Starting October 7, the Windows 8/8.1 China Store (which needs to be updated to the latest edition) has started to support the use of Alipay to purchase applications. At the same time, the Windows gift Card recharge channel, which was not available in the store, was previously open and could be paid with the Microsoft account balance, ready for the upcoming Windows gift card and the official release of Windows 8.1.
The move means that Microsoft is starting to unify the way it pays for its platforms, and it is good for consumers to use an account to pay for all the services.
The Microsoft account balances previously generated by using Windows Phone gift cards or Xbox gift cards can be used directly to buy windows 8 apps, pay for Xbox Live games or subscribe to Xbox Music, or even Xbox One on use (but the Microsoft Bulletin says the old Xbox doesn't support it).
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