Earlier this month, Microsoft announced a substantial price increase for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. If you’re a subscriber in the US, you will now be charged $30 per month, a $10 bump from the previous $20 per month rate. The new price is effective immediately, so you may have already paid the increased rate if you were billed already this month. That said, there is a clever way to avoid the price increase: prepaid codes. The price of prepaid membership codes hasn’t changed—at least not yet. Currently, you can get Xbox Game Pass Ultimate 3-Month Membership codes for $55 (originally $60), which breaks down to $18.33 per month. Based on Microsoft’s new subscription price, you’re saving $35 across three months.
Single 1-Month prepaid codes are sold for $20, so opting for the 3-Month deal saves you an additional five bucks every three months. These prepaid codes can be redeemed by both existing and new subscribers with a US Xbox account. Once you enter a prepaid code, your next billing date is pushed. For example, if you redeem a 3-Month Membership in October, you won’t be billed again by Microsoft until January.
The savings become even more significant if you buy multiple codes. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions can be stacked for up to 36 months. For instance, if you were to buy four prepaid 3-Month codes at this discounted rate, you’d save $140 on a full year of Game Pass Ultimate. Here’s a clear breakdown of the potential savings when comparing Amazon’s prepaid code deal against subscribing directly through Microsoft:
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate: Microsoft Store vs. Prepaid Codes
| Duration: | Microsoft: | Amazon Deal: | Savings: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Months | $90 | $55 | $35 |
| 6 Months | $180 | $110 | $70 |
| 9 Months | $270 | $165 | $105 |
| 1 Year | $360 | $220 | $140 |
| 2 Years | $720 | $440 | $280 |
| 3 Years | $1,080 | $660 | $420 |
It remains uncertain how long retailers will maintain the old $20 per month rate. Amazon’s $55 deal for the 3-Month membership is new this week; earlier in the month, it was priced at $60. Historically, Amazon has often held out longer than other retailers when subscription prices have changed. For instance, they continued selling the 3-Month Membership code for $45 long after Microsoft increased the price of Game Pass Ultimate to $17 per month. The latest price adjustment for Game Pass Ultimate is by far the biggest of the three price hikes the service has experienced over the years. While this news is disappointing for loyal subscribers, it also makes taking advantage of these prepaid code discounts more crucial than ever.
If you’re not yet an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriber, now is an excellent time to join. Several highly anticipated AAA games are launching directly onto Game Pass Ultimate in the coming weeks, including Ninja Gaiden 4 (October 21), The Outer Worlds 2 (October 29), and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 (November 14).
In other exciting news, Microsoft and Asus recently unveiled the first Xbox handheld devices. The ROG Xbox Ally X and ROG Xbox Ally are now available for $1,000 and $600, respectively. These innovative handheld PCs allow members to natively play hundreds of titles from the Game Pass Ultimate library right out of the box.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate provides access to the full Xbox and PC Game Pass libraries, alongside Xbox Cloud Gaming. This Ultimate tier is also the exclusive option that includes EA Play and Ubisoft+ Classics. Currently, the Game Pass Ultimate catalog boasts over 500 games across its Xbox and PC offerings.