Frequently Asked Questions for the Paid Character Transfer Service in the United States (North Amaerica and Oceanic realms).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Paid Character Transfer feature?
The paid character transfer feature allows you to move characters to other realms and even from one account where you are the subscriber to another account where you are the subscriber, subject to certain restrictions. The cost of each paid character transfer is $25.00 USD per character. Currently we only accept payment by credit card (American Express, Discover, Mastercard, and Visa) for these transactions.
Why am I unable to transfer to or from a specific realm?
A realm may not be an eligible destination for a variety of reasons, including:
- The realm is full or densely populated at this time.
- It has been fewer than 180 days since the realm was launched
- You are attempting to transfer from a PvE (normal) realm to a PvP realm. Characters currently located on PvE realms are only eligible to move to other PvE realms.
- There might be an upcoming free character migration to or from this realm.
The aforementioned restrictions may also apply to the eligibility of source realms. Keep in mind that we are constantly evaluating these populations and availability may change without notice. An updated list of currently eligible realms can be found here.
Please note that Blizzard reserves the right to disable paid character transfers to or from any realm at its own discretion.
Some other realms seem to meet the criteria, but mine does not. Why?
Blizzard monitors numerous factors contributing to individual realm availability. While two realms may appear to be the same from a playability perspective, there may be some technical reasons why we are unable to implement transfers to certain realms at certain times.
Blizzard's goal is always to allow you the widest selection of destinations and to ultimately get you where you want to be. Part of this process means we must ensure the stability of all realms along the way.
Does this mean I can now transfer my characters to any realm I want?
While this new feature allows a much greater degree of freedom than past realm-to-realm migrations, there are still some restrictions for paid character transfers, which include the following:
Account Restrictions:
- Transfers between accounts can be done only if you are the subscriber on both accounts.
- Trial accounts are not eligible to send or receive characters. To remove this restriction please upgrade to a paid account.
- Characters may not be transferred to or from a locked, suspended, or banned account.
- Customers with expansion accounts cannot transfer characters to a non-expansion account. The reverse is accepted.
Standard Restrictions:
- A character's mailbox and auctions must be completely clear before that character can be transferred.
- A character that is the leader of a guild may not be transferred as long as he/she remains the leader. If you wish to transfer a character that is currently a guild leader you must transfer leadership to another member or disband your guild.
Character Restrictions:
- Every character to be transferred has to be at least level 10.
- Characters carrying too much gold are not eligible for transfer, as follows:
- Level 10-30: 300 gold limit
- Level 31-50: 1000 gold limit
- Level 51+: 5000 gold limit
- An individual character may only be transferred once every three months.
Realm Restrictions:
- Characters on a realm that is not on the Eligible Source list cannot be moved to another realm.
- However, a character on a realm that is not listed as an eligible source can still be transferred from one account to another, as long as the character remains on the same realm (see elsewhere in this FAQ for information and restrictions on account-to-account transfers).
- Realms listed on the Ineligible Destination list cannot receive characters from another realm.
- However, a character on an ineligible destination realm can be transferred from one account to another and remain on the same realm (see elsewhere in this FAQ for information and restrictions on account-to-account transfers).
- You may transfer characters from PvP to PvE realms, but transfers from PvE to PvP realms are not allowed.
- Transfers from PvP to PvP realms are only possible if there is no faction violation. That is, if you already have a character on your desired destination PvP realm, then you will not be able to transfer any characters of the opposing faction to this realm.
- You may only transfer characters to a realm as long as you will not exceed the maximum of ten characters per realm at your destination once the transfer is complete.
- Realms that frequently have queues and/or regularly show a high concurrency may be taken off the list of eligible destination realms to prevent overpopulating realms through character transfers.
Please be aware that after logging out of World of Warcraft, a character will not be available for the paid character transfer service for up to 20 minutes.
My realm is an RP realm; how does that affect the PvP / PvE restriction?
The RP (Role-playing) tag has no effect on transfer restrictions. If your RP realm is marked as "RP-PvP," then it counts as a PvP realm. If you are on a realm marked only as "RP," it counts as a normal PvE realm. The standard restrictions apply.
Will I be able to transfer between Oceanic and non-Oceanic realms?
The classification of a realm as "Oceanic" only refers to the realm’s local time settings. This classification will not affect your ability to transfer characters to or from that realm, although the realms may be restricted for other reasons (as mentioned above).
How do I transfer one of my characters to another realm?
Simply log on to the Account Management section, click the Paid Character Transfer button, and follow the on-screen instructions. During the process you will be asked for your credit card information. Please note that this is for verification purposes only. Your credit card will not be billed until you have completed the paid character transfer process.
