Believe It Or Not, Microsoft Is Making An Xbox Credit Card

For decades now, just about every major retail chain (and even some not-so-major ones) has established a partnership with one of the major credit card companies to create a branded payment card of their very own. The idea behind this practice is to encourage repeat business from shoppers by offering greater rewards for in-store purchases. How helpful such a thing actually is to the regular consumer varies wildly, but if you are curious to find out and are a heavy user of Microsoft products, you'll soon have an ideal opportunity.

In a new press release posted to the Xbox news blog, Microsoft announced that it is creating its very own Xbox-branded Mastercard credit card in cooperation with Barclays U.S. Consumer Bank. The new card, featuring a prominent green and white Xbox logo emblazoned on the front, is meant to increase the value of Xbox and Microsoft product purchases, alongside purchases on supported streaming and delivery services. This value comes about in the form of rewarded points, which can be redeemed on the Xbox website for games, DLC, and more.

When making purchases with the Xbox Mastercard, users will receive reward points for every $1 USD spent. No matter what you purchase, you'll receive flat points, but if you make purchases in particular sectors, your earned points will be multiplied. If you make purchases on delivery apps like Grubhub and DoorDash, for instance, you'll receive three times the points, with the same multiplier also applied to purchases on supported streaming services like Netflix and Disney+. Of course, the highest points multiplier comes from purchases made at the Microsoft Store, which come with five times the points.

In addition to the points and multipliers, cardholders will receive several additional benefits, including a 5,000-point bonus after the first purchase, three free months of Game Pass Ultimate, FICO Credit Score access, and free Fraud Liability protection. When you get your card, you can also decide on one of five available designs, and you can even have it emblazoned with your personal Xbox Gamertag. For the sake of convenience, the card is fully compatible with both digital wallets and contactless payments.

Applications for the Xbox Mastercard will be opening first for members of the Xbox Insiders program starting on September 21, 2023. The card will then be available to customers in all 50 of the United States sometime in 2024.