Looking to get an Xbox Live Gold subscription for free? We have bad news and good news.

The bad news is that most offers you see for "free" Xbox Live Gold are scams. They either redirect you through endless amounts of ad-filled surveys, or try to steal your personal information in exchange for a "free" membership. Don't believe them.

The good news is, there are a few legitimate ways to join Xbox Live Gold for free.

How to Get Free Xbox Live Gold

  1. Use a free trial card included with select games. When you buy certain titles, they include a prepaid card for a two-, three-, or 14-day Xbox Live Gold trial. Multiplayer-focused games, like Destiny 2, are more likely to contain these.
  2. Watch for free weekends of Xbox Live Gold. Occasionally, Microsoft will let you play online without a Live subscription for a few days.
  3. Use Microsoft Rewards to earn free Xbox Live Gold. This is the best solution for saving on Gold in the long term.

Microsoft Rewards, previously Bing Rewards, gives you points for using Microsoft services. Head to the Microsoft Rewards homepage and sign in with your Microsoft account, then you can start earning points.

You can earn points every day by searching with Bing, actively using Microsoft Edge, and completing offers on the Rewards homepage. You'll also earn points if you buy anything from the Microsoft Store, like apps and games. As long as you earn 500 points per month, you'll become a Level 2 member -- this lets you earn more points and receive a discount on your Xbox Live Gold redemption.

A three-month membership to Xbox Live Gold costs 16,000 points. If you use Edge regularly, remember to search with Bing, and complete special offers, you should be able to keep your membership topped off with ease.

And thus you can enjoy all of Xbox Live's benefits while paying less or potentially nothing.

Do you use Microsoft rewards? How much free Xbox Live Gold time have you gotten for free? Tell us in the comments!

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