’ve discovered through trial and error. No fluff, just what actually works.

How Does Gifting Work in League of Legends?

The LoL gifting system lets you send champions, skins, RP, and other content to friends on your list. Think of it as League’s way of letting you be Santa, except with more rules than the North Pole.

Here’s the basic flow: you pick a friend, choose what to gift, pay with your RP, and they get a notification. Sounds simple? It is, once you meet all the requirements. The tricky part is those requirements change based on what you’re gifting and where you’re playing from.

I learned this when I first started playing. My friend got me into League, and I wanted to return the favor by gifting him a skin for his main. Turns out, we hadn’t been friends long enough on the client. Seven days of waiting later, I finally sent that Yasuo skin. He still feeds with it, but at least he looks good doing it.

The system exists to prevent fraud, which makes sense. But it also means legitimate players jump through hoops just to be nice to their friends.

Gift Requirements: What You Need to Know

Before you can gift in League of Legends, both you and your friend need to meet specific criteria. Miss one requirement, and you’ll see that annoying grayed-out gift button.

Account Level Requirements:

• Level 10+ for skins, champions, and cosmetics
• Level 15+ for purchasing RP gift cards to give
• Both accounts need good standing (no bans or restrictions)

The level requirements make sense. Riot wants to ensure you’re invested in the game before you start throwing money around. But here’s what caught me off guard: the friend list waiting period.

Friend List Time Requirements:

• Standard regions: 7 days minimum
• Brazil and Turkey: 14 days minimum
• Timer resets if you remove and re-add someone
• Both accounts must be free from bans (including Instant Feedback System)

Yes, you read that right. If you accidentally unfriend someone or they unfriend you during a tilted moment, the timer starts over. I discovered this after a particularly bad ranked session where my friend rage-deleted me. We made up the next day, but had to wait another full week to exchange gifts.

Daily Limits:

• 10 content gifts per day (skins, champions, etc.)
• 5 RP gift purchases per day
• Limits apply to both sending and receiving
• Based on rolling 24-hour periods, not midnight resets

Your Honor Level also matters. If you’re sitting at Honor 0 or 1, you might face additional restrictions. Basically, Riot wants you to be a decent human before letting you spread joy through gifts.

Step-by-Step: How to Send a Gift

After checking you meet all requirements, you have two ways to send gifts in League. I’ve tested both extensively, and each has its perks.

Method 1: Through the Store

1. Open your League client
2. Click Store (the shopping cart icon)
3. Look for the gift box icon in the upper right
4. Select your friend from the dropdown
5. Choose what type of gift
6. Pick the specific item
7. Add a message if you want
8. Confirm and pay

Method 2: Social Panel (My Preference)

1. Right-click your friend’s name in the friends list
2. Select “Give Gift” from the menu
3. Choose your gift type
4. Select the item
5. Add your message
6. Complete purchase

Why do I prefer the social panel? It tells you immediately if someone’s ineligible. No navigating through the store just to find out you can’t gift them yet. Plus, it feels more personal, like you’re actually interacting with your friend rather than just shopping.

Pro tip: Always double-check the summoner name. I once gifted a skin to the wrong person because I had two friends with similar names. That random stranger probably wondered why they suddenly owned Battle Academia Ezreal.

What Can You Gift? (And What You Can’t)

Understanding what’s available for gifting saves time and disappointment. Trust me, I’ve tried to gift things that weren’t possible more times than I care to admit.

You CAN gift:

• Champions your friend doesn’t own
• Skins currently in the store
• Ward skins
• Summoner icons
• Hextech chests and keys
• Event passes and Battle Passes
• RP (not direct transfer)
• Gifting-specific event loot (when available)
• Rune Page

Mystery Gifts have special rules:

• Mystery Skins: Friend needs 10+ unowned skins available (worth 520+ RP)
• Mystery Champions: Friend needs 10+ unowned champions worth 520+ RP
• Only includes content worth 520+ RP

You CANNOT gift:

• Skins your friend already owns
• Achievement skins (Victorious, Honor rewards)
• PAX skins or other exclusive content
• Mythic Essence skins
• Blue or Orange Essence
• Items not currently in store rotation
• Chromas (except in bundles during events)

I learned about Mystery Gift requirements the hard way. Tried to send one to a friend who owned almost every skin for their champion pool. The system wouldn’t let me because they didn’t have enough eligible skins left. Now I always check their collection first.

Regional Differences and Common Issues

Not all servers play by the same rules. Regional differences in the League gifting system can catch you off guard if you’re not prepared.

Brazil’s Special Situation: Since August 2020, Brazil has operated under heavy restrictions. You can only purchase and send RP gift cards there, not skins or champions directly. This started due to currency manipulation exploits. A friend from Brazil explained how frustrating this is when they want to exchange skins with friends. No timeline exists for when normal gifting might return.

Turkey’s Extended Wait: Turkey requires 14 days of friendship before any gifting, double the standard wait time. This applies even if you’ve been friends for years but removed and re-added each other.

Common Problems I’ve Encountered:

1. “Temporarily ineligible” errors (usually resolves within 24 hours)
2. Payment declining despite valid card (try different payment method)
3. Friend not showing in gift list (check friendship duration)
4. Mystery gift failing (verify ownership requirements)

Recently, a widespread bug prevented gifting globally for about a week. The client showed everyone as “temporarily ineligible” regardless of how long you’d been friends. Riot fixed it silently, but it reminded me how fragile the system can be.

Regional Pricing and Gift Cards

Pricing varies significantly by region, and understanding this helps avoid surprises. Here’s what you need to know about RP gift card costs:

Gift Card Reality Check: Physical gift cards only work in US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. They’re region-locked hard. A US card won’t work on EU servers, period. I’ve seen people buy cards while traveling and get stuck with unusable codes.

Digital cards through Amazon work for US and Canada only. If you’re gifting internationally, buying region-appropriate gift cards is your only option.

Tips from My Experience

After years of gifting (and making mistakes), here’s what I’ve learned:

Best Practices:

1. Screenshot your gift before sending (proof if something goes wrong)
2. Gift during off-peak hours (fewer server issues)
3. Check “Your Shop” events for personalized deals
4. Never buy from third-party RP sellers

Safety First: Those “cheap RP” sites? They’re using stolen credit cards. Both sender and receiver get banned when Riot catches on. I’ve seen entire friend groups lose their accounts over discounted RP. Reports show that suspicious gifts worth $500+ can trigger automatic bans for both accounts involved. It’s not worth saving a few dollars.

Timing Matters: Events like Valentine’s Day bring back legacy skins temporarily. If your friend mains Heartseeker Ashe, that’s your window. Blue Essence Emporium happens twice yearly, perfect for gifting chromas and icons without spending RP.

Personal Touch: Always add a message when gifting. Even something simple like “for carrying me out of Bronze” makes it special. My favorite received gift came with “stop feeding on this champ at least look good doing it.” Harsh but fair.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

The League of Legends gift system seems complicated at first, but it’s manageable once you know the rules. Start with small gifts to test the system. Verify your friend meets requirements before getting excited about that ultimate skin surprise.

Remember, patience pays off. Those waiting periods exist for good reasons, even if they’re annoying. And always use official channels. Getting banned over discounted RP ruins more than just your gifting plans.

Got questions about specific situations? Drop them below. The League community’s pretty good about sharing workarounds and updates when things change. Happy gifting, and may your friends actually use those skins you send them!