How to request an Xbox refund

Irina Bauer/Shutterstock Bought the wrong game or want your money back for an Xbox subscription? Here's what to do.

Digital buyer's remorse can arrive remarkably quickly. Maybe a game looked much better in the trailer, you bought the wrong edition or you finally noticed that subscription quietly renewing in the background.

Fortunately, an Xbox purchase isn't always a one-way trip. Microsoft accepts refund requests for eligible digital games, apps, add-ons and some other purchases, while Xbox subscriptions have their own cancellation and refund process. There are conditions, though, and buying something by accident doesn't automatically put the money back in your bank account.

Engadget You don't need to hunt around your Xbox dashboard for a hidden refund menu. Digital game refund requests are handled through Xbox Support online.

If Xbox approves the refund and starts processing it, you'll also lose access to the digital game product.

Xbox says refunds for digital games are typically issued if the request is made within 14 days of purchase and the player hasn't accumulated a "significant amount" of playtime. Microsoft does not specify exactly what qualifies as significant, so there is no published hour count that guarantees your refund will sail through.

The 14-day guideline also isn't the absolute end of the road. Xbox allows game refund requests to be submitted within 90 days of purchase, although Microsoft makes clear that not every request will be accepted, and it can impose limits on the number, type or monetary value of refunds granted to an individual purchaser during a year.

The policy covers Microsoft Store digital game offers, Xbox apps (excluding movie and TV apps), digital gaming bundles, durable game content and some consumable content. Most in-game consumables and virtual currency stop being refundable once they've been purchased or used.

Pre-orders get their own small escape hatch. Xbox says you can cancel a digital game pre-order through your order history up to 10 days before launch; once billing has taken place, you may need to request a refund instead.

Bangla press/Shutterstock Microsoft makes this slightly more fiddly than it needs to be. Turning off recurring billing stops the next charge, but your subscription stays active until the paid period runs out. If that's all you're after, you can cancel or downgrade your Xbox Game Pass subscription to prevent future payments.

Getting a refund for the last payment that processed has a few more rules. Under Microsoft's standard policy, a subscription may qualify for a refund within 30 days of the initial purchase or before the first recurring billing date, whichever comes first. The most recent recurring charge may also qualify if you cancel within 30 days of payment, though Microsoft limits that refund right to one time per account for each Xbox subscription product.

If you're eligible, Microsoft will offer the option to cancel immediately with a refund. But remember, prepaid codes follow the retailer's return policy, while some countries have additional prorated refund rights.

Xbox refunds aren't instant.