Image: Microsoft/Xbox
Simply in case this is your very first time financing anything: when you make your purchase, select the Xbox All Access alternative at check out and youll be automatically registered in the program. If you get a Xbox Series S, your regular monthly payments will be $25 a month.
Xbox All Access is a relatively new program from Microsoft that lets you make monthly payments on a brand-new console over the course of 2 years. It started in 2018, after the release of the Xbox One, and its returning again for the next generation of consoles. If youve ever made monthly payments on a brand-new phone, deep cleansing on your teeth, or Disneyland yearly pass, then you most likely already have a good concept of how this works.
Both strategies include Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which offers users access to Xbox games on PC and Android via Project xCloud, and Xbox Live Gold, and EA Play memberships at no extra expense. Separately, both memberships cost $15 and $5 per month, respectively– or $30 every year for EA Play.
If this is your very first time registering in the program, the monthly payments plus the Game Pass Ultimate and EA Play subscriptions make it look like a take! You end up paying somewhat less than the MSRP on either console model and you get two subscriptions free of charge, which both use discount rates on video games and make some games offered free of charge for an amount of time. Thats a truly excellent offer if you can fit the monthly payments in your budget!
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Illustration: Microsoft/Xbox
To be clear, that requirement only applies to existing members of the Xbox All Access program who want to upgrade, however its something to think of for the future if youre getting a Series S or X. Additionally, complete access to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and EA Play only lasts for 24 months (two years), which is the entire duration of the payment plan.
— and this is the essential part– the Xbox All Access FAQ states that you should “very first meet the minimum payment requirement for your original Xbox All Access purchase” to get your trade-in package, which is 18 months. If you purchased an Xbox One X with Xbox All Access before December 31, 2019, youll need to have made a minimum of 12 on-time payments. If you never settled your Xbox One, but want to keep it, youll still need to pay it off plus make payments on the brand-new console.
The same thing applies to present Xbox owners who funded those Xboxes through the Xbox All Access program previously.– and this is the crucial part– the Xbox All Access FAQ says that you need to “first fulfill the minimum payment requirement for your initial Xbox All Access purchase” to get your trade-in set, which is 18 months. If you bought an Xbox One X with Xbox All Access before December 31, 2019, youll require to have made at least 12 on-time payments. Correction 9/10/20 4:33 PM ET: It turns out that Xbox One owners who have paid off their console in complete under their Xbox All Access arrangement do not have to actually send it back. According to the Terms of Service, it appears that Xbox One owners who are presently under an Xbox All Access agreement and desire to update will have to return their console if they desire to be let out of their agreement.
After 2 years of payments, the Xbox Series S or X is yours and youll have to pay for Game Pass Ultimate and EA Play separately. The same thing uses to existing Xbox owners who funded those Xboxes through the Xbox All Access program formerly.
If you dont care about your Xbox One, then cool! Its why I pay for my hardware, gadgets, and games outright and stay away from membership programs, if possible.
Correction 9/10/20 4:33 PM ET: It ends up that Xbox One owners who have paid off their console in full under their Xbox All Access agreement do not need to in fact send it back. (Thats great news!) According to the Terms of Service, it appears that Xbox One owners who are currently under an Xbox All Access agreement and wish to update will have to return their console if they want to be discharge of their agreement. If not, the user is still accountable for paying on both consoles if theres an impressive balance. This post has been upgraded to show this.