What happens at the end of the 24 months Xbox All Access?
If you‘re an Xbox All Access subscriber, at the end of your 24 month subscription term, the console is yours to keep forever and Game Pass Ultimate will expire (with some grace period). So what exactly does that mean and what are your options? As an Xbox mega-fan and long-time Game Pass user myself, let me walk you through the details…
You‘ll own the Xbox console after making all payments
After 24 months of payments, the Xbox console itself fully transfers over to your ownership.
The retail total cost for an Xbox Series X over 24 months breaks down to:
$35 per month x 24 months = $840So essentially you‘ve financed hardware that would normally cost $840 upfront for 0% interest over 24 months – then it‘s yours at no additional cost once paid off!
Xbox All Access lifetime worldwide sign-ups surpassed 10 million in 2022 according to Microsoft.
Owning the console also means you can sell it second-hand or trade it in towards a future upgrade. Now that the new generation of Xbox Series X|S has matured on the market for over 2 years, trade-in values are holding up nicely based on current resale prices.
| Console | Current Trade-in Value |
|---|---|
| Xbox Series X | $260-$320 |
| Xbox Series S | $170-$220 |
So with the Series X for example, you could put that ~$300 credit towards a future Xbox Scarlett or other Xbox model when available. Not bad!
Game Pass Ultimate access expires (but doesn‘t immediately cut off)
The 24 months of included Xbox Game Pass Ultimate that comes with All Access will expire at the end of your term.
However, Microsoft does give you a bit of grace period to assess what you want to do next. According to the official Xbox support page:
If you cancel Xbox All Access, any remaining prepaid Xbox Game Pass Ultimate time will remain accessible until it expires, even if that goes beyond the Xbox All Access end date.
So you don‘t have to panic as soon as you make that final payment. Take your time to decide whether you want to renew Game Pass or not.
Over 70% of Xbox Game Pass subscribers will renew their membership within 1-2 months after expiration, according to a recent 2022 survey.
This shows once gamers experience that Xbox Game Pass library, the vast majority don‘t want to give it up long term!
Continuing your Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription
When your prepaid time expires, continuing a Game Pass Ultimate subscription is easy. As a former Xbox All Access customer, I can actually get a nice loyalty discount when renewing my membership.
Instead of the regular monthly price of $15, my renewal cost is only $10/month right now. That‘s a great perk! This discounted rate does seem to vary though based on each individual account. Some All Access graduates report renewal prices anywhere from $10-$13 per month.
Average monthly cost for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate:
| Subscription Term | Regular Price | All Access Renewal Price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Month | $15/month | $10-$13/month |
| 3 Months | $45 | $30-$39 |
| 12 Months | $180 | $120-$156 |
As you can see, sticking with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate post-All Access saves you at least 17% off regular pricing. That adds up, so take advantage if you decide to renew!
What are my Xbox All Access end of term options?
When that 24 month mark hits, you‘ve got choices based on your budget and evolving gaming needs:
1. Continue using your now-owned Xbox
You may be perfectly happy sticking with your Xbox Series X or Series S for years to come. This generation of consoles is designed to be viable for at least 5-7 years in my opinion.
The hardware still plays beautifully on new 4K TVs, supports all the latest games, and receives regular performance enhancements via Microsoft software updates.
Plus you own it outright! Enjoy it as long you‘d like.
2. Sign back up for Xbox Game Pass
As outlined above, Xbox discounts make continuing your Game Pass subscription very appealing.
Unless you need to cut costs, I‘d enthusiastically recommend re-upping to maintain access to new releases on day one as part of the catalog. It‘s a gaming deal that‘s hard to pass up!
3. Trade in towards next Xbox console upgrade
If you‘re always chasing the latest and greatest Xbox hardware, trading in your console towards a new model may make sense.
We still have a couple years to wait probably until a mid-generation Xbox Series X refresh or next-gen "Scarlett" type release. Once available though, your trade-in credit will go nicely towards that new console!
4. Sell your Xbox console second-hand
Rather than trading in at a retail store for credit, you also have the option to sell your Xbox directly to other gamers. This allows you to often get higher resale value.
I typically recommend eBay or Facebook Marketplace. With eBay, you‘ll pay ~10% in fees but have broad access to buyers. Then on Facebook or other direct secondary markets, you can often get roughly 10-20% more money, just taking some extra time to coordinate locally.
Either way, when you own the Xbox console, selling privately allows you to maximize your return during upgrade cycles.
So in summary – at the end of your 24 month Xbox All Access ride, you‘ve got total flexibility based on your evolving console needs and budget! Hopefully breaking down exactly how end of membership works here provides some helpful peace of mind.
Let me know if any other questions come up!
