Credit Card's Only for Xbox Live sign up!

[la_bruin]

The Support Rep is not mistaken. A authorized credit card number entry (in
other words, they check its authentication online in real time) is required
after you've installed the 'Live' update during the 4 step console
configuration stage.

XBox Live Support Personnel will tell you this if you go step by step with
them...
Sept OXM's "Steps to XBox Live" states this very clearly on the back of the
Unreal poster...
...and I'm tellin' you that. And I'll let you guess how I know.

Kids: If you don't have a credit card, you'd better hit your parents up
soon.
.
Parents: Additional pay-per-download or pay-per-play services through XBox
Live are NOT automatically paid for through this credit card but ultimately
this is no different than giving a kid a cell phone where they can add
services or incur additional minutes. Subscribing to MSN or AOL to give
your offspring email accounts and Internet access is a similar scenario as
well.

"Boid [BOA]" <xbo...@cox.net> wrote in message news:3D543F...@cox.net...
> Yes, I'm aware that a chat support rep said a CC is required, but
> frankly I think he is mistaken. I will add a note to the FAQ about what
> the chat guy said, but the basic answer stays the same for now.
>
> Bill Brown wrote:
> >
> > According to the rep your card is required at sign in! Get the Boid
Faq's
> > together man!
> > "Boid [BOA]" <xbo...@cox.net> wrote in message
> > news:3D542A...@cox.net...
> > > Banshee wrote:
> > > >
> > > > I think there will be a pre-paid card in the Starter Kit and then
you
> > buy
> > > > more as you need them.
> > >
> > > But what, exactly, would the pre-paid card contain? You already
shelled
> > > out $49.95 + tax for the kit - are you thinking they're going to give
> > > you a pre-paid card filled with 12 x the monthly rate? Well that's
about
> > > $120 worth so I'd just go buy a bunch of starter kits and collect
> > > pre-paid cards costing less than 50% of value. :-) Plus there's all
> > > those Communicators you could sell on Ebay!
> > >
> > > I think that when you enter the subscription code from the kit (as
shown
> > > in the Sept. OXM), the XBL servers will recognize the number as a
"full
> > > year starter kit" and that's all you'll need to play. It's just like
> > > when you enter your CD KEY for some Microsoft products, and the
install
> > > program automatically figures out if the key is for the "Professional"
> > > or "Enterprise" version.
> > >
> > > I'm not ready to put $500 on it yet <grin>, but really I don't think a
> > > CC will be required to start. The subscription code in your starter
kit
> > > will set you up for the first year, and after that you'll be prompted
> > > for either a CC# or a pre-paid card# if you want to buy additional
> > > content.

[Boid [BOA]]

la_bruin wrote:
>
> The Support Rep is not mistaken. A authorized credit card number entry (in
> other words, they check its authentication online in real time) is required
> after you've installed the 'Live' update during the 4 step console
> configuration stage.
>
> XBox Live Support Personnel will tell you this if you go step by step with
> them...
> Sept OXM's "Steps to XBox Live" states this very clearly on the back of the
> Unreal poster...
> ...and I'm tellin' you that. And I'll let you guess how I know.

No thanks. :-) If you'd like to contact me privately and fill me in on
just how inside you are, that would be great. Your info here always
seems to be well-sourced.

I have updated the FAQ with both counterpoints, but I'll need to go back
to OXM tonight and re-read the section you're referring to. Perhaps I
concentrated too much on the part where they said "people who don't like
to use credit cards online don't have to worry". Apparently those people
DO have to worry! :-)

I'd love to know what Microsoft's angle is. If they aren't going to use
that credit card number for charging fees, why do they need it? I buy
things online all the time, so I'm not particularly nervous about
entering a CC# into the Xbox from a security standpoint, but if I'm not
actually buying something, why take it at all? Hmmm....