It seems as if Microsoft and Xbox are getting in on the holiday gift-giving vibes, as select Xbox Live Gold members are reporting that they have received messages from Xbox congratulating them on being an "All-Star Gold member." Coupled with this message is a code to redeem 5 free months of Xbox Game Pass. This is a substantial gift, being almost half a year of Xbox Game Pass.
A user over on Reddit has claimed to have received such a message on their console detailing what will happen to their remaining Gold subscription should they choose to redeem the 5 free months of Xbox Game Pass. For those that do receive the message from Microsoft, it appears that one's remaining Gold time will carry over on a 1:1 basis. For example, if someone has 18 months left on their Gold subscription, they will have a total of 23 months of Game Pass Ultimate after redeeming the code.
There has been speculation that this message could be a scam, so caution is advised when receiving the message. However, some users who have also gotten the Xbox Live Gold message and used the attached code say that it seems to be working just fine. From the looks of it, the message does appear to have been sent directly from Microsoft so anyone with trepidation can rest easy. Keep in mind, however, that these codes are non-transferrable.
Got this message from xbox today, not sure of what It means by your remaining gold time will carry over on a 1:1 basis... can someone explain please? from xboxone
As for why this is only being sent to a handful of select people, and at random, remains unclear. The company is known for doing this at times throughout the year, but it never gives a reason for doing so. One possible explanation is that Microsoft's internal systems have spotted certain gamers as long-time users of Xbox Live Gold, and Microsoft trying to get them interested in an Xbox Game Pass subscription. If that is the case, it is indeed a tough deal to turn down, even just to give the service a try.
Xbox Game Pass is currently on the rise and continues to put out numerous games a month, along with exclusive Xbox titles releasing day-and-date on the service. Just recently, Forza Horizon 5 had Xbox's biggest launch of all time no doubt thanks to Xbox Game Pass and Halo Infinite just released 10 days ago to rousing critical and fan success. The future is looking even brighter for the service with exclusive day-one releases of titles such as Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 and Fable.