Xbox Game Pass is a popular video game subscription service by Microsoft. Despite being claimed as the ‘Netflix of Games,’ it is normal to find it not worth paying for. In this case, you’ll want to cancel your Xbox Game Pass subscription. However, the procedure isn’t explained anywhere. So, I’ll explain it here.
In this post, I will guide you on how to cancel your Xbox Game Pass subscription. And, I will also explain how to turn off recurring billing if you just want to discontinue the automatic payments every month.
How to Cancel Xbox Game Pass Subscription?
Microsoft has been providing a number of successful subscription services to its users. One of them is the Xbox Game Pass. This video game subscription service provides you access to hundreds and thousands of games in a rotatory library. And, it charges you a monthly fee for that. If you are among the users who don’t want to pay for the Xbox Game Pass, you can cancel it.
You will have to cancel the subscription through the Microsoft website. You can’t cancel it via your console. Earlier, the option to cancel via console was available but now it is gone. One can only do it via the website. Canceling your subscription means losing access to all the games unless you have purchased some of them permanently. So, continue only when you are sure.
Steps to Follow to Cancel Xbox Game Pass Subscription
Once you have made up your mind, and you are ready to cancel your Xbox Game Pass subscription, follow the steps mentioned below:
Step-1: Open a browser (Chrome, Edge, etc) on your PC and visit Microsoft’s website. Now click on ‘Sign in’ and enter your account credentials to log in.
Step-2: After signing in, click on ‘Subscription’ to access your active subscriptions and services.
Step-3: You will see all your active subscriptions and services on the next page. Scroll down and find Xbox Game Pass. You will see a ‘Manage’ button present next to it, click on that.
Step-4: On the Xbox Game Pass management page, find and click on Cancel.
Step-5: Microsoft will ask you when do you want to cancel your subscription. You will have the option to end the subscription at the end of billing date, or you can end it immediately to get a refund. If you end it immediately, you will get a refund but lose access to the games. And, if you cancel at the end of the billing date, you can play the games until then. Choose the option most suitable to you and click on ‘Next.’
Step-6: After that, you will get a final prompt asking you to confirm cancelation. Click on ‘Confirm Cancelation’ to proceed.
That’s it. Your Xbox Game Pass subscription will be ended then. You will see the subscription present under the ‘Canceled Subscriptions’ list on the ‘Subscriptions’ page.
What happens after you cancel Xbox Game Pass subscription?
When you cancel your Xbox Game Pass subscription, you will lose access to the games you play. Only the games you have purchased permanently will remain with you. Cancelation will not impact any achievements you have earned or progress you have made in any game. You can easily continue from where you left when you decide to subscribe again.
The game save data is stored on your console or in the cloud. So, there is no need to worry about your data. The save data while playing with Xbox Game Pass is stored similarly to when you purchase a digital or physical copy of the game.
How to Turn Off Recurring Billing for Xbox Game Pass?
If you don’t want to end your Xbox Game Pass subscription but only want to stop them from charging you automatically each month, you can choose to turn off recurring billing. This will allow you to pay for the subscription manually each month. And, when you don’t want to pay, you can easily cancel your subscription. Follow these steps to know how to turn off recurring billing for Xbox Game Pass:
Step-1: Open a browser (Chrome, Edge, etc) on your PC and visit Microsoft’s website. Now click on ‘Sign in’ and enter your account credentials to log in.
Step-2: After signing in, click on ‘Subscription’ to access your active subscriptions and services.
Step-3: You will see all your active subscriptions and services on the next page. Scroll down and find Xbox Game Pass. You will see a ‘Manage’ button present next to it, click on that.
Step-4: On the Xbox Game Pass management page, click on Change, and then click on ‘Turn off recurring billing.’
Step-5: When Microsoft prompts you to confirm your choice, click on ‘Confirm’ to proceed.
That’s it. This is how you turn off auto-renewal of the Xbox Game Pass subscription. Make sure you don’t forget to pay the bill, or your subscription will be canceled automatically.
Is Xbox Game Pass worth paying?
If you are unsure of paying for the games Xbox Game Pass offers, I’ll help you decide. In my opinion, Xbox Game Pass is worth it if you play games a lot. You can consider buying it for console gaming as well as PC gaming. If you are into both, you should go for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. The Ultimate plan comes with some really amazing benefits like Xbox Live Gold for $14.99 per month, so it is definitely worth it.
Coming back to the Xbox Game pass, it provides access to a great range of titles you can choose from. There are literally more games available than you can ever play. And, when you’ll complete them all, they will provide newer ones.
So, if you like playing a lot of games, the Xbox Game Pass is surely worth paying. But, if you only play 2 or 3 games a month, then you shouldn’t continue paying for it.
Final Words
Xbox Game Pass is a tremendous video game subscription service by Microsoft. But, if you don’t have enough time to play the games offered, you can consider canceling your membership. This is how you cancel your Xbox Game Pass subscription. If you only want to stop the auto-renewal, then you should just turn off recurring billing. You can also go for cheaper plans or look for third-party discounts if your reason for cancelation is the monthly fee.
That’s all for this post. I hope you find it helpful. Feel free to use the comment box for any queries or suggestions.
