Cheapest Way to Get Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (70% Discount!)

So you’re looking for the cheapest way to get an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription. I recently found a way to get an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for a 70% discount and I want to share it with you. It’s the perfect deal for your new Xbox Series S.

Warning: As of July 2023, Microsoft has updated its conversion ratio. You can no longer convert Xbox Live Gold to GamePass at a 1:1 ratio. The ratio has been changed to 3:2, so for 90 days of Xbox Live Gold you will get 60 days of GamePass.

Cheapest Way to Get Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

The cheapest way to get Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is to redeem Xbox Live Gold cards and then convert them to a Game Pass Ultimate subscription.

The Xbox Gold time will automatically upgrade to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate time.

1. Buy Xbox Live Gold cards. Make sure they’re for your region.
2. Redeem the codes using your Microsoft account.
3. Start the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate trial for $1.
4. Once activated, your Xbox Live Gold time will then be converted to Game Pass Ultimate time.
5. Enjoy 100+ games with your subscription!

Note: You have to do these in the right order. Don’t redeem the Xbox Live Gold when you have an active Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, wait for it to expire first (more on that later).

I’ll break down each step for you below to make it easy for you to follow.

Buy Xbox Live Gold Time

There are plenty of online retailers that sell Xbox Live Gold codes. You can also find these at local electronics stores like Best Buy and whatnot.

It may be cheaper to buy these codes from a physical store. It’s worth comparing prices a bit.

Important: Make sure the codes are for your region. 

Below are links to a few region-specific Xbox Live Gold codes.

• Xbox Live Gold 12 Months Global
• Xbox Live Gold 12 Months United States
• Xbox Live Gold 12 Months Europe

It’s not recommended to change your Microsoft account region to redeem codes from other countries.

The maximum amount of Xbox Live Gold time you can add to your account is 36 months or three years. For the best discount, I suggest buying 36 months in one go.

Let’s do a little calculation.

Remember, when you subscribe to Game Pass, the Xbox Live Gold time will automatically convert to Game Pass Ultimate time.

With the Xbox Live 12 Months Global code from our link, it costs $56 for 12 months, multiply that by three, and the total comes to $168 USD.

In comparison, if you were to continue paying $15 for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate every month for 36 months, the total would come to $540.

540 – 168 is a 372. You save $372 with this method. And you might be able to save more if you find cheaper Xbox Live codes.

That’s crazy! Granted, that’s for three years. You can choose to only buy one year or two years, depending on your budget.

I personally used this method to get two years of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Moving on.

Redeem the Xbox Live Codes

Head over to the Microsoft Redeem page and enter the codes that you just bought. Press next and confirm the purchase.

When you check your Microsoft account under Services & Subscription you should see Xbox Live Gold time added.

Redeem all the codes that you bought.

Buy Game Pass Ultimate

Now that you have a bunch of Xbox Live Gold time, you can head over to the Xbox Game Pass page and sign-up for the trial. Enter your payment details and you’ll be charged one dollar.

Now if you head back to your Microsoft Subscriptions you will see that your Xbox Live Gold subscription time has been upgraded to Game Pass Ultimate time.

Disable recurring billing and you won’t have to worry about those pesky monthly payments!

What If I Already Have Game Pass Ultimate?

If you’re already subscribed to Game Pass Ultimate, you can still use this method, but you need to wait for your subscription to expire.

Turn off recurring billing and wait a day after the subscription expires. Then, buy the Xbox Live Codes, redeem them, and re-subscribe to Game Pass Ultimate.

However, to reactivate it, you have to pay one month in full because you already used the one-dollar trial.

Redeem Xbox Live Gold Codes While Game Pass is Active?

You will still get extra Game Pass Ultimate time, but it won’t be a 1:1 ratio, so it won’t get much of a discount.

For example, 12 months of Gold converts to 4 months of Ultimate. So to save money, it’s important to wait until your Game Pass Ultimate completely expires before you redeem the codes.

Here’s a conversion chart if you want to redeem Gold for Ultimate:

The Bottom Line

I used this method to buy two years upfront for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at a great discount.

I don’t know how much longer this loophole will work, so I recommend taking advantage of it as soon as possible.

As far as I know, this is the cheapest way to get Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Use it while you can!

Did it work for you? Drop a comment below!