Xbox Live Billing – Removing Credit Card Details
This has been a hot topic throughout the community for quite some time. After the latest system update/maintenance, word spread that you could now have your credit card information removed from your Account Billing with Xbox. I mentioned to a few people that I would look into it and find out any other news about it. I did and will have the actual call on the next show but I wanted to share the details that I was told. I spoke with Xbox Support (1-800-469-9269) last night and had a very fun conversation that I hope you’ll enjoy on the next show. I told Xbox Support I’d help spread the word so here it is.
Details of the call…
Removing Credit Card from Xbox Dashboard
-changes went into effect March 16 allowing users to request their CC details be removed
-a call must be placed to Xbox Support requesting removal
-upon request, the issue will be escalated to the proper billing team to expedite removal
-process takes between 5-10 days normally
-any attempts prior to March 16 may not be valid so please call again with a new request
February 26th, 2008 at 9:05 am
My method was to phone my credit card company and report my card as “stolen by Microsoft”… It now nolonger workes on the console. I’ve reported this to the uk tv show watchdog…
I still want it removed since now it’s on there with my personal details and invalid… 25 days and counting. I’ll never trust them with my cc details again. Shame… I was enjoying it upuntil now…
February 29th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
I know this is so gay, they need a button instead of one that says “ADD MICROSOFT POINTS” I don’t want them to keep charging forever and ever
March 5th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
Please help me. My name is Andrew from NY. My girl let me use her credit card to purchase points on the 360 Live but now her info is on there for good. Im searching around everywhere but there is no # to call Microsoft. Your page poppedup when I Googled a resolution to my problem. Please I need those MSN phone numbers to get that off! She’s fucking pissed…. I need help!
March 5th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
call 1-800-446-9269
March 5th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
thank you ill let you know what happens!
March 22nd, 2008 at 12:11 pm
MS says it will take 30 days to remove my card T_T
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:08 am
Thanks for providing the Porn Hotline, DeaconBlade!
April 29th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
I have been doing a little research about this myself. I found the following links from Weefz on theaveragegamer.com. Both links will take you to a sight regarding the data protection laws, laws in which Microsoft is NOT following!
http://www.ico.gov.uk/what_we_cover/data_protection/the_basics.aspx
http://www.export.gov/safeharbor/SH_FAQ8.asp
FAQ 8: Access
ACCESS PRINCIPLE:
Individuals must have access to personal information about them that an organization holds and be able to correct, amend or delete that information where it is inaccurate, except where the burden or expense of providing access would be disproportionate to the risks to the individual’s privacy in the case in question, or where the legitimate rights of persons other than the individual would be violated.
1. Q: Is the right of access absolute?
1. A: No. Under the Safe Harbor Principles, the right of access is fundamental to privacy protection. In particular, it allows individuals to verify the accuracy of information held about them. Nonetheless, the obligation of an organization to provide access to the personal information it holds about an individual is subject to the principle of proportionality or reasonableness and has to be tempered in certain instances. Indeed, the Explanatory Memorandum to the 1980 OECD Privacy Guidelines makes clear that an organization’s access obligation is not absolute. It does not require the exceedingly thorough search mandated, for example, by a subpoena, nor does it require access to all the different forms in which the information may be maintained by the organization.
Rather, experience has shown that in responding to individuals’ access requests, organizations should first be guided by the concern(s) that led to the requests in the first place. For example, if an access request is vague or broad in scope, an organization may engage the individual in a dialogue so as to better understand the motivation for the request and to locate responsive information. The organization might inquire about which part(s) of the organization the individual interacted with and/or about the nature of the information (or its use) that is the subject of the access request. Individuals do not, however, have to justify requests for access to their own data.
Expense and burden are important factors and should be taken into account but they are not controlling in determining whether providing access is reasonable. For example, if the information is used for decisions that will significantly affect the individual (e.g., the denial or grant of important benefits, such as insurance, a mortgage, or a job), then consistent with the other provisions of these FAQs, the organization would have to disclose that information even if it is relatively difficult or expensive to provide.
If the information requested is not sensitive or not used for decisions that will significantly affect the individual (e.g., non-sensitive marketing data that is used to determine whether or not to send the individual a catalog), but is readily available and inexpensive to provide, an organization would have to provide access to factual information that the organization stores about the individual. The information concerned could include facts obtained from the individual, facts gathered in the course of a transaction, or facts obtained from others that pertain to the individual.
Consistent with the fundamental nature of access, organizations should always make good faith efforts to provide access. For example, where certain information needs to be protected and can be readily separated from other information subject to an access request, the organization should redact the protected information and make available the other information. If an organization determines that access should be denied in any particular instance, it should provide the individual requesting access with an explanation of why it has made that determination and a contact point for any further inquiries.
