How to Turn Off Xbox Live Automatic Renewal or Cancel Xbox Live

Introduction

Xbox Live is a multimedia powerhouse that lets you play games with friends, download game demos, access your Netflix account and social networks, and much more. However, when you sign up for the service, the payment for the Xbox Live service is set up as an automatic renewal, meaning that the money to pay for your Xbox Live subscription is automatically taken out of the payment method linked to your account when it's due with minimal notification, which makes it easier for a company to slip by rate hikes. If you don't feel comfortable with letting Microsoft dip into your account so easily and want to disable the automatic renewal option for your Xbox Live account, you can do so through the Xbox Live website. The only downside is that you'll need to remember to renew your Xbox Live membership when the times, or you're account will be deactivated and you'll need to reactivate it. If you're fed up with Microsoft's Xbox Live service altogether, you can also cancel your Xbox Live membership -- but that takes a bit more work.

Turn Off Xbox Live Automatic Renewal

1. Get on a computer that's connected to the Internet, open a Web browser and navigate to www.xbox.com.
2. Click "Sign In" in the upper-right corner of the Web page to be redirected to the Xbox Live login page.
3. Enter the Windows Live ID and password associated with your Xbox Live account and then click "Sign In." You'll arrive at the Xbox Live Social page.
4. Click the "Home" option beneath Social in the upper-left corner of the page if it isn't selected already. You will know it's selected when it appears in black lettering.
5. Click the "My Account" option beneath your avatar on the left side of the Home page. Alternatively, you can click the "My Account" option in the upper-right corner of the page to the left of your avatar's headshot along with other information about your Xbox Live account, such as how many messages your account has, your gamerscore and how many points are still available to spend on your account. Clicking "My Account" in either place will take you where you need to be.
6. Click "Change" in green lettering to the right of Automatic Renewal in the list of options to the right of your Avatar on the left side of the screen and beneath the Xbox Live logo.
7. Click "Continue" in the lower-right corner of the Change Settings: Auto Renewal screen that appears that includes a list of the services Xbox Live offers. This is a shameless attempt on the part of Microsoft to get you to leave the automatic renewal feature turned on. After clicking "Continue," you'll be redirected to the actual Change Settings: Auto Renewal screen where you can turn off the automatic renewal feature.
8. Select the "OFF" option to the right of Automatic Renewal. A warning appears beneath the Automatic Renewal options notifying you that your option will not be automatically renewed at the end of the current agreement and that you'll need to manually make your payment after the agreement expires to reactivate Xbox Live.
9. Click the green "Save Changes" button to save your change. The automatic renewal feature has been disabled for your Xbox Live account. You can turn on the feature at any time by following all of the steps in this section and selecting ON at the final screen instead of OFF.

Cancel Xbox Live Membership

The only way to cancel your Xbox Live membership is via a telephone call with Xbox Live Support. You can reach the appropriate Xbox Live Support personnel and cancel your Xbox Live membership by doing the following:

1. Follow Steps 1 through 3 in the Turn Off Xbox Live Automatic Renewal Section to arrive at the Xbox Live Social page for your account.
2. Hold your cursor over the green Support button on the menu bar at the top of the page and select "Xbox LIVE" in the drop-down menu. You'll be redirected to the Xbox Live Support page.
3. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click "Contact Us." You'll be redirected to the Contact Us page.
4. Click the green drop-down box beneath Product in the Step 1 section and select "Xbox LIVE."
5. Click the green drop-down box beneath Category to the right of Product and select "Other."
6. Scroll down to Step 2 toward the bottom of the page and select "Request a Call" beneath Request a Call from Support. You'll be redirected to the Request a Call page.
7. Enter the phone number you want the Xbox Live Support person to call you at in the The Phone Number We Can Reach You At Field in Step 1.
8. Type "Cancel Xbox Live membership" in the Tell Us More About Your Issue box in Step 2 and then click the green "Submit" box beneath Step 2. An Xbox Live Support worker will be in touch with you shortly and can handle cancelling your Xbox Live account.