I guess this story rolled out earlier today:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57584563-75/no-more-points-for-xbox-players-report-says/

As much as I like this move on microsoft's part, it makes me a little sad. I signed up to be one of their rewards members because I had a high enough gamerscore to get 2% back on every purchase through the marketplace. It's going to be interesting to see how they deal with folks like me who jumped into that boat.

Points always bugged me, I usually ended up with more than I needed to get something, but less than what I needed to get something else.

I am sure they will convert remaining points to money, but losing the discount, small as it is, svcks.

Why would that be a problem?

It's right in his post, he loses the 2% discount.

About damn time. I don't use the service, but it always bothered me.

The discount has no reason to go away just because money is being used instead of points, which is money in reality.

So make it where he gets 2% cash back instead of points.

There is no problem.

Whats the difference? MS points were just like money with a conversion rate of 80 points per $1. So no instead of having extra or not enough points, you have extra or not enough $$. In the end, nothing changes really.

"The gift cards will let Xbox owners buy currency to purchase games and other content. Users also will be able to use credit and debit cards to buy Xbox items online."

All they have done is essentially let you pay exact amounts via credit/Debit.

Bingo.

If you don't use it, how can it bug you?

I've used it plenty of times for DLC stuff, I don't have an issue with the leftover monopoly change. Sooner or later it'll go toward something else I wanted to download. If people want to avoid it as much as possible, just keep buying the least amounts.

If they offered a 2% discount and took it back, well that's pretty criminal. What the hell's 2% to Microsoft, anyway?

Principal of the issue. The same reason why the US school system bothers me but Im not in it (anymore).

Just because you don't use something doesn't mean it cant bug you.

Nothing really. It's $1.20 off a full prices $60 retail game.

It won't hurt me. I always thought that not being able to see how much something costs in real money was annoying anyway.

If it bugs you then I suppose you just shouldn't use it. And "the U.S. school system" is a really, REALLY broad, vague comparison and statement. Like umm, we have one little schoolhouse on each coast and therefore all assumptions can be made on those.

I remember reading that some one was actually raising a law suit against them for that very reason, that their point system was rigged to where you always had points left over but not enough where you could spend them all and end with a 0 amount. This may be one of the reasons of why they are doing away with it.

It was an example. The point still stands. You need not use something, or partake in something, to be bothered by it.

I have a better example, but I don't want to say it to avoid it breaking out into a discussion on a restricted topic.

Hrm, lets see what 2% of 12 billion is... 24,000,000. That might be what 2% would be to them.

And thats exactly how they designed the system. Things were priced so you'd always have to buy more than you needed, but those leftover points wouldn't usually be enough to get something else, so you'd buy more again.

The entire 'points' system was essentially a giant rip-off.

It's not really a major problem, just a mild annoyance.

As the current model stands, you have to have accumulated 100 microsoft points in order for them to credit it to your account. I always felt it was kind of weird that they based it off 80 points = $1, yet required you to accumulate $1.25 worth of points before they would give it to you.

But really as it stands, its just going to be interesting seeing what changes they make to that business model. I pretty much they'll change it to requiring you to accumulate $5 before you can redeem it, or completely remove it from the upcoming xbox 720. Which just gives me one more reason on my already long list to look more into getting the ps4 instead.

Right, okay. and $24 mil is still not a lot of money when compared to Microsoft's typical couch change. I'm just saying, I don't see why they need to stir the pot for this small amount.

I kinda liked the MS Point Cards it was safer then using Credit/Debit Cards.

Why'd so many people fall for it then?

Because we enjoy playing on 360's and can't pass up DLC's and stuff. Any other option for this isn't an option.

Because at first it doesnt seem like a rip off, untill you realize that you ALWAYS have points left over, but never enough to buy something else. Therefore forcing you to go buy more points if you wanted something.

You don't "fall for" a rip-off. There was no other way to purchase DLC/Store Content without using points.

Hmm.. three consecutive responses grilling that statement may have been a bit much