Goodbye to self-renewal with Microsoft Rewards points: these are your alternatives to keep Game Pass active

Microsoft Rewards changes in September: steps to not lose your Xbox Game Pass subscription.

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Many of you have asked us since we learned the news what exactly changes in Microsoft Rewards and if it’s a serious move. Don’t worry, we’ll explain it to you step by step so everyone understands and with clear alternatives so you don’t lose Game Pass.

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Microsoft has started notifying its users by email of an important change that directly affects Xbox Game Pass subscriptions. As of September 30th, the auto-renewal option with points will be eliminated in all plans: Game Pass Core, PC Game Pass, and Game Pass Ultimate.

The company proposes as an alternative exchanging digital gift cards from the Xbox Store with Rewards points and then using that balance to manually extend the subscription. In practice, this means that players will have to be aware of the expiration date of their plan and activate the renewal themselves, rather than leaving it in the hands of the automatic option that worked until now.

What changes in Microsoft Rewards for Game Pass and since when

• End of auto-renewal with points: from September 30th, the subscription will no longer be automatically extended.

• Manual alternative: exchange Xbox Store Gift Cards and use them to renew Game Pass when it expires.

• Same utility, more steps: points still pay for the subscription, but now in two phases (gift card → renewal).

This adjustment is part of Microsoft’s strategy to reorganize incentives within Rewards, a program that has been introducing changes in redemptions and rewards for months.

New October promotion with Gift Cards

To partially compensate for this withdrawal, Microsoft has announced that in October there will be a major promotion of gift cards in Rewards, where Xbox Gift Cards will be the stars. In the UK, a banner with these discounts is already being shown, along with brands like Amazon, Starbucks, or Roblox.

• For now, the regions and exact savings percentages are not confirmed, but everything suggests that it will be an opportunity to get more out of your points. If you were thinking of spending them, it might be worth waiting a few weeks.

Recommendations for Xbox users

• Check the expiration date of your subscription and note it down.

• Exchange points for balance (5, 10, or 25 €) in advance and save the codes.

• Activate manual renewal a few days before your plan expires.

• Monitor the Redeem section in Rewards to take advantage of October’s offers.

Although we can no longer let points do the work alone, they are still a useful option for paying for Xbox Game Pass. You’ll just need to dedicate an extra moment to manual management, and with the upcoming promotions, it may even be more profitable than before.