Xbox introduces new Mastercard credit card to bring more value to gaming

Microsoft has announced the launch of the new Xbox Mastercard credit card, aiming to give more value to gaming. The new card was issued in partnership with Barclays US Consumer Bank.

Xbox and the new Mastercard credit card: a new way to earn money

Xbox, the video game console produced by Microsoft, announced the launch of the new Mastercard credit card, a new way to earn more value for gaming. 

This is a new credit card that does not charge an annual fee, and was issued by the tech giant in partnership with Barclays US Consumer Bank, a leading issuer of co-branded credit cards in the United States. 

Basically, the Xbox Mastercard allows members to earn points on everyday purchases and redeem those points on games and add-ons on xbox.com. 

The Xbox Mastercard is also available to Xbox Insiders in the continental US, Alaska, and Hawaii starting 21 September. In contrast, for all Xbox players in the 50 United States, the card will be available in 2024. 

The Xbox credit card: how do you earn on purchases?

As anticipated, players who hold the new Xbox Credit Card, can earn points for every dollar spent on purchases. 

To give an example, for purchases made on eligible products in the Microsoft Store with the Xbox Mastercard, it will be possible to earn five times the points. For purchases of eligible streaming services such as Netflix and Disney+, it will also be possible to earn 3x points on the card instead. 

This also includes purchases for home delivery services such as Grubhub and DoorDash, or other everyday purchases. 

Not only that, the program also stipulates that players using the card will be able to get bonuses and other benefits such as three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. 

From cards to ads

While Xbox is opening up to the world of Mastercard credit cards, recently, Google opened its doors to ads for the NFT game. 

In fact, the Internet giant reportedly announced that as of 15 September, advertisements will be possible on NFT or blockchain-based games, excluding gambling and betting. 

This is a new advertising policy on cryptocurrencies and related products that the search engine has put into practice this September. 

For those who fail to follow the updated policy, Google will suspend the account with a warning at least 7 days before the suspension.