Microsoft Sends Out Free Gift Cards to Some Xbox Series X Users
Some Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S users are getting free Xbox Store gift cards, per multiple reports from a wide range of Xbox users. This is in addition to some Xbox users recently getting a $40 Xbox Series X game for free. That said, unlike some giveaways in the past, this one is not random. Rather, it’s being sent to those who pre-ordered Gears of War: E-Day, or at least those who pre-ordered the new Xbox game in participating regions.
Right now, it’s not clear what regions are included and what regions are excluded, but those interested in whether they qualify should check their Microsoft Store app on their respective console. From here, you will need to go to your gamertag in the top left corner. From here, select the “Profile” option, and then the “Offers & Credits.” Lastly, see if you have any offers in the “Active” section, because if you got something, it will be sent here. If you received it, you will be receiving a free $5 gift card that can be used on any purchase on the Xbox Store.
As the Reddit post below notes, relayed by Pure Xbox, this promotion was actually announced months ago in order to entice Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S users into pre-ordering a copy of the new Gears of War game. Now, it’s finally started to send out the gift cards in question. Unfortunately, this promotion excluded anyone who purchased the Collector’s Edition, which would be most of the series’ most hardcore fans. It also excluded anyone who purchased the regular standard copy, which would be the largest section of pre-orderers. To this end, this offer was limited to the Premium Edition.
Gears of War: E-Day Underperforming?
As for why Microsoft waits until after the game releases to send out the gift cards, it’s to prevent anyone from pre-ordering, getting the free gift card, and then cancelling their pre-order.
Of course, the existence of this promotion may suggest that the new release from The Coalition was not tracking as well as Xbox was aiming for; otherwise, why throw in an incentive in the first place? And this would line up with its performance on Steam, which has been underwhelming, with the Xbox game failing to ever secure the #1 spot on the Steam charts.
As for the $5 gift card, this may not seem like a lot, but with the current Microsoft Store sale, it gets you plenty of noteworthy games, including: Fallout 4, Fallout: New Vegas, Metro Exodus, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, BioShock 2 Remastered, Mortal Kombat 11, various Tomb Raider games new and old, Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection, Mad Max, Batman: Arkham Knight, and a wide range of LEGO games. In total, 88 different games.