Question How do we spend our Microsoft store/Xbox balance?!

LotusElan

Sorry for this really basic question but as we rarely use the Xbox store we've no idea what we're supposed to be doing!

We currently have £4.02 balance and we want to buy a game via the store (Tomb Raider Underworld @ £3.74 - please, no judgement!).  However when we tried via the console last night it told us we couldn't complete the purchase - it was late so just switched off to try again today and can't remember the exact message.  Just tried to buy the game via a browser instead and it told us we didn't have a payment method associated with the account (which was true) and didn't seem to present us with an option to spend the account's balance.  As an experiment we've added a credit card and it now gets as far as the "Confirm Purchase" page but only lists the new credit card as the payment option.  If we try the purchase on the console it now shows a similar result, i.e. we get as far as seemingly having to pay via credit card.

So the first question is - is it just a badly designed/confusing interface and what will happen in reality is it'll take the payment from our account balance, leaving 28p?  Or will it actually charge the credit card the full amount, which is what is implied from what we've seen?

If it's the second option then how the hell do we spend the account balance?!

SteveU30

Daft question but is the gamer tag associated with the Microsoft account that has the account balance?

LotusElan

That's not a daft question as we have fallen foul of that sort of "wrong account" blunder for other things!

But yes, we can see the balance through the Xbox - can't remember exactly where but it was somewhere in Settings - and also via the browser whilst signed into Microsoft Live.

(At this point it's worth saying that we do appreciate that this isn't a life-changing amount if it does indeed get billed to the credit card! It'd just be nice to be able to spend the meagre balance that we have on the account...)

LotusElan

Think we might have answered our own question.

It looks like we can't redeem the credit against the selected game as when we look at "proper Xbox One games" or a movie rental the account balance shows as part payment on the confirmation screen.  Other "not proper Xbox One games" (e.g. Crackdown) only show the credit card as the payment option.

Oh well, looks like we'll have to squander the balance on a movie rental instead, if we can work out how to do that...  

King Tones

To use your Balance for 360 Games it has to be on a 360, you can't use Credit for 360 Games via Browser or Xbox One.

SteveU30

Ah hang on, is it a 360 game?

There’s an issue with how to buy them I believe

LotusElan

But we don't have a 360, yet the game is "available" via the store on our One, and is touted as backwards compatible.  Something's a little odd here - why show it if we can't buy it?

LotusElan

Yes, it's a 360 game.

It appears we can actually buy it, either via the console or via a PC, but won't be able to use any credit balance associated with our account.

Confusing!

LotusElan

Yeah, we eventually came to that conclusion too so squandered the credit on a film rental instead.

goonergaz

well that's stoopid - is it still true? I have some credit and I wanted to pick up RDR in the sale...do I need to dust off my old X360?