Fonix To Handle BuyGameCredit Purchases On Xbox Live, PlayStation

Fonix, the mobile payments and messaging company, has been chosen by BuyGameCredit, a Microsoft partner, to enable players to purchase Xbox Live Gold and PlayStation Network subscriptions, gift card credit and games instantly using their mobile phone.

BuyGameCredit, which is brought to consumers via Irish company Phonovation, enables players to purchase Xbox Live and PlayStation Network subscriptions and content by sending an SMS text message. Customers then receive a text message containing their content code, with the cost of their purchase being charged to their mobile phone bill. Customers can also enter their mobile phone number and network to complete a purchase and deposit funds into the BuyGameCredit wallet.

Buying Xbox and PlayStation content using mobile devices has become extremely popular with gamers, with a recent BuyGameCredit customer survey showing 93 percent said they’d never buy games credit using any other payment channel than mobile. “We’re really excited to be part of the BuyGameCredit service, as, from the research, it’s clear that 93 percent of customers prefer the simplicity of mobile as their primary payment method,” said Anthony Baladi, commercial director of Fonix, in a press release announcing the partnership. “We’ve worked extremely hard with our network partners to create a competitive solution for Phonovation, to provide great value, reliability and efficiency.”

Fonix said its direct connections to all of the mobile networks in the U.K. and the fact that it is a Vodafone Platinum Partner and EE Performance Partner enable it to maximize commercial and operational efficiency, ensuring Phonovation gets competitive rates along with a robust and reliable service. “BuyGameCredit has proved to be a huge success for Xbox and PlayStation and a real hit with gamers, who now prefer to buy content via mobile than any other channel,” said Gavin Carpenter, CEO of Phonovation, in the press release. “As a result, we’re really pleased to be able to work with the team at Fonix to ensure that the service continues to deliver the levels of convenience and efficiency consumers have come to expect.”