Microsoft will Refund Xbox Live Gold Subscription Post-Paywall Removal

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For those who are looking to cancel their Xbox Live Gold subscription because of Microsoft lifting its entertainment app paywall, you will be getting a refund. However it’s not happening right away. The refunds will go out once Microsoft has officially lifted the entertainment app paywall.

Microsoft is finally lifting the paywall to appease players who’ve paid the subscription to get access to entertainment apps, such as Netflix, HBO Go, Skype, and even Internet Explorer. Soon all of these apps can be used for free. Players will have to submit a request online to Microsoft between next month – when the paywall is removed – and before August 31st, 2014. The company further expanded on this process in their FAQ. 

“Once the Xbox One and Xbox 360 system updates become available in June, Xbox Live Gold members who purchased a paid membership before that day can cancel and receive a pro-rata refund of any unused remaining days between the date of cancellation and the date their paid Gold membership ends.

“Cancellation and pro-rata refund requests must be made by August 31, 2014 and require six to eight weeks for processing. Free or trial Gold memberships are not eligible for a refund. To request your pro-rata refund, please click support.xbox.com/contact-us after the system updates become available in June.”

This move is part of a bigger plan from Microsoft to get consumers to buy the console. The company already made sweeping changes, such as removing the Kinect from the Xbox One, reducing the price by $100. And by removing the entertainment paywall, the Xbox One is getting a competitive edge to their rival, the PlayStation 4. It seems like Microsoft is doing a massive overhaul of their gaming platform, and it’s left the public wondering, “Will it work? Will it get people to buy the Xbox One?”