How to use Bitcoin to add money to a Microsoft account (step by step)

Recently Microsoft announced that now is accepting Bitcoin to buy digital goods, including games, apps, music, and movies through the Windows, Windows Phone, and Xbox Store.

For those unfamiliar, briefly, Bitcoin is a type of digital currency in which encryption technology is put in place to regulate the generation of units of currency and verify the transfer of funds, without the need of a central bank.

Now if you’ve been harnessing bitcoins as miner or purchasing each bitcoin, you can use them to add money to your Microsoft account to pay for goods at the store.

Pay with Bitcoin to buy Microsoft products

1. Sign in to your Microsoft account and go to the billing section

2. On Billing overview, under Payment options, click redeem bitcoins

   

3. Select the amount of money you want to add to your account, fill out the billing information, and click Next.

   

4. Bitpay, the service Microsoft is using to process the transaction, will calculate how much bitcoins are required to cover the money you want to add. Then you only have 15 minutes to complete the transaction using your digital wallet.

   

On your computer, select Pay with Bitcoin and then simply pay from your Bitcoin wallet. If you’re using a smartphone, scan the QR code displayed on the page to pay with your Bitcoin mobile app wallet.

If your wallet resides on another computer, copy the receiving address and BTC amount to the wallet on your device or the Web and then make your purchase.

Finally, once the funds has been transferred you can spend the money on the Xbox Store to buy new games, music or movies, or you can go to the Windows Store or Windows Phone Store to buy new apps like you usually do (nothing is different at this point).

Things to keep in mind:

• Although, most Bitcoin transactions are process immediately, it could take up to two hours to complete your purchase.
• Money added to your Microsoft account using Bitcoin cannot be refunded.
• You can only buy digital goods and you cannot buy Microsoft products and services directly at this point.
• Microsoft is supporting Bitcoin on United States only.
• You can only exchange up to $1,000 per day or equivalent currency.
• You cannot exchange more than $5,000 on additional Microsoft accounts at your name.