Will Microsoft mail your billing account after gift card purchases?

UG85 · Aug 11, 2018

Hello,

I am attempting to add a $25 gift card to my account, and in the process I’ve been prompted to confirm my billing address. My question is, does this mean that every purchase i make with that money will result in an actual letter being sent to my house? I’d
just rather ensure that didn’t happen, but there seems to be no way around it.

:)

ngocphi · Aug 11, 2018

Prepaid Code - Different regions

When you purchase an Xbox gift card, make sure that the currency you use matches the currency associated with the recipient’s billing account. Otherwise, the recipient will be unable to redeem the gift card.

If you redeem an Xbox gift card in a country that doesn’t match the country associated with your billing account, you won’t be able to use those funds.

The funds in your Microsoft account can’t be transferred after you redeem your Xbox gift card.

You can’t use funds in your Microsoft account to purchase physical goods from online stores.

Waynej · Aug 11, 2018

How to check your Xbox MSP expiry dates

I've seen some comments on this elsewhere in the forums, and while someone may have posted this before now, I've certainly not seen it.

For those unaware and concerned over their Microsoft points expiring, you can check the exact date that they expire. Sign into Xbox.com with your gamertag, click My Account at top right, goto Billing History and then click the Payment Options tab, this will display your recent Microsoft points purchases and their expiration date. Naughty, naughty, Microsoft. :nono:

All Microsoft points will expire 12-mths after their redeemed date. It's not just the points that you had on your account before they were converted to real currency, Microsoft points that you can still currently buy today will also expire after 12-mths.

If you don't like Microsoft vapourising your virtual money then you'd be best to stick to the new Xbox Gift Cards, but with Xbox One and day-1 digital right around the corner I am sure most of us will use this money up before it gets checked out and placed into BillyG's bank account.

And here's another bit of info from the FAQ, I'll bolden the interesting bit. It mainly states whenever you buy anything Microsoft automatically use the money that is closest to expiring.

What is the difference between promotional and non-promotional balances?

From time to time, and for marketing purposes, Microsoft may offer promotional gift cards that you can redeem to your Microsoft account. A promotional gift card may require that you redeem the value listed on the card, or use any redeemed balance, by a certain date or within a certain time period. Please refer to any terms and conditions associated with the promotion in question for specific details or restrictions.

Any balance in your Microsoft account that has not been designated as promotional will not expire. However, if you do not use your account balance for a prolonged period of time, the law may require us to consider your account balance abandoned. In that case, and in some countries where the law requires it, we may be obliged to transfer any non-promotional balance in your account to the appropriate government authority and you will have to retrieve your funds from the relevant authority. We will try to reach you and give you adequate notice before transferring your account balance.

When using your account balance to make a purchase at a participating Microsoft store, Microsoft automatically uses any promotional value in your account balance before any other value that is stored in your account, and does so in the order of the promotional value scheduled to expire first.Click to expand...
Click to expand...

joujoubox1 · Aug 11, 2018

No, you won't be sent anything via mail from purchases altough an email will be sent.

joujoubox1

No, you won't be sent anything via mail from purchases altough an email will be sent.

ngocphi

When you purchase an Xbox gift card, make sure that the currency you use matches the currency associated with the recipient’s billing account. Otherwise, the recipient will be unable to redeem the gift card.

If you redeem an Xbox gift card in a country that doesn’t match the country associated with your billing account, you won’t be able to use those funds.

The funds in your Microsoft account can’t be transferred after you redeem your Xbox gift card.

You can’t use funds in your Microsoft account to purchase physical goods from online stores.

JosefLBohorquez

Xbox account = Microsoft account
Xbox gift card = Microsoft gift card, no matter what gift card (Xbox or Microsoft) you have. You're going to receive Microsoft balance directly in your account and you can purchase via Microsoft.com and Xbox.com with that money

You're not going to "redeem" Minecraft java and bedrock. You're going to purchase directly the game for your account. Once purchased the game is going to appear in the order history (https://account.microsoft.com/billing/orders)

If you want a redeemable code in that case you need to gift the game and use the balance to pay

PalmettoBling

That seems a little strange. If you lost a gift card and had the receipt, the best place to contact would be the retailer from which the gift card was purchased. Microsoft wouldn't be able to validate a specific card for a specific retailer.

As for the bill received after the call, did it specifically say what the bill was for? It should be specified against your Microsoft Account at account.microsoft.com under Payments & Billing. I would make sure to verify that the bill is not a fake or
spam message, though I'm not 100% familiar with support standards in different regions.

nickisullivan13

Solution 1: Verify the information for your Microsoft account

To do this, follow these steps:

1.Sign in to your Microsoft account.

2.Click Billing.

3.Verify your billing information.

4.Sign out of your Microsoft account, and then sign in again.

5.Sign in to Xbox LIVE and try to download the content again.

Solution 2: Contact your bank or financial institution

The Xbox LIVE purchase might have failed because:

•The credit card has not been activated.

•The credit card was declined due to insufficient funds.

•The credit card is not authorized for online purchases or automatic billing.

•The credit card company is blocking the transaction.

Contact your credit card company or bank and make sure that the card that you’re using was activated, that it has available funds, and that the transaction is not being blocked for some reason.

Solution 3: Use an Xbox gift card or membership card if available

Alternatively, you can purchase an Xbox gift card from a retail location and use it to make purchases. Note that not all purchases support Xbox gift cards or prepaid options. Before purchasing Xbox gift cards or a prepaid card, make sure that purchase option
is available for the item you want to purchase.

If you are still experiencing the problem, contact Xbox Support by clicking the “Contact us” link at the bottom of this page.

Will Microsoft mail your billing account after gift card purchases?