Microsoft announced the launch of Xbox All Access back in 2018 as a subscription service which allowed gamers 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 officially landed in Australia via Telstra.
Since then, Xbox All Access updated its service by offering Microsoft's latest Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X consoles in Australia, which you can acquire via the Xbox All Access program without paying anything up front.
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 when compared to just buying all the bits and bobs separately.
Xbox All Access: what is it?
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In Australia, Xbox All Access is available as a service add-on for Telstra post-paid mobile or fixed broadband customers, providing an Xbox console of your choice plus 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.
Customers can now choose either an Xbox Series S or Xbox Series X console via Telstra, allowing you to get the current-gen consoles without having to pay the full cost up front.
Xbox All Access: Xbox Series S and Series X in AU
Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X have both launched in Australia, having been released on November 10, 2020. At retail, the slim Xbox Series S is priced at AU$499 outright, while the more powerful Xbox Series X costs AU$749.
If those prices sounds a little rich for your blood, you're in luck: both consoles are available as part of the Xbox All Access program, meaning you can score your chosen console right away for a reasonable monthly fee as part of a 24-month contract.
Telstra is offering the Xbox Series S via Xbox All Access for just AU$33 a month for 24 months, while the top-tier Xbox Series X can be yours for only AU$46 a month for 24 months.
Along with your chosen console, you'll also receive Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, giving you unlimited access to over a hundred high-quality games (including all the major Xbox first party titles) across PC and Xbox consoles, along with EA Play, providing exclusive member benefits for a number of EA titles, as well as the chance to play new games ahead of launch.
Xbox All Access: what's the price in Australia?
With the new Xbox Series S and Series X consoles officially on sale, Telstra is no longer offering the Xbox One S and One X as part of its Xbox All Access service.
Instead, the Aussie telco replaced the older consoles and now offers Microsoft's current-gen Xbox Series S and Series X under the Xbox All Access program. Telstra's post-paid mobile or fixed broadband customers can now sign up for either console via Xbox All Access.
That means Telstra customers are able to add Xbox All Access to their service as a 24-month contract, with pricing starting at AU$33 per month for an Xbox Series S, up to AU$46 per month for an Xbox Series X. This includes console repayments and plan charges.
Once the first 24 months are up and the console repayments are finished, the price will automatically adjust to AU$15.95 per month to keep the included Xbox Game Pass subscription going. You can cancel the latter at any time after that initial 24-month contract has finished.
(Note that early termination charges do apply, with Telstra stating that: "If you cancel your monthly subscription within the first 24 months, you will need to pay out the remainder of your Xbox console as a one-off payment on your next bill.")
Signing up for Xbox All Access
Xbox All Access: Is it good value in Australia?
While the total cost of Xbox All Access over two years may seem highish in comparison to just buying the consoles outright, the critical part to consider is that your monthly fee also covers two years worth Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (which also includes Xbox Live Gold).
The monthly fee for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is AU$15.95. Over 24 months, that comes to AU$382.80. (One year of Xbox Live Gold, which is required to play online, is priced at AU$79.95, bringing the two-year total to AU$159.90.)
If you were to buy the Xbox Series S console separately at retail, you'd be looking at AU$499 for the console + AU$382.80 for Game Pass, bringing the total to $881.80. On Xbox All Access, the total cost is just AU$792, or almost AU$90 less.
The Xbox Series X comes at a higher retail price of AU$749, meaning you'd be looking at a total cost of AU$1,131.80. On Xbox All Access, the total cost is $1,104, or a modest saving of about AU$28.
Whether you opt for the Xbox Series S or Xbox Series X plan, you're saving money either way when you consider the value added by the included monthly 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 previous terms and conditions for Xbox Series S and Series X, 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 Series S, this means paying AU$511.21 (1 month + AU$478.21 remaining on your console) with the overall payout reducing by AU$20.792 each month that you stay connected.
For the Xbox Series X, early termination means paying AU$763.79 (1 month + AU$717.92 remaining on your console) with the overall payout reduced by AU$31.208 each month you stay connected.
More information is available at Telstra's website.
