Microsoft allowing US users to add Bitcoin to accounts

Posted On 11 Dec 2014

Tag: Microsoft, US users, Use Bitcoin to add funds

Front lobby entrance of building 17, one of the largest buildings on the Main Campus portion of Microsoft’s Redmond campus. The circle in the lower-left is where cars drive up. Taken by Derrick Coetzee in April 2005, who releases all rights to the work and releases it into the public domain.

Microsoft has quietly begun accepting Bitcoin, allowing users to add the digital currency to their Microsoft accounts, reported CoinTelegraph. The company is reportedly using BitPay as its payment processor.

The news agency said that at its press time, no official announcement about this service was posted on Microsoft’s official blog or social media accounts; however, the company has posted some information on its “Payment & billing” help section.

According to the help page, users can now use Bitcoin to add funds to their Microsoft account. Once they add money to their account, users can use it as payment option to purchase apps, games, and other digital content from Windows, Windows Phone, Xbox Games, Xbox Music, or Xbox Video stores.

The help page says that at this time, users cannot use Bitcoin to buy Microsoft products and services directly; they can only use the digital currency to add money to their accounts and then buy digital goods at select Microsoft online stores. Currently, the support for adding funds to a Microsoft account using Bitcoin is limited to the US.

The help page gives the following instructions to add money to a Microsoft account with Bitcoin:

Sign in to Microsoft account – Billing with your Microsoft account.
Select Payment options > Microsoft account > redeem bitcoin.
Select the amount you want to add, then click “Next.”
Review the amount of Bitcoin needed and use your digital wallet to complete the transaction within 15 minutes.

On your computer – select “Pay with Bitcoin” and then pay from your Bitcoin wallet on the same device.
On your smartphone – scan the QR code displayed on the page to pay from your mobile wallet app.
If your wallet is on another device, you can copy the receiving address and Bitcoin amount to the wallet on your device or the Web and then make your purchase.

The help page notes that most Bitcoin transactions should process immediately. If a transaction doesn’t, a user is advised to wait up to two hours for the transaction to complete before contacting support. Funds added to a Microsoft account with Bitcoin cannot be refunded, so the company asks that users make sure to review their transaction before paying with their digital wallet.

About the Author

Katherine Fletcher is a writer and editor based in London, Ontario, Canada. With a graduate degree in journalism, Katherine spent more than five years curating news on Canadian higher education for a marketing consultancy. Her interest in reporting on Bitcoin stems from her belief that digital currency is, and will continue to be, a disruptor in how we conceive modern currency.