Beat the Xbox Game Pass Price Hike With This Surprising Amazon Deal
Wait, Did the Price of Game Pass Go Up or Down?
If you’re an Xbox gamer, you’ve probably heard the news that sent a shiver down our collective spines. Microsoft recently cranked up the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, and it wasn’t a small bump. The price shot up a whopping 50% in the US, going from about $20 a month to a hefty $29.99 per month.
Let’s be real, that stings. What was once universally praised as the best deal in gaming just got a lot more expensive. An extra $10 a month adds up to $120 more per year! That’s enough to buy two brand-new games. So, what’s a gamer to do?
Well, here’s where things get interesting. While Microsoft was raising prices, Amazon apparently didn’t get the memo. In a surprising twist, they’ve actually dropped the price on their digital codes for Game Pass Ultimate.
Your Secret Weapon: The Amazon Discount
You’re not seeing things. Right now, you can head over to Amazon and find a deal that feels like a glitch in the system.
Here’s the breakdown:
- The Best Deal: Amazon is selling 3-month codes for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for just $56.99. This is even cheaper than the old pricing and a massive discount compared to the nearly $90 it would cost you for three months at the new rate.
- The Monthly Option: You can also still grab 1-month codes for $19.99. Since the new official price is $29.99, you’re effectively getting a $10 discount every month.
This is a golden opportunity to lock in a lower price before these codes are gone. Think of it like finding a gas station that’s still selling fuel at last year’s prices. You’d want to fill up, right?
The “Stacking” Strategy: Go Big and Save More
Want to really outsmart the price hike? You can “stack” these codes on your Xbox account. Microsoft allows you to pre-load your subscription for a maximum of 36 months (that’s three years!).
By buying twelve of those 3-month codes from Amazon, you could secure your Game Pass Ultimate subscription for the next three years at a much lower rate. Yes, it’s a big upfront cost, and nobody is suggesting you should drop nearly $700 without thinking about it.
But you don’t have to go all-in. Even just grabbing a year’s worth of codes (four of the 3-month cards) will save you a nice chunk of change. You’d pay around $228 on Amazon instead of the $360 you’d spend paying monthly at the new price. That’s a savings of over $130!
Why is This Happening?
You might be wondering how Amazon can do this. It’s likely because retailers buy these digital codes in bulk from Microsoft at a wholesale price. Amazon probably has a large stockpile of codes they purchased before the price hike went into effect. Once that stock is gone, the prices will almost certainly jump up to match the new standard. This isn’t a permanent sale; it’s a window of opportunity.
So, what’s your game plan? Are you going to grab a few codes to soften the blow of the price increase, or are you thinking about stacking for the long haul? Let us know your strategy