Google kills off Pixel Pass; existing subscribers get their full 2 years and a $100 loyalty credit

When Google revamped the Pixel line in 2021 by releasing what was an improved flagship series in the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, it also created a monthly payment plan that allowed you to pay off your new Pixel phone, a YouTube Premium subscription, a subscription to Google Play Pass, and a subscription to Google One. The pricing was set to give the buyer a discount and locked in the subscriber for 24 months (two years as the crow flies). The service was called Pixel Pass.

But today, Google made a change to the Pixel Pass support page that says, "Beginning August 29, 2023, Pixel Pass is no longer offered for new Pixel purchases or renewal." No matter how you slice it, what this means is that the Pixel Pass program has been canceled by Google. Pixel Pass will not be available for those buying the Pixel 8 or Pixel 8 Pro in October. But what if you already are signed up with Pixel Pass?

Existing subscribers will be able to remain subscribed to the program until their two-year term has ended. The term is considered over after two years have passed since the subscriber's Pixel Pass device shipped. At the end of the two years, the subscriber will not be able to update to a new phone using Pixel Pass. However, at the end of the two-year Pixel Pass subscription, a Pixel Pass subscriber will have paid off his Pixel device, and the Preferred Care service contract, or the device protection coverage, will end.

However, to keep other services that were part of Pixel Pass from lapsing, subscribers will continue to get billed monthly for Google One, YouTube Premium, and Google Play Pass at a discounted rate until these services are canceled. If you use your Pixel Pass device on Google Fi, you will lose the $5 service discount for your plan. 

As Google notes, "At the end of your 2-year term, Google One, YouTube Premium, and Google Play Pass will renew together at a discount, unless you choose to cancel them. If you cancel them, you will lose access to all of these services. If you prefer to subscribe to a subset of these services, you'll need to cancel and subscribe to individual subscriptions directly."

Even if you just signed up for Pixel Pass, you will get the full two-year term of that subscription. You can cancel if it is within 15 days since your Pixel Pass device was received. There is also some good news; All active Pixel Pass members will receive a $100 loyalty reward credit as a "token of appreciation" from Google. 

If you signed up from the Google Store, the credit can be used on any purchase made from the store. If you subscribed via Google Fi, you will receive by email a $100 coupon code that can be used toward the purchase of a new Pixel from Google Fi Wireless.