One of our most popular post series’ is How to Remove Remove Credit Card Details from Xbox Live. The upshot of it all was basically… you can’t. Not properly. We tried the website. We tried phoning them up. 53 days later, TheFluffyFist’s credit details were still on his Xbox Live account.

Stories came in from everywhere about people having the credit card problems. Scott wanted to stop his son from buying MS points indiscriminately – couldn’t do it. PrincessMeri spent two years asking Microsoft to stop billing her. Mark’s account was hacked and $247 worth of points was charged to his card. People even made complaints to Watchdog and the Better Business Bureau (sadly, with no direct response). Lots of worldwide frustration over such a simple little thing.

We are now happy to report that Microsoft have finally added an option to remove your credit card details from your Xbox account! They no longer blacklist your card and you can add it back later if you change your mind.

Here’s how:

1. Log in to Xbox.com
2. Click the My Xbox drop-down in the top-right corner and select Manage Profile. (screenshots from the UK version of the site)
   
3. Click Manage Payment Options in the list on the right-hand side
   
4. You should now be presented with a list of your current credit cards! Note the magical new word, “Remove” next to the card ;) Click the image below for a bigger version.
   

Praise to the gods of customer service! And thanks to reader Johan for letting us know about the update.

Update: 11th Feb 2009
We’re getting reports that some people are having trouble removing their cards. Some even think this is a fake option on the site to placate us. Trust us, it’s not. You can actually remove your card details. Click the screenshots below for the readable pictures:

A few people get the following message:

“This payment option cannot be removed at this time. Please contact Xbox LIVE Customer Support.”

As Gabe says in the comments, they may have an active subscription using their credit card that needs to be cancelled first. I switched to a pre-paid 12 month subscription a few months ago, so the theory seems to hold true. If you get a customer service rep to explain this, let us know.

Our advice, remove your card details and buy pre-paid cards instead:

• Xbox Live 12 Month Gold Membership plus 1 free month!!!
• Xbox Live 12 Month Gold Membership Card
• Xbox Live 3 Month Gold Membership Card
• Xbox Live 4200 Points Card
• Xbox Live 2100 Points Card

You may remember that last week I found out that Microsoft were still charging me for my Xbox Live Gold subscription, even though I cancelled the debit card they were using back in November, at the behest of my bank. I stopped by a branch the morning after writing my previous post and spoke to a “Personal Banker”. She told me that customers have been known to sign up for goods or services and then cancel their cards in order to avoid the charges. She then claimed that Barclays sometimes roll over the charges to the replacement card in order to prevent customer fraud of this sort. I asked if it was a certain type of charge that would be rolled over. This would explain why my web hosting companies had sent me invoicing emails when their charges to my old card were rejected. She said that that information was confidential to prevent people gaming the system.

Personal Banker then got rather shirty and started interrupting me with phrases like “Well, there’s no official policy” when I tried to repeat this back to her for confirmation, so I called the telephone banking team to verify her given reason. According to Barclays Debit Card Services, companies can set up charges based on the first 12 digits of your card number, ensuring that they still get their payments when you change cards. Debit Card Services Woman said that this is what Microsoft would have done, whereas my hosting companies would have been charging the entire 16-digit card number.

Make of that what you will.

Way back in October last year I was playing Team Fortress 2 quite a bit. Somehow, even though I don’t actually know my own gamerscore, it seemed to make sense to unlock the achievements on my own gamertag, instead of playing on someone else’s. So… I duly signed up for a monthly-paid Gold Membership and added my Visa debit card details.

One month later, my boyfriend and his flatmate are sick of me sitting on their couch playing TF2 all the time. Also, Mass Effect was released so I got my own Xbox 360 and flew off on the SS Normandy. In the meantime, I had to get a new debit card because the UK banks have moved away from the wish-it-was-two-factor authentication to actual two-factor authentication. I ordered my new debit card and cancelled my Xbox-Live-known card even though it doesn’t technically expire until September 2008.

There isn’t actually an option to move back to Silver membership from Gold in the Xbox 360 interface. I figured that hey, I can’t use the card in shops any more (I actually tried this), so next time Microsoft try to bill me for the Gold Membership, the charge will get rejected and they’ll downgrade me to a Silver. No problem. My home internet connection is too crappy to play TF2 online anyway.

For Christmas, TheFluffyFist kindly gets me a 12 month subscription card to Xbox Live so that when I do resume playing TF2 I don’t have to give them my new card details and be unable to remove the card info later.

In January, I notice in passing that I still appear to have a Gold membership. “Hmm. That’s strange” I say, but since my two-factor authentication device isn’t in the building, I can’t check my accounts. I forget about it.

Fast forward two months to tonight – I finally got around to looking at my bank statements in detail. Right there in the middle of the month:

“Payment to Microsoft Axbox [sic] Luxembourg This transaction was for GBP 4.99 at exch rate 1.000″

Arse.

Question 1:

How the hell can they continue charging me every month, even though this card was cancelled in November? I shall speak to my bank tomorrow.

Question 2

Does this mean I have to go through the obligatory 3-phone-call ritual and then wait for my non-valid card to be blacklisted before I can stop paying Microsoft for a service I don’t even use?

