Customer Reviews

Microsoft Xbox LIVE 12 Month Gold Card

To start off, I'd like to say that X-Box Live is amazing and worth every penny. Online gaming is incredibly fun and quite a good way to pass time.

That aside, there are downsides to X-Box Live that can be avoided through prepaid cards. Number one, you always run the risk that unwarranted transactions will be made if your credit card information is stored on your X-Box 360 system. It may not happen all that often, but it's best to avoid it all together.

The biggest reason to buy prepaid Xbox Live card is the renewal process that happens when you don't use one. If you order X-Box Live through your system, it'll renew every time your subscription runs out. This wouldn't be a problem except that it's not that easy to cancel. Instead of canceling through your system, you have to go through the hassle of actually calling X-Box Live support. Even then, depending on the representative you get, you may be hassled to keep your subscription because they really don't want you to cancel it. I'm guessing that's part of their job to convince you to keep it, but it still is frustrating to the person that is trying to cancel it.

You'll have to go through this process every time you want to cancel if you don't use a prepaid card. Is that hassle really worth it? I don't think so. Therefore, avoid all of the problems by simply buying a prepaid card. You won't be sorry.

UPDATE: (3/6/2011): I updated this review about a year ago pointing out that you could disable the subscription on X-Box Live's website. As of this update, they've taken that feature away again. I'm guessing Microsoft must have seen a major increase on people who canceled their subscription, thus now forcing you to call their customer service hot-line again to cancel. Even if they add it back, just save yourself the hassle and get a prepaid card. You never have to worry about dealing with customer service that will try their hardest to get you to stay on as a recurring customer. Amazon also gives great deals throughout the year. You could save yourself $20 to $30 sometimes just by checking to see if Amazon has these prepaid cards on sale. What's not to love about that?

I decided to purchase one of these when my current subscription expired. It took a matter of minutes, and I was logged back on to my Live account. It was also about $10-12 cheaper than it would've been if I went to my local big box store (not to mention gas and time). Here are the steps that I took:

1. Purchased it on Amazon.com
2. Checked my e-mail to retrieve my Xbox Live Code immediately after purchase.
3. Logged onto my account on xbox.com, and put the Xbox Live Code in. (Or enter the code on the Xbox 360 dashboard.)
4. Turned on my 360 and viola! Instantaneous access.

I plan on purchasing this again when my current subscription is up. It's a total no brainer.

My kid needed this to go on line and kill zombies. Who am I to stop my kid from saving the world.

I was a little concerned about this, since it states USA only, but it was on sale, and I figured it was worth a try. THe code works even in Canada!

Just received my code instantly. The only other place I've seen that does this is instaGC and you can get instant cards there too. Thanks Amazon!

This is probably the best deal i have had in a very long time, for xbox live at least. This is or was a must get

Not much I can say about this but if you own an xbox and want live, you need this. I will say DO NOT purchase this item if is more than $40 as you can find it for $35 else where. I ended up purchasing this for $30 with a special deal at the time so I got a great deal.

I have a somewhat mixed review. I have liked Microsoft for years, but with each passing year I see Microsoft products as being less and less of a value. I haven't bought Xbox One yet and am not sure I will. With the changes combined with the fact that I have to pay for the xbox live after buying the overpriced consol and paying $60 for games, I am strongly considering switching over to Sony. I hate to do it because I've supported Microsoft for about 20 years. I wish Microsoft would focus more on customer satisfaction.

As far as the Amazon transaction goes, this was a very easy and smooth transaction. I purchased the online game code version, so they send you a code and you input into your Xbox Live account on your console or on xbox.com. Amazon has great prices on these cards, and sometimes offers a special. No matter what, buying the prepaid cards are almost always a better deal than paying monthly.

As of June 2014, Netflix, Hulu, and HBO GO all work without having a Live Gold account. This didn't use to be the case, and you were required to have a Live Gold account to stream these services. From my point of view, I play online games on my Xbox 360 so I view this as a worthwhile expense. Some people only had a Gold account to stream Netflix, Hulu, etc. and this is no longer necessary.

I would wait for a good sale on the cards, and you can always add on to your current amount. For example, if you have 6 months left of Gold, and the 12 month card was on sale, you could buy the 12 month card and add it to your account, so you would have 18 months left.

Feel free to leave questions and I will answer them promptly.

I just noticed that it's just about that time again. Every December marks the annual renewal of our XBOX Live Account. With that said, our family has been using Live for almost ten years and we've found that these codes from Amazon are the simplest and safest way to renew or even start a new XBOX Live Account.

To start of renew, you have the choice of using your own credit/debit card, a store bought card, or an online gaming code. I've renewed our account using all of these methods and the code from Amazon has been the best way to go. Last Christmas Eve, I saved close to $20.00 and got this code for $39.99. That's quite a big savings and well worth the price.

I belive XBOX Live will let you piggy back these (up to three years). So, when they're on sale, it's best to get them then; and just put the codes that come to the email address registered with Amazon into your XBOX Live Account.

I highly recommend Amazon and this method for all of your XBOX Live needs!