Sony Temporarily Disables Subscription Extensions to Close Money Loophole
In the context: Sony has long allowed stacking PlayStation Plus subscriptions. I personally get paid until 2024 because I buy an annual subscription every time I see it for sale through CD Keys. Now, however, many people are paying years in advance up front to get a 50 percent discount on the new PlayStation Plus Premium, which will cost $120 at launch.
If you’re sitting around worrying that your PlayStation 4 or 5 isn’t getting the one-year renewal you just bought, relax for a minute. Sony has temporarily suspended pre-purchase of a subscription. He introduced a temporary shutdown because people used a loophole to get huge discounts on PlayStation Plus (PS+) Premium in the future.
When Sony officially announced the PS+ restructuring last month, people had questions about what would happen to their existing subscription time. Sony explained the FAQ says that the old plans will be carried over to the new levels. So those with only PS+ will upgrade to the PlayStation Plus Essential tier for $60. Those with PS+ and PS Now, both of which cost $60/year, will automatically upgrade to the new PS+ Premium plan, which costs $120/year.
Sony confirms that they have blocked PS+/PS Now code merging for existing members until the launch of the new PS+. Codes can be activated after launch. Anyone who is not a current member of the service for which the voucher is intended can use the voucher. https://t.co/PLbscXCxhT pic.twitter.com/F4M47vgZm1
— Wario64 (@Wario64) April 29, 2022
However, Sony created a loophole when it decided how to fairly reposition subscriptions of varying lengths. If a player has a PS+ and PS Now subscription of different lengths, they will receive Premium for the longer subscription period. Therefore, a customer who has one year of PS Now and two years of PS+ left will receive Premium for two years. So, almost immediately, users started buying up $60 subscriptions of one or the other in order to renew the $120 subscription for as long as their wallets allowed. Sony saw that people were abusing this loophole, so they closed voucher applications until new subscriptions were launched.
For now, the voucher entry screen will only accept applications from those whose subscription has expired. Everyone else will have to wait for the restart of PlayStation Plus. It will arrive in select Asian regions on May 23, in Japan on June 1, in the Americas on June 13, and in Europe on June 23.
It’s important to note that if you have vouchers now, their value will change after you upgrade, depending on what level of subscription you want or already have. For example, a monthly PS+ or PS Now code will give you one month of Essential or half a month (17 days) of Premium.
Image credit: DC Stock Photo
