It’s very common for some people to sign up for a service, pay a subscription fee each month, and forget they’ve done it. Microsoft has decided to address the issue of inactive Game Pass subscriptions from this perspective.
As part of the sweeping changes to Xbox Live, the company has announced that it will cancel long-dormant subscriptions. People who paid for an Xbox Live Gold or Game Pass subscription but haven’t used it for at least a year will be contacted. If these people continue to pay cash every month without using their membership for 12 consecutive months, Microsoft will eventually stop getting paid.
The change will apply to users in the UK first. Microsoft has announced that it will implement it worldwide in the near future. Alongside changes to inactive subscriptions, the company said it will also offer better upfront information about subscriptions, including automatic renewals, when subscriptions renew, how much people will pay, and a way to get a refund if they accidentally renew their plans.