Xbox Game Pass is going to be harder to pay for with Microsoft Rewards from April, it seems

Microsoft Rewards can be a pretty lucrative program if you're firmly embedded in the company's ecosystem, including Xbox. But if you've been using it to pay for your Xbox Game Pass subscriptions, there's bad news. Microsoft is coming for (more of) your points.

As reported by Pure Xbox, Microsoft Rewards members who use the auto-redeem feature to cash in points for Game Pass subscriptions are being emailed warning of impending changes.

Per Pure Xbox, the email begins:

We wanted to let you know that we will be discontinuing Microsoft Rewards auto-redeem subscriptions for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Xbox Game Pass Core, and PC Game Pass on April 20, 2025. This change is due to a recent increase in Microsoft Rewards points needed for Xbox Game Pass subscriptions purchased with Rewards points. You can still use auto-redeem subscriptions for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Xbox Game Pass Core, and PC Game Pass, but you will need to renew your subscription by selecting a new Rewards auto-redeem option after April 20, 2025.

I'll admit I needed to read it a couple of times because the wording isn't great. What it seems to mean is that the current auto-redeem subscription is going away, but the feature isn't being discontinued entirely. In its place, there will be a new, more expensive auto-redeem for Game Pass products.

Here in the UK, at least, those rates are already showing up. Game Pass PC is going up from 7,750 to 10,500, while Game Pass Ultimate is getting raised from 12,000 to 17,000. That's a lot.

I should also point out those are the rates I see as a level 2 member. It's safe to assume similarly hefty increases for level 1 members, albeit the actual numbers will be different.

Why is Microsoft doing this? Because they can? It won't affect me personally, as I don't earn close to enough points every month to pay for Game Pass. But I'd wager that enough folks out there are basically getting Game Pass for free every month with their points that Microsoft needs to make it harder.

After all, if you can't do it, you're more likely to pay for it with real cash, right? For now, you can still redeem at the existing rates, but if the email from the original report is accurate, you've got less than two months left.