Once you have entered the necessary information and confirmed the transfers you will receive a confirmation email. Also, the characters you signed up for transfers will be unavailable until the process finishes, which should take no more than 5 days. When the transfer has finished, you will receive another email with instructions on how to complete the process. Follow these instructions, and your characters will be available and ready to play on the new realm.
I signed a character up for a realm transfer, but it’s still on the old realm and I can't play with this character anymore. What's going on?
Character transfers may take up to 5 days to process. You won't be able to play the characters you signed up for a transfer during that time, so you may want to spread out your transfers so that not all your characters are locked at the same time. Once you've completed the transfer process as described above, your characters will appear on the destination realm, ready to continue your adventure.
I get an error message saying that my character still has items in his mailbox and therefore cannot be transferred, but my mailbox is empty.
If you see this error message even after you've cleared out your mailbox, then this probably means that you still have inbound mail that hasn't arrived yet. Some quests generate mail to your character, or perhaps someone sent you a package that just hasn't arrived yet. Simply wait until the mail arrives, clear your mailbox, and try again. Contact the in-game support if the problem persists.
Why can’t I transfer a character immediately after logging out of the game?
After logging out of World of Warcraft, no character(s) will be available for transfer for up to 20 minutes. After being offline for 20 minutes, players can begin the paid character transfer process.
What if my character's name is already taken on the destination realm?
In case of a naming conflict, you will be prompted to rename your character after the transfer is complete and you log into the new realm. Please be aware that any new name created for your character must comply with Blizzard’s naming policy, found here.
Does the paid character transfer allow me to change my character's race, faction, class, or appearance?
No. The character is relocated with its current identity intact. Your character's race, faction, class, and appearance cannot be changed.
Can I transfer characters from one account to another?
Yes, you can transfer characters not just between realms but also between accounts where you are the subscriber. Please note that any attempt to transfer a character to or from an account where you are not the subscriber could be considered a violation of the World of Warcraft Terms of Use and could lead to Blizzard taking disciplinary action against your subscription account(s), including but not limited to warnings, temporary account suspension, or permanent account suspension, as determined by Blizzard.
To initiate a transfer between two accounts where you are the subscriber, you will need to specify the account name associated with the account you wish to transfer a character to, and answer the 'secret question' for the destination account. Without this information an account to account transfer will not be possible.
Who is eligible for account-to-account transfers?
Transfers between accounts are only allowed between accounts where you are the subscriber. We do not support the transfer of characters between friends, guild mates, or family members. To conduct an account-to-account transfer, you will have to answer the 'secret question' for the destination account, and the last name on both accounts must match.
Why is it set up that way?
Blizzard takes the integrity of its game and the matter of account ownership very seriously. For this reason, the sale of characters and accounts is expressly against the World of Warcraft Terms of Use, and the transfer of characters from one account owner to another is prohibited.
Can I transfer characters from one region to another (i.e. moving North American characters to European realms or accounts)?
No. Characters can only be transferred between realms and accounts within the same region.
Is there any way to check the status of my character transfers?
Yes. By logging in to the Account Management section and clicking the Paid Character Transfer button you will be able to access a page that lists the details of all your pending, completed, and ineligible transfers. You can also use this overview to cancel pending character transfers before they are completed.
How do I cancel a pending character transfer?
You can cancel pending character transfers on the character transfer status page. Check the section containing your pending transfers and follow the on-screen instructions if you wish to cancel a pending character transfer.
If I don't like the new realm or change my mind, can I transfer back?
Once you have chosen to complete your transfer, you cannot reverse it. We strongly recommend you research your destination realm ahead of time to ensure it is a desirable long-term environment for you, before you initiate the transfer. The only way to move the character off the realm again would be to wait three months for that character to become eligible for another transfer.
Will all my stuff be transferred along with my character?
Your character will arrive on the destination realm with all the gold, equipment, pets, and all items in your characters' inventory and the bank. You will also keep all your bank slots, lifetime honor rank and honor points. Quests will also be transferred, but please be aware that the progress for quests that require you to kill a certain number of monsters will be lost. NOTE: Any items, gold, mail, or other character progress unexpectedly lost during the transfer will not be restored.
What happens to my honor points?
Your honor points will be transferred along with your character; however, any honor accrued after the last honor calculation but before your transfer is initiated may be lost.
Will I still have my Arena points?
Yes, your arena points transfer with your character; however, any arena points accrued after the last maintenance but before your transfer is initiated may be lost. Also, your character will not have any arena team affiliation upon arrival at the destination realm.
Will my guild status be transferred?
Your guild affiliation and tabard design will not be transferred. You will have to join or create a new guild on your destination realm.
Is there any discount if I am transferring more than one character?
We do not have a discount plan available at this time for multiple transfers. Should we offer any additional promotions or pricing options, they would be announced on our website.
Whom should I contact if I have additional questions about this service?
Please Contact Billing and Account Services by phone or email.