The Microsoft Work and Play Bundle: good deal if you can get it

Microsoft just went live with what looks to be a pretty good deal it’s calling the “Microsoft Work and Play Bundle“, which includes one year subscriptions to Office 365 Home, Xbox Live Gold, Xbox Music Pass, and Skype Unlimited World + WiFi, all for $ 199. Of course there’s a catch or two: the bundle is for sale only in physical Microsoft Stores in the US, and the offer is valid only from November 10th (today) until January 4th of 2015. If you can get yourself to a Microsoft Store, it’s a pretty good deal, that is if you can make use of all four of the services included in the bundle. Here’s a breakdown:

Office 365 Home – $ 99.99 /yr

Skype Unlimited World + WiFi – $ 13.99/mo X 11 mo (1 mo free) = 153.89

Xbox Music Pass – $ 9.99 mo X 11 mo (1 mo free) = 109.89

Xbox Live Gold – $ 59.99 / yr

So that’s $ 423.76 retail value of services for $ 199, quite a savings. And while this offer is limited in a number of ways, it’s encouraging to see Microsoft experiment with bundling services, and actually rewarding their most loyal customers for a change. You can find a store and get your Work and Play Bundle beginning today, or learn more in the FAQ


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