Currently avid gamers can pay just $1 to entry a whole lot of titles throughout PC and Xbox through Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass Ultimate service—however don’t activate that one-month trial simply but. If you play your playing cards proper, you need to use that very same greenback to lock in a steep low cost on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for as much as three years.

(Update November 2022: This trick nonetheless works as of Nov 24, 2022.)

When you activate Microsoft’s promotion, it not solely begins the trial, but in addition converts current Xbox Live Gold and commonplace Xbox Game Pass subscriptions in your account to Game Pass Ultimate (usually $15 per 30 days) at a 1:1 price. Any pay as you go time as much as the utmost of three years will get the improve.

Looking to load up on Xbox Live Gold at a reduction? Keep a watch out for gross sales at Newegg. For some time it was dropping the worth of a 1-year subscription to $50 USD about each two to 3 weeks—although the final time was in early June. (You can set a deal alert for “xbox live” at Slickdeals.net for an e mail or push notification of future offers.) But even the common worth of $60 USD per 12-month code, this hack is smoking.

So when you’ve got solely three months of Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Game Pass (or a mixture of the 2) in your account, you’ll find yourself with three months on your Game Pass Ultimate subscription, plus the extra one month from the trial tacked on. Equally, 36 months of pay as you go time transforms into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for a full three years.

Pretty candy, proper? Multiplatform avid gamers clearly acquire fairly a bit from this deal, as Game Pass Ultimate bundles collectively Xbox Live Gold, Xbox Game Pass, and Xbox Game Pass for PC. You’ll get limitless entry to a full vary of titles throughout platforms, together with upcoming Halo, Gears of War, and different Microsoft first-party recreation releases on PC.

But even avid gamers who play completely on PC profit: Though Xbox Game Pass for PC solely initially price $5 per 30 days, that worth lasted solely by the beta interval, which ended September 16, 2020.

Loading up an account with three years of Xbox Live Gold ($180) after which changing it to Game Pass Ultimate for an extra $1 primarily locks in that $5-per-month price for 3 years, which outlives the beta interval pricing by a protracted shot. (You ought to be capable of do that conversion trick for those who participated within the Xbox Game Pass for PC beta.) Afterward, you possibly can nonetheless convert Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass memberships to Game Pass Ultimate, however at a pro-rated amount.

Read on for a step-by-step information of find out how to safe this deal, which incorporates tips about find out how to maximize your financial savings.

!- News alert -!

Talk is swirling that Microsoft might remove Xbox Live Gold, which might kill this deal hack. A report from Brad Sams (of Thurrott.com) claims that the corporate is in search of to make Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (and its $15-per-month price) the base-level plan. You can hear the main points from Sams himself in this YouTube video, through which he additionally means that the dying of Gold might occur when Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard closes in 2023, if accredited by U.S. regulators.

On prime of that, present vitality costs are driving up prices for Microsoft’s cloud computing companies, main the corporate to trace that price increases on Xbox consoles and subscriptions (like Game Pass) might come to cross. Our greatest guess is that no adjustments can be seemingly in the course of the brisk vacation gross sales interval, however after the beginning of 2023 it’s anybody’s guess as to what’s going to occur.

How to transform Xbox Live Gold (or Xbox Game Pass) to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

The most elementary description of what you’ll do is that this:

1. Buy Xbox Live Gold
2. Activate the $1 Xbox Game Pass Ultimate trial
3. Agree to a conversion of your Gold and/or commonplace Game Pass subscription(s) to Game Pass Ultimate

However, you possibly can run into a couple of pitfalls throughout this course of—particularly for those who’re going for the utmost of three years. The detailed directions beneath will show you how to keep away from these errors.

Step 1

Decide how lengthy you need Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. To benefit from the deal, get as shut to 3 years of Xbox Live Gold (or Xbox Live Gold + commonplace Xbox Game Pass) as attainable, which is the utmost period of time you possibly can prepay.

Add months to an Xbox Live Gold subscription utilizing digital subscription codes bought from Microsoft or one other retailer (Amazon, Newegg, Target, and so forth.). Increase the time on Xbox Live Gold, not commonplace Xbox Game Pass—Xbox Live Gold is the cheaper possibility.

Note: Microsoft discontinued promoting 12-month Xbox Live Gold subscriptions on its web site in the course of the summer time of 2020, however third-party retailers (like Amazon, Newegg, Target, and so forth) nonetheless promote them for now.

