How to Cancel Xbox Live

Xbox Live is one of the best entertainment subscriptions around, allowing you to connect to Microsoft’s exclusive gaming network and a whole lot of other benefits besides.

However, you might want to cancel your Xbox Live subscription for any number of reasons. And when you do, it’s important that your know-how. This article will discuss all the steps you need to take.

What is Xbox Live?

If you have Xbox One and Xbox 360, Xbox Live will completely round up your Xbox gaming experience. Even though it’s been around for some time, it has successfully become a market favorite even today.

Xbox Live’s premium service is called Xbox Live Gold. It was succeeded by Games for Gold, which launched in 2013 on the Xbox and 2014 on the Xbox One, becoming another huge success.

This paid subscription connects you to Microsoft’s exclusive gaming network, allowing you to play multiplayer games on your console.

However, some people don’t think that Xbox Live Gold isn’t necessary anymore these days.

Features like voice chat and the chat party system used to be exclusive to Gold members – however, due to recent changes introduced in 2021, these features are now available to free players. Multiplayer access is also now unblocked for Free to Play games such as Fortnite.

Additionally, you also don’t need Gold if you’re playing offline games with multiplayer factors, such as playing split-screen games on one PC. It’s also not required if you’re playing multiplayer games offline or watching video streaming sites.

How to Cancel Xbox Live

As mentioned above, some of the paid Xbox Live features are now available even to free users.

For one, free-to-play games don’t require a paid subscription anymore, so if your Xbox experience revolves around games like Fortnite, you’re fine with the free subscription.

There are also plenty of other reasons that you might not want to subscribe to Xbox Gold. You might be cutting costs, or you might be trying to cut your playing time. Regardless, you should know how to cancel your Gold subscription easily.

We’ll discuss how you can cancel your paid Xbox Live subscription in the next sections.

Cancel Xbox Live Online

Canceling your Xbox Live Gold subscription is quick and easy, and there are several ways to do it.

The simplest one is unsubscribing through your browser. Follow the steps below.

1. The first thing you have to do is visit the Microsoft Xbox website.
2. You will see several sections on the right side, such as the Game outage alert, Controller replacement days, etc. On the left, you will see the green Sign In button. Press that to continue.
3. Use your Xbox account to log in.
4. Once you’re in your account, navigate to the My Account button that you will see at the bottom of the interface.
5. Here, you will be presented with several options that include Xbox Live.
6. Go to the Xbox Live section.
7. Click Cancel Auto Payment and confirm.

Once you’ve confirmed your cancellation, your subscription will then end on the next billing cycle. Until then, you can still receive the benefits of your subscription, but once your next billing period approaches, this will all be disabled.

Cancel Xbox Live from Your Xbox One

If you’re not a PC gamer, don’t worry – you can also cancel your subscription straight from your Xbox console. Simply follow the steps below.

1. Turn on your Xbox console.
2. On your Settings menu, pick “Accounts.”
3. You will then be presented with a list of options. From this, choose Subscriptions.
4. You will then see all the subscriptions you have on your Xbox Account, including your Xbox Live Gold subscription. Navigate to the subscription you want to cancel, and then press “A” on your controller.
5. The next section will present you with the details of your subscription. Under the “Payment and Billing” section, you should be able to find the “Cancel Subscription” button. Choose that.
6. There will be other instructions that you have to follow, so simply follow on-screen instructions until you cancel your payment.

Cancel Xbox Live from Your Xbox Series X/S

Microsoft also provides a way for you to cancel your subscription straight from your Xbox Series X/S. Just follow the steps below.

1. Turn on your console.
2. From your homepage, navigate to Xbox’s support website.
3. Click the blue sign-in button.
4. Use your Microsoft credentials to log in.
5. You should then see details of your Microsoft Account. Look for the Xbox Live Gold subsection.
6. Look for the Manage button and click it.
7. Here, you will see a bunch of options for your Microsoft Account. Click Turn off auto-renew.
8. Microsoft will ask you for your confirmation. If you’re still sure about your decision, simply confirm your cancellation.

Does the Xbox Live Free Trial Auto-Renew into a Paid Subscription?

If you’re subscribed to the Xbox Live free trial, make sure to take note of when your trial will expire. That’s because your subscription will automatically convert to a monthly paid subscription once your trial ends.

You’ll get charged with the payment method that you added to your account upon signing up for the free trial.

How to Save on Xbox Live Gold

With the Games With Gold feature, you can access several games for free for a limited time.

Anyone with an Xbox Gold subscription can redeem them for free, and you will be able to keep them forever. However, if you don’t redeem the game until the period lapses, you won’t get to keep it. The Games for Gold offer can last from several weeks to a month.

You can then play all redeemed games for free until your subscription is active. This means that if you’re diligent in redeeming games, you can compile a library containing hundreds of games that you got for free.

As long as you maintain your Gold subscription, you’ll be able to play your redeemed games. If your subscription lapses, you won’t be able to play them, but you’ll regain access to them once you resubscribe.

In addition to free offers on Games With Gold, Microsoft also offers attractive deals exclusive to Gold subscribers. These deals change every week, so if you have your eye on a specific game, you should check the offers every week.

Once you’ve purchased a subscription from Deals With Gold, you won’t lose your access to it even if your subscription lapses.

How to Cancel Xbox Live: Wrap-Up

Xbox Live Gold is a great subscription for any hardcore gamer. It enables multiplayer for many big-name games and gives you free access to a ton of games for free.

However, if you’re just a regular player, subscribing to Xbox Gold might be unnecessary since some games are already free to multiplayer. If you’re sticking to games like Fortnite and PUBG, you might find that the Gold subscription is not worth its significant price tag. Whatever your reasons are, now you know how to cancel your Xbox Live subscription. If you want to know how to cancel other services like HBO, Hulu, and Netflix, be sure to check out our other posts!

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Frank Gogol

I’m a firm believer that information is the key to financial freedom. On the Stilt Blog, I write about the complex topics — like finance, immigration, and technology — to help immigrants make the most of their lives in the U.S. Our content and brand have been featured in Forbes, TechCrunch, VentureBeat, and more.

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