Telstra Xbox All Access: How to buy an Xbox on a plan in Australia

Alex Choros - Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor

Last updated 20 October 2021

This article was originally published in 2021 and the information in it is longer relevant. Telstra no longer offers Xbox All Access.

Everyone is familiar with buying a phone on a plan, or even a tablet. But what about a console? Thanks to a partnership with Microsoft, you can buy your Xbox Series X or an Xbox Series S on a 24-month Telstra plan via a program called Xbox All Access.

So what is Xbox All Access? How do you sign-up? Is it a good deal? Here's everything you need to know about buying an Xbox on a Telstra plan.

In this guide:

What is Xbox All Access?
Telstra Xbox All Access plans
What is included in Games Pass Ultimate?
How do I get Xbox All Access?
Should you buy an Xbox Series X or Series S on a plan

What is Xbox All Access?

Xbox All Access is a partnership between Telstra and Microsoft that lets customers bundle an Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S onto their mobile or broadband plan as an entertainment option. Instead of paying for your console upfront, you can pay it off over 24 monthly instalments, much as you would with a phone plan. It's potentially a great option for those who don't want to drop a few hundred in one go on a new Xbox.

Xbox All Access also includes Game Pass Ultimate, Microsoft's Netflix for game subscription service which gets you access to hundreds titles across Xbox and PC - even new releases such as Psychonauts 2 and Back 4 Blood. All of Microsoft's upcoming first party titles for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S - including Halo Infinite - will be available on Xbox All Access on day one.

Telstra Xbox All Access plans

Telstra currently has two Xbox All Access plans available: one bundled with the Xbox Series S, and one bundled with the Xbox Series X. Pricing is as follows:

	Plan	Inclusions	Price	Details
Telstra	Xbox Series S subscription	Xbox Series S Xbox Series S - 512GB Console Monthly subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate $34/mth Min. total cost $792	$33/mth Min. total cost $792	Go to Site
Telstra	Xbox Series X subscription	Xbox Series X Xbox Series X - 1TB Console Monthly subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate $46/mth Min. total cost $1,104	$46/mth Min. total cost $1,104	Go to Site

What is included in Games Pass Ultimate?

Game Pass Ultimate is the top-tier of Game Pass. It gets you Game Pass access for both Xbox and PC, as well as an Xbox Live Gold subscription for online gaming.

At time of writing over 380 titles are part of the Game Pass Ultimate library, over 200 of which are available for Xbox. These include titles such as Minecraft Dungeons, Moving Out, Streets of Rage 4, Afterparty, The Outer Worlds, Forza Horizon 4, Final Fantasy XV, and Gears 5. There's a healthy mix between blockbuster titles and indie games.

The complete list can be found on the Xbox website, or you can check out our sister site Reviews.org for some of our favourite Game Pass hidden gems.

New games are regularly added to Games Pass, but in some cases, games will also be removed. Game Pass subscribers can however buy these titles with a discount of up to 20% before they leave.

Game Pass subscribers also get access to EA Play. EA Play is EA's own take on a games subscription service, and includes access to almost 100 titles.

If you already have an Xbox or want to tinker with Xbox Cloud Gaming and you're a Telstra customer, you can add Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to your Telstra bill without adding a console. Doing so won't save you any money however, you'll still pay the standard $15.95 per month.

How do I get Xbox All Access?

To subscribe to Xbox All Access, you need to be a Telstra customer with a postpaid plan. This can be a SIM-only mobile plan, a plan with a new phone, a mobile broadband plan, or a broadband plan. If you're eligible, you simply add Xbox All Access to your account through the Telstra website.

It is however worth noting that if you leave Telstra, you will need to pay out the remaining value of your console as a lump sum on your final bill. Game Pass Ultimate will be deactivated after you cancel Xbox All Access and won't have to continue paying for it.

If you stay with Telstra for the entire 24-month term, your bill will drop to $15.95 after you've finished paying off your console. This covers the price of Game Pass Ultimate.

Customers with only a prepaid plan or small business plan can't add Xbox All Access to their account.

Telstra is the exclusive provider of Xbox All Access in Australia.

Here are Telstra's current SIM-only mobile plans:

$84 Essential Upfront SIM Plan

180GB data
Telstra 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices
Deal: Get $10 off for first 12 months on new Upfront Essential Mobile Plan. New services only. Ends 05.10.26

$74.00/mth

Min. cost $74

Link not supplied

$74.00/mth

Min. cost $74

Link not supplied

And here are Telstra's current NBN plans:

All Fixed Line nbn®

Basic Internet Only Plan

All Fixed Line nbn®

nbn® 25/4 Mbps
Unlimited Data
Deal: Get 50% off any home nbn plan for 2 months. Add code PROMO at checkout. Ends 05.10.26. T&Cs apply.

$89/mth

Min. cost $44.50

Link not supplied

$89/mth

Min. cost $44.50

Link not supplied

Should you buy an Xbox Series X or Series S on a plan?

Whether buying an Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S on a plan is right for you depends on your needs. It's certainly appealing to spread out the damage rather than pay for a console in one hit, but whether Xbox All Access is a good choice will largely relate to how interested you in are in Game Pass Ultimate.

As aforementioned, Game Pass is kind of like Netflix for games. You'd normally pay $15.95 per month for all you can eat access to a whole host of games from Xbox library. No many you install, you don't pay any extra. Part of the appeal of Game Pass is that it gets you access to some of the console's biggest titles, right as they launch. Games like The Outer Worlds, Gears Tactics, and Sea of Thieves were all available on Game Pass the same day they hit stores. The same will hold true for the upcoming Halo. Even if you're buying one full-price game every three months, Game Pass works out to be solid value.

It is however worth noting you can't just pause your Game Pass subscription if purchased through Xbox All Access, as you might with a Netflix plan. You're stuck with it for the entire 24 months, unless you decide to leave early.

As with any streaming service, you only have access to the games you've installed while paying for Game Pass. If you cancel your subscription, you'll no longer be able to play any game on the service without buying a copy or resubscribing.

When you factor in the price of Game Pass, Telstra's Xbox All Access plans themselves are pretty reasonable. Two years of Game Pass is valued at $382.80. This makes the effective price of an Xbox Series S $409.20 and the Xbox Series X $721.20. For comparison, the consoles' outright prices are $499 and $749, respectively. While the discount on the Series X isn't as big as on the S, you can save money either way.

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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