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My Great Capture Screen Shot 2014 11 13 09 46 33
Rumours

Xbox appears to have blocked Australians from purchasing content via the US-facing Games Store

Are you a clever Australian using the United States-centric Xbox Games Store for cheaper games? I won’t lie: I certainly was.

It looks like Microsoft may have just closed that loophole.

Users who’ve placed their Xbox Ones in the United States region and purchase content in $ USD using American Express cards or PayPal accounts are reporting that transactions are no longer being processed, according to posts on Australia’s Whirlpool forum.

These reports come after a week of turbulence on Xbox Live, where purchasing and content usage have been down sporadically all week.

My Great Capture Screen Shot 2014-11-13 09-46-33

This writer has just attempted a AMEX-based purchase only to receive a message that reads “Use a different way to pay. Your purchase can’t be completed with this payment option. Try a different or new way to pay.” I’ve been using my AMEX and the US Games Store for approximately a year without issue.

While some on Whirlpool are reporting issues, others are saying they’re still able to purchase DLC without issue. Users are still able to purchase Xbox.com credit via Amazon.com and use it in the US store.

We’ve asked Xbox Australia for clarification on the matter.

What do you think: a temporary problem, or a purposeful fix?

Thanks, MMGN.

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Steve Wright

Steve's the owner and Editor-in-Chief of Stevivor.com, the country’s leading independent video games outlet. Steve arrived in Australia back in 2001 on what was meant to be a three-month working holiday before deciding to emigrate and, eventually, becoming a citizen.

Stevivor is a combination of ‘Steve’ and ‘Survivor’, which made more sense back in 2001 when Jeff Probst was up in Queensland. The site started as Steve’s travel blog before transitioning over into video games.

Aside from video games, Steve has interests in hockey and Star Trek, playing the former and helping to cover video games about the latter on TrekMovie.com. By day, Steve works as the communications manager of the peak body representing Victorians as they age.