As announced yesterday, starting in June, Xbox consoles will no longer require a Live Gold subscription to use media streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu. That impending change is detailed on an Xbox.com FAQ page, which addresses a potential complaint for fans who paid $60 for a yearly membership solely to watch TV shows on their Xbox – you can cancel Gold and get a refund.
While the FAQ doesn’t reveal the exact date of the paywall change, it does explain how users can request a cancellation and a prorated refund from the day Xbox Live Gold sees the switch. At that point, subscribers can click through the site’s customer service form to make a formal request, though the site doesn’t specify whether users should choose “I only want streaming services” as the cancellation reason.
While cancellations are instant, they must be submitted before August 31, 2014 and will take six to eight weeks for the associated refunds to be processed.
As if to encourage a mass withdrawal from the subscription service, the FAQ also includes a very long list of current apps that are no longer held back by the Xbox Live Gold paywall: Netflix, Hulu Plus, HBO Go, YouTube, Twitch, ESPN , NFL, Xbox Music, Internet Explorer, Skype, OneDrive, OneGuide and Upload Studio. Microsoft also used the FAQ to promote Gold-only features such as multiplayer gaming, Games With Gold freebies, Deals With Gold discounts, and upcoming exclusive video content.