Store Ban? From out of region Free DLC?

I was downloading some free DLC from other regions and now I can't seem to buy anything from Xbox.com or the Microsoft store, has that happened to anyone else? I called Microsoft support and they said I may have violated terms of service. I've done this in the past and wasn't aware this was an issue if it actually is one.

You'll have an email if you've been banned but I think that would be an account ban.


Changing region and spending money is actually against TOS as they consider it price dodging if you're buying games for a cheaper price elsewhere.

It's one of those things where you typically don't get banned for it but if you did, you can't fight it, it's in the terms you agree to when making a account.

That said, I'd be surprised if you specifically have a purchase ban rather than an account ban, but check your email and look for an enforcement team email

Brenin Watson said:Did you volunteer the information about buying out of region DLC and they replied that you may have violated ToS or did they tell you this from checking something on their end

Personally, whenever i call a company with an issue, i want them to give me whatever information they have without me volunteering anything

VOODOO85 said:I had an issue with my .... Brothers account I think.... I needed my debit card removed. They removed it and he told me it was also linked to another account which was my Japanese Gamertag.

I told him to leave that alone, and he did ask why did I even have that but all I said was because I need it lol

He was confused but we moved past it lol

VOODOO85 said:They checked my recent store purchases and asked why I was buying outside my region.

New Paralyzer said:I appreciate that, I'll be on the lookout. As far as I can tell, I haven't received anything from them yet. Just Microsoft Support tickets.

Which free DLC did you redeem recently? Is it free DLC that is also available in your own region? Is it free DLC exclusive to other regions? The Series is "region free". Redeeming free content from another storefront is not against their TOS unless it requires the activation of a VPN or use of a currency your account location isn't tied to. But on that last point, it's generally not been an issue if it's exclusive paid content and not shopping regions for a better price. (As seen with JP exclusives - but best to use a dummy for paid JP content anyway)

Did you use the webstore? If so, there's no issue claiming free content if the site shows a foreign location (i.e. /en-AU/ instead of /en-US/). If the content is intended to not be claimed by your ACCOUNT region, when you get to the checkout it won't allow it. So there should be no breach possible for free content using the webstore and this is all likely just server issues with MS. The Australian webstore was down for an entire day this week as an example. I understand that's unrelated to the US, but it's more likely this issue is unrelated to any activity on your part.