Lock in 2 years of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for around $5 per month with this neat conversion trick before the September price hike

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The conversion trick from Core to Ultimate still works, and if your subscription has expired now is the time to use it.

Hot on the heels of the news that Xbox Game Pass prices are going up across the board from September, many have either cancelled their subscriptions or are looking to save money on Xbox Game Pass before the price hike. If you happen to have an expired subscription right now and are not familiar with the conversion trick, thanks to this Reddit post, I can confirm that it still works. With this trick, you can lock in a Game Pass Ultimate subscription for less than $6 a month.

The 'conversion trick' is utilizing the 3:2 conversion of Game Pass Core to Game Pass Ultimate, and will still work following the price increase in September, however, crucially, Microsoft will clamp down on letting us stack our subscriptions for more than 13 months, so the time is now to take advantage and lock in 2 years of Game Pass Ultimate for the equivalent of $5.11 a month. Here's how:

Step 1: Make sure your Game Pass Ultimate subscription is expired, if you have one.

(Image credit: Jennifer Young - Windows Central)

This may sound a bit daft, but even if you have canceled your Game Pass Ultimate subscription previously, check that it's actually expired. For example, I cancelled mine earlier in July to take advantage of this deal, but I couldn't actually start the process until after July 21, as that is the actual day I had paid up to with my subscription. Even if you cancel, you won't expire until the end of the period you have paid, and this deal does not work with current subscriptions.

Step 2. Buy a code for Game Pass Core

Where you buy Game Pass Core from is up to you, but the cheapest place right now is CDKeys where you can buy a whole year for $37.99. Whether you buy one year or three years is down to your own budget, but to maximize the savings from this deal, we recommend buying the maximum of 3 years, totaling $113.97. Do not purchase more than three years, your Xbox will not allow you to redeem further than this.

Once you have purchased, you can redeem them on your Xbox or on the Microsoft website, taking care to not accept recurring billing each time.

WARNING: If you buy three one-year subscriptions, do not accept any bonus months in exchange for turning on recurring billing while redeeming the codes. This will break the process as Microsoft do not allow more than 3 years of stacking and any bonus months you take count towards the max. 

Xbox Game Pass Core 12-months | $77.09now $42.39 at CD Keys

Xbox Game Pass Core 12-months | was $77.09 now $42.39 at CD Keys

Game Pass Core is the new name for what was Xbox Live Gold, so access to online multiplayer, plus access to a selection of Game Pass titles. You will not have full access to the whole catalog and no Day 1 releases. But don't worry, we are going to convert this to Game Pass Ultimate!

CDKeys FAQ: How it works, legitimacy, platforms, where to find the best deals, and more

Step 3: Buy a code for 1-month of Game Pass Ultimate

After redeeming your 3 years (or whichever you chose) of Game Pass Core, you'll need to buy 1 month of Game Pass Ultimate, the cheapest place for this right now is also CD Keys for $8.69 but take care to only buy the code we have linked. There are other codes showing on the site that clearly state they are not for people with live subscriptions. Do not buy those, we have linked the correct one below. 

Game Pass Ultimate 1 month | was $16.59 now $8.69 at CD Keys

Game Pass Ultimate 1 month | was $16.59 now $8.69 at CD Keys

Game Pass Ultimate gives you full access to an extensive library of titles on both PC and console, including Day 1 releases for upcoming games like Call of Duty Black Ops 6, and also the use of Xbox Cloud Gaming. 

Step 4 - Redeem your code for Game Pass Ultimate, and convert your Game Pass Core

(Image credit: Jennifer Young - Windows Central)

Here's the trick. When redeeming your code for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, your Xbox or the Microsoft website will ask you if you want to convert your existing Game Pass Core subscription to Game Pass Ultimate at a 3:2 ratio. Accept this conversion.

Your Game Pass Core for 3 years, will be converted to 2 years of Game Pass Ultimate. You've just paid $140.86 for two years, instead of $479 it would have cost if you'd paid $19.99 a month. Hurrah!

  • Game Pass Core $37.99 x 3 years = $113.97
  • Game Pass Ultimate $8.69 for 1 month
  • Total spend $122.66 for 2 years of Game Pass Ultimate
  • Works out at $5.11 per month, compared to the $19.99 a month cost in September when the price goes up.

Don't want to use tricks? Or an existing subscriber? You can save too

I'm now paid up and subscribed until September 2026 for just over $5 a month using the conversion trick (Image credit: Jennifer Young - Windows Central)

If the above seems like a faff, or you simply cannot take advantage of this deal because you have an existing subscription that runs past the September price hike. You can still save money on Game Pass Ultimate simply by stacking 3-month codes from CD Keys, which for a year works out $116.76 ($9.73 per month). This is just slightly cheaper than the 12-month code for $126.99.

From September 12 Microsoft will prevent us from stacking codes for longer than 13 months on some tiers, so the time is really now to take advantage of discounts.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (3-months) | $49.99 now $29.19 at CDKeys

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (3-months) | was $49.99 now $29.19 at CDKeys

CDKeys is a trustworthy retailer to obtain super-cheap Xbox Game Pass codes, and this deal lets you stack Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at three months for the price of two... And that's all before the subscription gets more expensive later this year.

Xbox Game Pass is still great value even with the price increase

(Image credit: Jez Corden | Windows Central)

While the new tiers in September that are launching are... confusing to say the least, we have a write-up here of the full announcement from Microsoft about the new pricing structure, and the difference between the tiers. In short, though, while the messaging is questionable, I firmly believe that even at $20 a month, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is still the best value in gaming. Though the value is dependent on how much or how little you use the service. The library is constantly growing with bigger and better titles, and it will be the cheapest overall way to play the new Call of Duty Black Ops 6, which drops later this year. You also get the benefit of Xbox Game Pass across both PC and console, as well as access to Xbox Cloud Gaming and discounts if you want to purchase your games. Did we mention you can now play Xbox on your Amazon Fire Stick too?

Nevertheless, as good value as I believe it is, all of my subscriptions are increasing year on year, including things like Amazon Prime and Netflix, so I will shave off savings wherever possible with deals and hacks, as mentioned in this post. 

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Jennifer Young
Jennifer Young

Jen is a News Writer for Windows Central, focused on all things gaming and Microsoft. Anything slaying monsters with magical weapons will get a thumbs up such as Dark Souls, Dragon Age, Diablo, and Monster Hunter. When not playing games, she'll be watching a horror or trash reality TV show, she hasn't decided which of those categories the Kardashians fit into. You can follow Jen on Twitter @Jenbox360 for more Diablo fangirling and general moaning about British weather.