Shop guide · Microsoft
Paying on the Microsoft Store and Xbox: Game Pass, phone billing and refund limits
One Microsoft account covers Xbox consoles and the Windows store. It takes cards, PayPal and all four big mobile networks' phone billing, and it has the clearest rules on cancelling a subscription.
Cards, PayPal, phone billing on EE, O2, Three and Vodafone, and gift cards. Game refunds are case by case, usually inside two weeks with little play; subscriptions can be refunded within 30 days.
Ways to pay
| Method | Accepted? | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Debit/credit card | Yes | Credit and debit cards. |
| PayPal | Yes | The PayPal account needs a card or confirmed bank account behind it. |
| Store gift card | Yes | Xbox and Microsoft gift cards add to your account balance. |
| Apple Pay | No | Not listed by Microsoft. |
| Google Pay | No | Not listed by Microsoft. |
| Phone bill (EE, O2, Three, Vodafone) | Yes | From Microsoft's own table of UK mobile operators. |
| PayPal Pay in 3 | Some | Advertised on the Microsoft Store UK for £20 to £3,000 purchases; it may apply to hardware only. |
Account balance
Gift cards and top-ups sit in your Microsoft account balance. Microsoft caps it at the equivalent of US$1,000 held, US$1,000 added or spent per day and US$5,000 across all your accounts. The balance cannot be paid out.
Refunds
Microsoft tends to approve a refund for a digital game requested inside two weeks when little of it has been played. Microsoft accepts requests up to 90 days but does not promise them, and it limits how many refunds each account can have in a year. Most in-game currency and consumable items are not refundable once bought.
For subscriptions the UK rules are generous: cancel within 30 days of first paying for a refund, and you can also claim back the most recent renewal once per subscription if you cancel within 30 days of being charged.
Pre-orders
Paying from your account balance charges you immediately. With any other method, Microsoft takes payment up to 10 days before release, and you can cancel yourself in your order history until then.
Game Pass prices
Game Pass Essential costs £6.99 a month, Premium £10.99 and Ultimate £16.99; PC Game Pass is £10.99. Plans renew at the current price until cancelled, and Microsoft must give at least 30 days' notice of a price rise.
Family controls
Microsoft Family Safety and the Xbox Family Settings app let an organiser require approval for every purchase ('Ask a parent'), add money to a child's account, set spending limits and get a notice for each purchase. Windows users can make the Microsoft Store demand a password for each purchase.
Which of our games it sells
| Game | What you get | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Terraria | Xbox One edition | £13.59 |
| The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition | Special (PC or console) | £34.99 |
| Outer Wilds | Standard (PC and Xbox) | £20.99 |
| Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition | Definitive Edition (PC and Xbox) | £25.99 |
| Resident Evil 4 | Standard (Series X|S) | £32.98 |
| Diablo IV | Base game | £49.99 |
| Alan Wake 2 | Standard (Series X|S) | £49.99 |
| Satisfactory | Standard (Series X|S) | £33.49 |
| Assassin's Creed Shadows | Standard (Series X|S) or PC | £69.99 |