Could Your Xbox Account Balance Expire? somewhat. A player on Reddit recently learned that it’s tough, when they found out that $5 in their Xbox account would be gone in a few months. However, players can rest easily. Microsoft does not withdraw funds from your Xbox account. However, it may place a time limit on your promotional credits.
As I mentioned tech radarThe story began with a Reddit post titled “My money is expiring??” User Cg6554 verified his Microsoft account, and discovered a section called Expired Balances. There, a pop-up screen told them that a $5 credit would expire on July 9, 2022.
It is alarming to think that Microsoft will withdraw funds from the paying customer’s account. But fortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Other Redditors were quick to point out that once you deposit money into your Microsoft account, it stays there forever. (Or until Microsoft shuts down — basically it’s still forever.) Whether you deposit money directly or use a gift card, your balance is yours until you spend it on something, even if you haven’t spent it for years and years.
The commentators on the Cg6554 thread quickly got to the heart of the matter. At some point in the recent past, Cg6554 had taken $5 of Microsoft credit and applied it to his account. The Microsoft RewardsSmall amounts of credit, for example, will give you credit for performing daily Windows and Xbox activities, from taking quizzes to playing Xbox Game Pass games. In fact, Tom’s Guide explained how to earn Microsoft Rewards as part of the Xbox Series X Hidden Features story.
Microsoft Rewards credits don’t last forever. According to the Microsoft website, “Microsoft Rewards points will expire if there are no earning activities within 18 months.” Furthermore, once you redeem your points for a coupon — say, a $5 promotional credit — you only have 90 days to spend that money.
There is only one circumstance in which Microsoft credit can expire, which is a bit ambiguous. If you purchased gift cards from third-party retailers, they may have expiration dates on them. However, the expiration date is for the code on the card, not the balance itself. In other words, if you add a gift card balance to your account before the expiration date, you can keep that money indefinitely. If your card has already expired, no luck.
While you can’t prevent your promotional credit from expiring, you can always spend it before it disappears. (In fact, Microsoft would probably prefer you to do so.) To do this, simply sign in to your Microsoft account, and check the Payment and Billing section. Your Microsoft account balance will be the first choice. Click Manage, and the site will tell you if you have any promotional credits.
If you have promotional credits, consider spending them sooner rather than later. If not, make sure you get it to the hot death of the universe – or until Microsoft changes its policies, whichever comes first.
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