Xbox All Access in Australia: is Microsoft's console subscription service good value?

In August 2018 Microsoft announced the launch of Xbox All Access, a subscription service which allows those who sign up to get an Xbox One S or Xbox One X console, Xbox Games Pass and Xbox Live Gold for a flat per month fee – with no upfront costs. It took over a year to arrive, but Xbox All Access has officially landed in Australia via Telstra.

To see if the Xbox All Access offer is for you, we put together this handy guide explaining everything we know about Xbox All Access and assessing whether it's good value compared to just buying all those Xbox bits and bobs separately.

Xbox All Access: what is it?

Xbox All Access is subscription service which sees you receive an Xbox One S or Xbox One X console, 24-months of Xbox Live Gold (required for online multiplayer) and 24-months of Xbox Games Pass (Microsoft's subscription service that grants access to over 100 games) in return for paying a fixed monthly fee for 24 months.

Xbox All Access: what's the price in Australia?

In Australia, you can sign up Xbox All Access via Telstra on a 24-month plan, with pricing starting at AU$27 per month for an Xbox One S, up to AU$34 per month for an Xbox One X and bonus game. This includes console repayments and plan charges

Once the first 24 months are over and the console repayments are finished, the price will automatically adjust to AU$15.95 per month. Early termination charges do apply.

While those minimum cost prices may seem high in comparison to just buying the consoles outright, it's important to take into account that this fee also covers two years worth of both Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass.

One year of Xbox Live Gold is priced at AU$79.95, bring the two-year total to AU$159.90. Meanwhile, the monthly fee for Xbox Game Pass is AU$10.95. Over 24 months, this would come to AU$262.80.

If you were to buy the Xbox One S console separately at retail price, you'd be looking at around AU$399 for the console + AU$159.90 + AU$262.80, bringing the total to $821.70. Factor in the Xbox One X's retail price of AU$549, and you'd be looking at a total cost of AU$971.70.

Whether you opt for the Xbox One S or Xbox One X plan, you're saving money either way when you consider the value added by the included subscriptions over a 24-month period.

Xbox All Access: important things to know

Before you sign up for Xbox All Access there are some crucial details to be aware of:

If you return the console, you are still responsible to pay for both memberships each month you are connected

Xbox All Access is subject to the Microsoft Store standard return policy. This means your chosen console has a 30-day return policy. However both memberships are not returnable and are non-refundable.

It's yours to keep after the 2 years

Signing up for Xbox All Access means you own the console and the 24 month Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold memberships outright upon purchase.

Early termination during the initial 24-month period will result in additional charges

According to Telstra's terms and conditions, cancelling your Xbox All Access subscription after the first 30 days will result in termination charges, much like with a mobile phone plan.

For the Xbox One S, this means paying AU$409.37 (1 month + AU$382.37 remaining on your console) with the overall payout reducing by AU$16.625 each month that you stay connected.

For the Xbox One X, early termination means paying AU$659.95 (1 month + AU$621.95 remaining on your console) with the overall payout reduced by AU$27.042 each month you stay connected.

More information is available at Telstra's website.