FFS!

Finally, I’ve been reading Microsoft’s Privacy Statement, which contains the following extract:

“Personal information collected on Microsoft sites and services may be stored and processed in the United States or any other country in which Microsoft or its affiliates, subsidiaries or agents maintain facilities, and by using a Microsoft site or service you consent to any such transfer of information outside your country. Microsoft abides by the safe harbour framework as set forth by the US Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use and retention of data from the European Union.”

In other words, data submitted to Microsoft is NOT fully protected by the Data Protection Act (1998). If it were, under the core principle of not keeping information longer than is necessary, you would (probably) have the right to have your credit card details removed from payment methods after going through the multiple phone calls that it takes to persuade Microsoft that you no longer want a Gold membership. (Disclaimer – I am not a lawyer.)

Under the Safe Harbour Agreement there is some mention of having the right to delete information where it is inaccurate in Safe Harbour FAQ 8 – Access but… I don’t know how that is applied. Any ideas?

Update 7th Feb 2009:
The saga is over! Microsoft have now given us the option to remove credit card details through Xbox.com. See Remove Your Credit Card Details from Xbox Live – ONLINE! for details.

So 30 days have now passed since I was called by Xbox support. Have they removed my card details as they promised? Err, no they haven’t.

To be honest I didn’t expect them to have either. Maybe they had their hands full dealing with the rather shoddy provision of Xbox Live since Xmas and forgot about my support call?

It has now been 53 days since I first asked Xbox Live support to remove my credit card details. I’m now wondering if they actually are able to remove my card details? At this rate the card will have expired. Very, very poor service Microsoft.

Check out part I and part II of this ongoing saga.

Update 26th Mar 08: They’ve been removed. I can’t believe it. Microsoft have FINALLY done what I asked them to do over 3 and a half months ago. When I examine my LIVE account on my 360 there are no card details at all! Upon reviewing my LIVE account at http:\\billing.microsoft.com my card details have been flagged as removed (only there for historical purposes) and can’t be used or viewed. About bloody time Microsoft.

Our advice, remove your card details and buy pre-paid cards instead:

• Xbox Live 12 Month Gold Membership plus 1 free month!!!
• Xbox Live 12 Month Gold Membership Card
• Xbox Live 3 Month Gold Membership Card
• Xbox Live 4200 Points Card
• Xbox Live 2100 Points Card

Update 7th Feb 2009:
The saga is over! Microsoft have now given us the option to remove credit card details through Xbox.com. See Remove Your Credit Card Details from Xbox Live – ONLINE! for details.

In my previous post I outlined how to start the process to get your card details removed from Xbox Live. I say start the process, as following my latest conversion with a Microsoft representative, it’s going to take a little bit longer.

So there I was opening my Christmas presents when my mobile phone rang. It was someone from Xbox Live support about my request. Wow, they’re dedicated! We then had a fairly short conversation, in which I reconfirmed that I wanted my card details removed. They were finally going to carry out my request. However, this will take 30 days from the date of this latest call to remove my card details. In addition, I would never been able to use this credit card on Xbox Live again. Apparently, the “very complicated” process (support person’s words, not mine) to remove card details from the Xbox Live servers means that my card is essentially now blacklisted.

I was a little surprised to be called again following my discussion on the 15th Dec 07. As I’d specifically asked not to be called back and for them just to remove my card details. Ho hum. I guess the message was never typed never got though.

Here’s the time line for my support call(s) so far:

• 3rd Dec 07 – Raised original support call to remove card details.
• 4th – 14th Dec 07 – 3 missed calls from Xbox Live support.
• 15th Dec 07 – Phoned Xbox Live support – 30 days to remove card. Recurring Gold subscription stopped. Given new support call reference.
• 19th Dec 07 – 1 missed call from Xbox Live support.
• 25th Dec 07 – Informed that card details will be removed in 30 days, unable to use card again on Xbox Live. Given another new support call reference

With any luck when I post part III it will include the words “my credit card details have finally been removed.” I await this moment with bated breath. Almost….

Update 7th Feb 2009:
The saga is over! Microsoft have now given us the option to remove credit card details through Xbox.com. See Remove Your Credit Card Details from Xbox Live – ONLINE! for details.

A few months ago I decided to purchase a months Xbox Live Gold membership. As you all know this is very easy to do. Enter credit/debit card details and Microsoft take your money before you can blink. Then you receive the obligatory confirmatory email thanking you for your soul purchase. This email also tells you that your membership will automatically renew and:

For information about changing or cancelling your membership and your membership refund policy, go to www.xbox.com/live/accounts.

However, you can’t cancel your membership or remove your credit card details either via your Xbox dashboard or www.xbox.com/live/accounts. Even when you end up at http://billing.microsoft.com you can only change or add a credit/debit card. There is no facility what-so-ever to remove a payment method or cancel a service. Rubbish.

However, I want to stop my monthly Xbox Live Gold subscription. The only way to do this (at the moment) is by calling Xbox Support. I’ve included all the options you need to select to get you through to the relevant help desk person.
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