If Xbox Live (now known as Xbox Network), keeps charging your card, you should have an active Xbox Live Gold subscription that you are using.
This service will grant you access to online multiplayer games and be billed monthly for the added features.
From your Microsoft account, if you have an active Xbox Game Pass, your card will be charged for this too.
You can stop Xbox Live from billing your account by completing a few simple steps.
In this guide, we will explain why Xbox Live keeps charging your card, and how you can disable the necessary settings so you no longer have to worry about being charged for a service you may necessarily not need on you Microsoft account.
What is Xbox Live and do I need it?
Xbox Live keeps charging my card
Xbox Live is an online service specifically for everything Xbox related. This platform allows Xbox users to gain access to play multiplayer games on their console. With this account, you gain access applications, movies and TV shows all downloadable onto your Xbox console.
You can sign up to Xbox Live (Xbox Network) for free, but Xbox Live Gold will require you to register for a monthly subscription in order to access all the features.
Do you need to have Xbox Live Gold?
You don’t need to have an Xbox Live Gold subscription to play certain games as some are available for free, however, without Gold, you may be limited to a specific set of games, and you won’t be able to play online.
Activating a Live Gold subscription will give you access to play online multiplayer games that aren’t originally for multiplayer, the option to game record as well as sharing media.
So, if Xbox Live keeps charging your card, we’ll now take a look into why this is occurring on your Xbox account.
Why does Xbox Live keep charging my credit card?
Xbox Live will keep charging your card because Live Gold is a monthly subscription that is by default, enabled for auto-renewal. You can sign up on Xbox Live for free. However, if you’ve registered for the Gold option, Microsoft will charge you every month to keep the service active.
When you first registered for Xbox Live Gold, you should have been instructed to input your account information.
(Did you know; it is estimated, that the Xbox controller will wear out only after three million presses).
The Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass are also both subscription based services that will charge you a monthly fee until you cancel your membership.
How do I stop Xbox Live from charging my credit card?
Online Gaming
Disable the auto renewal feature to stop Xbox Live charging your card. This can be done by following a few simple steps, which we will outline for you. Keep in mind, if you turn off the recurring billing option, your Xbox Live Gold subscription will end once the prepaid time has come to an end.
How do you turn off auto renewal for Xbox Live
Step 1. Access your Xbox Live Gold account by logging in to your Microsoft account
Step 2. Open the ‘Services and Subscriptions’ page
Step 3. Click on ‘Manage’
Step 4. Press ‘Turn off Recurring Billing’
Confirm you want to disable the auto-renewal. This will stop your card from being charged on the next due date, and your Gold subscription will end.
What happens if you cancel Xbox Live Gold?
If you decide to choose ‘Cancel Subscription’ your Xbox Live Gold account will cease immediately. All services and features will no longer be available to you that are included in the Gold pass.
You may be eligible for a refund depending on the date of your cancellation within the billing month.
Can I cancel my Xbox Live Gold membership and get a refund?
Microsoft will refund you if you cancel your Gold subscription within thirty days of your initial purchase. If you cancel before your first recurring bill, you will be eligible for a refund.
You will also get your fund back if you cancel before thirty days after your payment has taken place.
Note, a refund will only happen once per subscription service on one Microsoft account. If you have already received a refund on your account, you won’t be able to receive it a second time.
Paid for Xbox Live Gold but can’t play online
Xbox Live keeps charging my card
Your payment for an Xbox Live Gold subscription may have not been processed successfully if you’re unable to play online after making your purchase. This could be due to your payment not being verified for your bank to process the transaction, or the account details you entered were incorrect.
Additional reasons why you can’t play online include;
1. Subscription still needs to be added to your account
There may be a delay in your account updating your details. If you have only just made your purchase, the Microsoft server could still be processing your changes before the database adds the additional information.
Note, if the Xbox server status is experiencing issues, this will interfere with your Xbox Live Gold subscription being added to your account. You can check the Xbox service status to confirm if the server is is down.
2. Rejected payment
Your payment details may have been rejected due to insufficient funds or a technical issue occurred with your bank.
If your internet connection dropped while the payment was being processed, this would interfere with the transaction.
3. Incorrect account
Make sure you’re logged in to the correct Microsoft account that you subscribed to Xbox Live Gold through.
4. Xbox console out of sync
Your Xbox console may be out of sync with your Xbox Live accounts. This can occur if there’s a delay from an unstable internet connection, or your Xbox has a slow RAM.
If you want to refresh your Xbox Live account and console, you can complete a power cycle on your device. This will refresh the connections, and sync your information.
To do this, simply hold down on the Xbox button until it switches off. Leave it on shut down for around two minutes before you start it up again.
Conclusion
With this simple guide, we hope you now know why Xbox Live keeps charging your card, and that you were able to either disable the auto-renewal, or cancel your subscription without any issues.
If you are still having issues with your card being incorrectly billed, we recommend you contact Microsoft as soon as possible.
You can contact them here, where you can either choose to speak to one of their virtual assistants, or submit a form.
(Quiz Question; how many presses does a Xbox controller need before it will start to wear down?).
Complete our online form with your answer and any additional feedback you might have.