June 1st, 2008 at 2:59 pm
i called the xbox 360 live support thing, but i have no idea where to go from there. am i supposed to go to billing and payment? and then what from there? what will i need to know? can somone give me a small step by step tutorial on how to do this?
June 21st, 2008 at 6:21 am
[...] According to Unscripted 360.com, Microsoft have only begun allowing people to wipe their card details from their books…by calling [...]
August 1st, 2008 at 1:27 pm
They don’t even remove expired cards… mine from a year ago (no kidding) is still on there!!!
September 29th, 2008 at 11:09 am
As I had been getting random charges from Microsoft that my son could not account for I called Microsoft. They agreed to remove my card details from my sons Xbox360 account.
Unfortunately I kept getting charges so I called again. It turns out that a chargeable transaction occurred on the account 28 days after I had requested my card to be removed, as this was within the 30 days that it takes them to action the request this unauthorised transaction over-ruled my request. MS agreed that I had expressly told them to remove my card but refuse to consider a refund. As my son swears that these charges are nothing to do with him and MS will not remove my card if any of these unexplained charges occur I have now had to cancel my sons account and refer the matter to my credit card’s fraud department.
November 3rd, 2008 at 12:42 pm
DAVE… I feel your pain!! they did the same to me… except i knew what the charges were for… and even though I had asked to have my card removed they charged me again 27 days later… and again refuse a refund!! i will also contact my credit card company to try and resolve this issue…. long story short…. Microsoft is greedy and dont care about its customers…. when is apple releasing a next gen system??? soon please!! SWITCH TO MAC!!!
November 20th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Hi,
Just responding because I have been going through the very same thing. Although I have to say that the random charges that were appearing were accounted to my son sadly, although he also swore several times that he didn’t make the purchases. This has been going on for months and after Microsoft kindly telling me that it takes a month to cancel the account as long as no further purchases are made (as they automatically reactivate it) every month the account gets reactivated because points are purchased. My son lives 100 miles away with his father, but after another purchase occurring two days ago, I am pleased to say that his X box has finally been confiscated. I have called Microsoft without any help even though I explained the situation and that I can not physically do anything other than cancel it and remove my card details. The bank told me I cannot unauthorise the payments once I had given initial authorisation. It is so frustrating I could scream. My only option the bank informed me, is to write a letter to Visa disputes who may enable me to disallow payments to Microsoft. I’ve written to trading standards tonight, because I can’t believe this system can be right, I naively signed up for the monthly subscription for my son, thinking it was to be able to play on-line with others, being unaware of this point purchasing. I wish Microsoft customer line were open now, I’m so angry!
November 23rd, 2008 at 1:10 am
Hype!!!
I can finally get rid of the card I never use and am scared of getting screwed around on live! Face it, your account gets jacked, so much for that card. I can’t believe they didn’t have this is in from the beginning.
December 12th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
I have a solution to get your real CC off their books for auto renewal and buying purposes. I went to the local Duane Read, bought a $10 Visa gift card – they act just like real credit cards but only up to the face value. I then went onto billing.microsoft.com, clicked “change payment method” and input the gift card’s number. Presto! My real credit card has been “removed” and from what i read that makes it dead to the system. The best part is if microsoft tries to charge the gift card beyond the $10, its not going to let it – EVER – no bank is taking that loss for your overcharged gift card. I went and bought $10 worth of MS points to bring the gift card to $0 before it expired or racked up “gift card fees”. haha. Winna!
/points thumbs at self.
December 12th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
good advice T Ferg
December 12th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Thanks. I figured its easier than fighting with out-sourced “customer service” every month. Further, people can do it remotely w/o having to be physically near the xbox. I hope it helps others.
December 30th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
i just can’t get the cc info off my 360 consol. i can’t change it nor delete it. there isn’t even a delete button… omfg. so all i have to do is call in, have it removed, and not play it for 30 days? omg. so much freakin stuff JUST to remove something that should just have to click on. i’m sure microsoft could have the capabilities to do that…
January 7th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Found this on https://billing.microsoft.com/ – if you go to that page once you have logged in on the Xbox live page. The details below are how to change the card BUT there are also options on the site for doing a few other bits and bobs (like cancelling) Hope this helps someone
To transfer your services and balances to a new payment method, follow these steps:
1. Sign in to the Billing and Account Management website.
2. Under Your payment methods, click the payment method you want to change.
3. Under Payment method activity, click Go to payment method information.
4. Under Payment method information for this account, click Use a different payment method.
5. Click Add new credit card, and then click Next.
6. Click Add new Direct Debit, and then click Next.
7. On the Confirm transfer page, confirm the balances and services you want to transfer, and then click Next.
8. Enter the information for the new payment method, and then click Save.