7 articlesAs if things couldn’t get any worse with the recent controversy regarding Xbox Game Pass’ massive price hikes, the company shot itself in the foot again by dropping Game Pass discounts in favor of reward points.
Just last week, the Call of Duty community has noticed that the 10% discount which should be applicable for Game Pass Ultimate subscribers were no longer available. CharlieIntel has shared via X some screenshots of the COD add-ons that were supposed to be available for 10% off.
Not long ago, Microsoft has finally confirmed that this is actually the case. In a recent statement, a Microsoft spokesperson pointed out that the change isn’t just specific to Call of Duty.
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Alternatively, subscribers can exchange their points for gift cards, donations, and sweepstake entries which can all be found in the Rewards catalog.
How Do Microsoft’s Reward Points Work?
According to Microsoft, the rewards program allows its subscribers to earn points while shopping in the store, playing games on Xbox, and searching on Bing.
That said, the maximum number of points you can earn via gameplay will depend on your subscription tier. For example, regular Game Pass members will have a cap of 20,000 earnable points per year. Meanwhile, Ultimate subscribers can earn up to 100,000 points.
“Instead of a discount on the purchases, Ultimate and Premium subscribers will earn 10 percent and 5 percent – respectively – in points when purchasing select games and add-ons from the Game Pass library. Ultimate members continue to have 20 percent discount on select games from the Game Pass library.”
These points can then be used to redeem various games, add-ons, and other benefits.
However, it’s worth noting that these points will expire within an 18-month period, so you better use those points you accumulate by then.
Another change in the program is that users can no longer use their reward points to renew their subscription. Instead, they’ll have to earn enough points to redeem a gift card which has a value equivalent to the subscription tier they want to subscribe to.
More info about the rewards program can be found here.
