Gaming news never ceases to surprise, with a huge headline coming from Microsoft today announcing that they are introducing an Xbox Mastercard.
That’s right, a credit card that is wholly designed around offering rewards for people who enjoy the Microsoft/Xbox gaming platforms.
An Xbox CREDIT CARD?!https://t.co/PbS8bu0pYn
— Jez (@JezCorden) September 11, 2023
The card itself is a ‘no annual fee’ Mastercard, issued by Barclays bank US – and will be available to elite gamers in the United States sometime in 2024.
Like most credit cards, it offers rewards for use, with the following details unashamedly copied and pasted from the Xbox blog:
- Xbox & Microsoft – Earn 5x card points on eligible products at the Microsoft Store.
- A bonus of 5,000 card points (a $50 value) after your first purchase.
- Three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for new Game Pass members after their first purchase. If they’re already a Game Pass member, they can easily gift it to a friend to play together.
- Streaming Services – Earn 3x card points on eligible streaming services like Netflix® and Disney+®.
- Dining Delivery Services – Earn 3x card points on eligible dining delivery services like Grubhub® and DoorDash®.
- Everyday purchases – Earn 1x card points on all other everyday purchases.
Obviously we Australian folk need to find some way to live without the promise of the Microsoft X-Card, but I am sure we’ll persevere. Credit cards are not things to be taken lightly – and the idea of “gamer-ising” a line of credit makes my neck hair prickle.
Realistically, if you are already in a position to sign a deal with the credit devil (read: Banks) you are probably aware that a Microsoft-exclusive credit card has one main downside: It’s Microsoft exclusive. A decent reward card is likely already offering all manner of options that could be translated into gaming goodies.
But hey, that’s why you do your research. Maybe the flex of having an Xbox branded credit card with your gamer tag will be reason enough to grab one.
How do you feel about the new Xbox Mastercard? Brilliant, or bad idea? Let us know in the comments or on social media.
Known throughout the interwebs simply as M0D3Rn, Ash is bad at video games. An old guard gamer who suffers from being generally opinionated, it comes as no surprise that he is both brutally loyal and yet, fiercely whimsical about all things electronic. On occasion will make a youtube video that actually gets views.
