Microsoft Points

[JokerGrin]

It's good for BUSINESS but as a customer I find it a real pain in the ass. My debit card isn't accepted by them so I have to keep buying the point cards online, which takes ages considering I'm after something that's purely digital. I hate having to wait 3 days. I also just like to know EXACTLY what I'm spending on something without having to translate.

Finally I missed Braid when it was reduced to 800 points for that week. I'd bought Castle Crashers and something else so I was waiting for a new card to arrive. The card arrived the day after Braid went back up to 1200 points. Hnnnngggg.

If the quality of the full game is like that of the demo though, I'll probably end up paying full price.

 

[roekenny]

Hate with a passion and don't care if try say "universal currency on the Live Marketplace" it a cheap scam to part with more than wanted to. They do sell M$ points in lower incitements but only via zune markentplace but can use them for pc and xbox but do not advises them for gamers as means they could easily get 0 points and be out the loop and they can't have that can they.

 

[Mister Benoit]

There's a VERY good reason, and that is that it provides a central exchange system by which things can be sold to any nation. MS gets to provide the MSRP of the Microsoft Points, keep them in escrow thus avoiding financial transfer charges, and retailers can offer them instead of only selling online. This makes it possible for people without a credit card to get stuff and be reminded to get stuff even when not right online. There are very many good reasons for it.

I see what you're saying. Being able to buy points at a retail store is a good thing, as is the whole central exchange system. I guess the thing that bugs me are these leftover points. It's like money being wasted. Sure, very little money, but money nonetheless. It just sits there until we load up on points again, then have a little leftover again.

So buy pictures, they're really cheap.

 

[Yokomitsu]

All points systems over the world are usually like this, this way they make you buy more points to buy another thing because nothing costs under 100 anymore.

 

[RogueDarkJedi]

It's kind of a good thing, because you don't have to give your credit card to microsoft (you can never remove it once you have).

 

[Bulletinmybrain]

There's a VERY good reason, and that is that it provides a central exchange system by which things can be sold to any nation. MS gets to provide the MSRP of the Microsoft Points, keep them in escrow thus avoiding financial transfer charges, and retailers can offer them instead of only selling online. This makes it possible for people without a credit card to get stuff and be reminded to get stuff even when not right online. There are very many good reasons for it.

I see what you're saying. Being able to buy points at a retail store is a good thing, as is the whole central exchange system. I guess the thing that bugs me are these leftover points. It's like money being wasted. Sure, very little money, but money nonetheless. It just sits there until we load up on points again, then have a little leftover again.

So buy pictures, they're really cheap.

Then you have to pay 6.50USD again, for 500 points because pictures cost 180... It goes on and on..

 

[iain62a]

Hell, you could say that all real life currency's are just a point system...

 

[MarsProbe]

As much as I like my 360 and X-box Live, I don't have much love for Microsoft points. It may be the very reason they opted for a points system, but it's really just a handy way for them to disguise how much your purchases are actually costing.

If you happen to use your card details as your way of purchasing MS points, then the whole system does seem a little surplus to requirements. I have to spend actual money to buy the points of the marketplace initially, so why not just cut out that step and allow me to buy whatever content I'm after of the marketplace using "real" money?