Add time within the largest increments attainable—a 12-month code for Gold works out less expensive per 30 days than the one-month, three-month, and six-month varieties. When buying codes, all the time do not forget that Microsoft’s servers gained’t allow you to redeem a code for a length that exceeds the 36-month cap. (Example: You’re at 34 months, however try to redeem a three-month code. The servers won’t allow you to activate it.) Short multi-day trial codes for Xbox Live Gold gained’t work for this promotion, like these for 3 days or two weeks.

WARNING: If you purchase three 1-year subscriptions, don’t activate recurring billing whereas redeeming the codes. Any additional freebie months you get for doing so will make it not possible to redeem the ultimate code.

Tips:

• Don’t neglect that this Game Pass Ultimate $1 promotion contains one month of service that stacks on prime of no matter quantity of Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Game Pass subscription time you change. You gained’t get the total month if it places you over the 36 month restrict, although.

• When redeeming an Xbox Live Gold digital subscription code, agreeing to recurring billing will provide you with an extra one month totally free. If you turn off recurring billing earlier than redeeming your subsequent code, you possibly can normally proceed to make the most of this bonus. (Don’t do that if you’re redeeming three 1-year codes—the system will refuse to allow you to redeem the ultimate code as a result of it’ll put you over the restrict.)

  To confirm you’ve turned off recurring billing, head to the Services & Subscriptions part of your account information. Under “Xbox Game Pass Ultimate,” you’ll see an expiration date on your subscription, and the choice to the precise will say “Turn on recurring billing.”

• Microsoft Reward members with level balances of 30,000 or extra must also examine to see if the 12-month possibility for Xbox Live Gold exists for them. Nothing’s sweeter than a free approach to max out a deal.
• Buying discounted codes will additional your financial savings. Costco is the perfect for members who want a 12-month Xbox Live Gold code, whereas CDKeys presents a modest low cost accessible to everybody and sells 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month codes.
   
• Before shopping for any digital subscription codes, incorporate any of the above freebies or bonuses you possibly can acquire into your calculations.
  

  Example: You want 17 months to max out. (You have already got 16 months of Xbox Live Gold and three months of Xbox Game Pass energetic in your account.) As a Costco member who additionally has a surplus of Microsoft Reward factors, you purchase one 12-month code after which use the factors to acquire a single 3-month code. You will then get two bonus months by selecting recurring billing if you redeem every code. The $1 Game Pass Ultimate trial will then tack on the ultimate month wanted to hit a complete of 27.

Step 2

Activate your Xbox Live Gold codes. Again, as your remaining reminder, when you’ve got three 1-year subscription codes for Xbox Live, don’t agree to recurring billing to be able to redeem your remaining code.

If you might be utilizing a patchwork of various codes, triple-check your math to make certain you understand how many occasions (if any) it is advisable to conform to recurring billing.

OOPS: Did you could have three 1-year XBL Gold codes and unintentionally make it not possible to redeem that remaining code? You can wait a month or two, then redeem code #3 and convert. Or you possibly can wait to activate it after you improve to Game Pass Ultimate—you’ll be capable of redeem it on a pro-rated foundation to increase your Ultimate subscription.

Step 3

Activate the $1 Xbox Game Pass Ultimate trial. (You may accomplish that through the Store on an Xbox console.)

You could have two screens to cross by. The first, proven at proper, explains how the conversion works if you have already got an energetic Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Game Pass subscription. (Which you need to, for those who adopted Step 2’s directions.)

The second that follows will ask for billing info, to be able to course of the $1 cost for the one-month Game Pass Ultimate trial.

You ought to now see “Xbox Game Pass Ultimate” listed beneath Services and Subscriptions in your Microsoft account web page. By default, your Game Pass Ultimate subscription might be set to recurring billing. We counsel you flip this off, lest you be taken unexpectedly when your subscription expires (particularly if that’s three years from now). You can accomplish that by clicking on “Manage” simply to the precise of the billing info.

Outside of that, you’re set to go. Happy gaming!

Editor’s word: This article initially revealed in August 2019 however has been since up to date to maintain it present. Recent updates contains new information on discounted Gold codes, plus information about attainable product and worth adjustments associated to Xbox Live Gold and Game Pass Ultimate. Our tutorial video was additionally added.