Just Got A Series X? Save Up To £400 On Xbox Game Pass Ultimate With This Trick

Update: This trick is reportedly still working as of December 2021, but we haven't verified it ourselves.

Try it at your own risk and always read the smallprint!

Original story: Just bought an Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S and looking to sign up to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for the very first time? Before you make that decision, you might want to know about an incredible trick that will allow you to save hundreds on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate over the next three years.

In a nutshell, new subscribers to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate can currently convert up to 36 months of Xbox Live Gold (or standard Xbox Game Pass) into an Ultimate subscription at a 1:1 ratio, saving hundreds in the process.

How This Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Trick Works

  1. Purchase up to 36 months of Xbox Live Gold or standard Xbox Game Pass, available in 3, 6 and 12 month increments
  2. Redeem those codes to your Xbox account
    1. If you want to use the full 36 months, select "no" when asked whether you want to turn on auto-renewal (this will otherwise add an extra free month, and will play havoc with the 36-month limit)
  3. Sign up for the £1/$1 trial of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
  4. When prompted, accept the option to convert your membership to Ultimate

Here's exactly how Microsoft described this trick in a blog post back in July 2019:

"[Game Pass is] a great deal if you love games, but we want to help you get the most out of your membership by sharing a little lifehack to ensure you get as much bang as possible for your proverbial gaming bucks."

  • Start at your main Microsoft account page.
  • Go to the “Services and Subscriptions” tab at the top of the page — this will show which subscriptions you currently have on your account.
  • Before applying the “one month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $1” deal to your account, extend your Xbox Live Gold subscription by buying additional months.
  • You can get 12 months of Live Gold or go a la carte for $9.99 per month
  • Now, once you’ve extended your Xbox Live Gold subscription to the desired length, it’s finally time to add the “one month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $1” deal.
  • Once that deal is applied to your account, your Xbox Live Gold subscription will be converted to Game Pass Ultimate — and Game Pass Ultimate will be available for the length of your Live Gold subscription.

"We hope that these tips helped and that you are able to enjoy many years of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for one low, low price. It’s one of the best deals in gaming!"

How Does This Save Me Money?

The standard price for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for 12 months is £131.99 in the UK, which amounts to around £396 over three years. In comparison, you can pick up three years of Xbox Live Gold from various retailers (such as CD Keys, Amazon, etc) for around £120-£150, so the saving is significant over the long run.

What If I'm An Existing Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Member?

If you're already an active subscriber to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, this trick won't work.

Instead, the following ratios apply:

Xbox Live Gold Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Conversion Times Xbox Game Pass For Console Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Conversion Times
1 Month 20 days 1 Month 20 days
3 Months 50 days 3 Months 2 months
6 Months 79 days 6 Months 4 months
12 Months 4 months 12 Months 5 months
24 Months 8 months 24 Months 10 months

What Happens If I Go Over The 36 Month Limit?

If you try to extend your Xbox Live Gold membership beyond 36 months, you'll receive a message warning that you that you've "reached the limit of how far you can extend a subscription."

Unfortunately, that means the code becomes pretty much useless until more time has passed, so you'll want to do the maths and make sure you don't go beyond that 36 month limit.

How Long Will This Trick Be Active For?

There's no official word on this, and Microsoft warns that the "final conversion ratio is subject to change." Because of this, we suggest not waiting around too long, and always checking the smallprint before you commit.

Where Can I Buy Xbox Live Gold Subscriptions?

Please note that some external links on this page are affiliate links, which means if you click them and make a purchase we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Please read our FTC Disclosure for more information.

Have you tried this trick with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate? Let us know down in the comments.