The world of gaming is becoming more and more mainstream, there’s no mistaking that gaming has become a big part of global culture just as much as music and theater. Nothing says synergy like two major companies coming together to give people things they probably don’t need, or even thought about owning, and Xbox, Barclays and Mastercard are definitely doing the latter. The aforementioned group has announced the ‘Xbox Mastercard’, Xbox’s first-ever co-branded credit card in the United States, their will be no annual fee and will provide card holders ‘…(the) best-of-both-worlds value they need for gaming and everyday purchases, including points to redeem on Xbox games and add-ons, select streaming and dining delivery services, and more…’.
The cards will be issued by Barclays US Consumer Bank and will be available on September 21 exclusively to qualified Xbox Insiders across all 50 states, but will become more widely available to the general public in the U.S. sometime in 2024.
If approved for a card you will receive a bonus of 5,000 card points after your first purchase, the card offers perks to reward members across different aspects of their spending, including three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate after making your first purchase within 180 days of opening an account, unfortunately this applies for new Game Pass members but if you already have a subscription there will be an option to gift the reward to a friend. Additional benefits include 3X card points on select streaming platforms and dining delivery services, 1X card points for other everyday purchases, and more. With a choice of five iconic card designs and the option to customize it with their Xbox gamertag, the Xbox Mastercard brings together the virtual experiences players love most, into everyday purchases, for wherever and whenever they want to shop.
Signing up isn’t as simple as running your credit score, first potential early adapters must be part of the Xbox Insiders program, Xbox Insiders with residence in the continental United States, Alaska, or Hawaii can then apply through the Xbox Insider Hub on their Xbox console or on a Windows PC after joining the Xbox Mastercard Preview. The Xbox Mastercard will be available in waves to Xbox Insiders throughout this fall.
With the Xbox Mastercard, players can earn card points for every $1 spent on purchases including:
- Xbox & Microsoft – Earn 5x card points on eligible products at the Microsoft Store.
- Streaming Services – Earn 3x card points on eligible streaming services like Netflix® and Disney+®.
- Dining Delivery Services – Earn 3x card points on eligible dining delivery services like Grubhub® and DoorDash®.
- Everyday purchases – Earn 1x card points on all other everyday purchases.
- A bonus of 5,000 card points (a $50 value) after their first purchase.
- Three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for new Game Pass members after their first purchase. If they’re already a Game Pass member, they can easily gift it to a friend to play together.
- Choice of one of five iconic designs for their card, with the option of personalizing it with their gamertag.
- Flexibility of use with contactless payments and digital wallets.
- Free online access to cardmembers’ FICO Credit Score, which allows users to keep an eye on their credit score and receive alerts when their score has changed.
- $0 Fraud Liability protection, so cardmembers are not responsible for charges they didn’t authorize.