How to redeem legally paid codes from other regions

Question

How to redeem legally paid codes from other regions

Daniel 25

Hello there. I would like to ask if there is another way to redeem a code from a different region. It was a gift from a friend in which they legally paid for. Thank you.

Anonymous

2026-08-14T12:04:49.8733333+00:00

I live in Australia and do and have done the Microsoft daily rewards for many years; I recently went back to Uk to look after elderly parents for 6 weeks and continued to do my rewards daily. I have now been back to Australia for 4 weeks and went to redeem my points that I had on my account and unable to see any gift cards that are for Australia eg Coles (which I normally get) and the only ones are on there are Uk gift cards, It just says you are reviewing a catalogue outside your original country! why is this, as this has never happened before and we travel a lot to different countries.
Clary-N 16,550 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-15T00:10:06.2166667+00:00

Hi,

Based on what you've described, it sounds like your Microsoft Rewards account may still be associated with the UK rewards catalog after your recent stay there. Since Rewards offers and redemption options are region-specific, the catalog can sometimes remain tied to the last detected country or region, which may explain why you're only seeing UK gift cards and the message stating that you're viewing a catalog outside your original country.

As forum moderators, we don't have access to Microsoft Rewards accounts, redemption settings or region configurations, so we're unable to investigate or make changes on your behalf.

Since Microsoft Rewards account, region and redemption eligibility issues are handled by the Microsoft Rewards Support team, I recommend contacting them directly so they can review your account and help determine why it has not switched back to the Australia catalog after you've returned.

You may also want to verify that your Microsoft account country/region settings, device region and billing information are all set to Australia before contacting support.
Aarav Satyam 0 Reputation points

2026-09-27T15:08:58.8433333+00:00

The same thing which has happened to the "Anonymous" guy is happening to me too. Though, I have never travelled to any foreign countries but yet I shown the catalouge of UK. It says the same thing that I am not in my country (India) but in UK. I think this must be a server side issue for the rewards section? Microsoft really needs to look into it
Clary-N 16,550 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-29T00:16:58.7266667+00:00

Hi Aarav,

Thanks for sharing the details. Since you’re in India and haven’t travelled abroad, but Rewards is showing you the UK catalog, I can see why you’d suspect something isn’t right on the Rewards side.

Unfortunately, as a community moderator, I don’t have access to the Rewards backend or your account details, so I can’t verify the cause from the forum. I’d recommend reaching out directly to Microsoft Rewards Support, as they’re better placed to investigate the region mismatch on your account.

Hopefully they can take a closer look and get this sorted out for you.

Kind regards.

2 answers

Your answer

Anonymous

2026-08-14T12:04:49.8733333+00:00

I live in Australia and do and have done the Microsoft daily rewards for many years; I recently went back to Uk to look after elderly parents for 6 weeks and continued to do my rewards daily. I have now been back to Australia for 4 weeks and went to redeem my points that I had on my account and unable to see any gift cards that are for Australia eg Coles (which I normally get) and the only ones are on there are Uk gift cards, It just says you are reviewing a catalogue outside your original country! why is this, as this has never happened before and we travel a lot to different countries.
Clary-N 16,550 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-15T00:10:06.2166667+00:00

Hi,

Based on what you've described, it sounds like your Microsoft Rewards account may still be associated with the UK rewards catalog after your recent stay there. Since Rewards offers and redemption options are region-specific, the catalog can sometimes remain tied to the last detected country or region, which may explain why you're only seeing UK gift cards and the message stating that you're viewing a catalog outside your original country.

As forum moderators, we don't have access to Microsoft Rewards accounts, redemption settings or region configurations, so we're unable to investigate or make changes on your behalf.

Since Microsoft Rewards account, region and redemption eligibility issues are handled by the Microsoft Rewards Support team, I recommend contacting them directly so they can review your account and help determine why it has not switched back to the Australia catalog after you've returned.

You may also want to verify that your Microsoft account country/region settings, device region and billing information are all set to Australia before contacting support.
Aarav Satyam 0 Reputation points

2026-09-27T15:08:58.8433333+00:00

The same thing which has happened to the "Anonymous" guy is happening to me too. Though, I have never travelled to any foreign countries but yet I shown the catalouge of UK. It says the same thing that I am not in my country (India) but in UK. I think this must be a server side issue for the rewards section? Microsoft really needs to look into it
Clary-N 16,550 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-29T00:16:58.7266667+00:00

Hi Aarav,

Thanks for sharing the details. Since you’re in India and haven’t travelled abroad, but Rewards is showing you the UK catalog, I can see why you’d suspect something isn’t right on the Rewards side.

Unfortunately, as a community moderator, I don’t have access to the Rewards backend or your account details, so I can’t verify the cause from the forum. I’d recommend reaching out directly to Microsoft Rewards Support, as they’re better placed to investigate the region mismatch on your account.

Hopefully they can take a closer look and get this sorted out for you.

Kind regards.

Answer 1

Clary-N 16,550 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Daniel,

Thank you for contacting Microsoft Q&A regarding the gift code you received from a different region. I understand how important it is to make the most of your gift, and I'm here to assist.

While region restrictions are in place for licensing and security reasons, you may try the following steps:

Step 1: Temporarily Change Your Account Region

You can update your Microsoft account region to match the origin of the gift code. This often allows successful redemption - Change your country or region in Microsoft Store

Step 2: Use Console Sharing (Xbox only)

If the code was redeemed on another account, you can still access the content by setting that account as your home console - How home Xbox and game sharing work

If your digital gift card was purchased online from the Microsoft Store and has not been redeemed, you may be eligible for a refund.

Visit How to cancel a Microsoft Store gift card.
Locate the gift card order.
Select Cancel > Confirm to initiate the refund.

Important Notes:

Refunds are available within 14 days of purchase.
Gift cards are non-transferable between accounts.
This policy does not apply to physical gift cards or product codes (e.g., Office, Xbox).

If these steps don’t work, I highly recommend contacting:

The original retailer (if not purchased directly from Microsoft), or
The Microsoft Store & Billing Help team or the Support team via chat or phone for further assistance.

Please let me know if you have other questions or need further help, I'm here to assist.

Buddy 0 Reputation points

2026-05-30T06:02:02.2666667+00:00

Hi clary, I am currently in the same frustrating spot. My friend purchased 15 CAD worth of a gift card but after redeeming it by changing my region settings to Canada, I can't purchase any game or valorant points, its one of the most frustrating experiences because she bought 30 CAD worth of gift cards and I can't seem to use it for anything. Any suggestions? I can't enter in a billing address because I dont live in canada!!
Clary-N 16,550 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-05-30T06:52:59.24+00:00
Hi Buddy,

I completely understand how frustrating this is, especially since your friend already spent money on those cards. Just to set expectations, as this is a public user‑to‑user forum, we don’t have access to your account or billing system from here. Our role is limited solely to providing technical guidance on reported incidents, requests, or ideas.

At this point, the best option is to contact Microsoft Support directly so they can check if anything can be done for your account. You can reach them here:

Go to Contact Microsoft Support and sign in

Type Customer Support and select Get help

Scroll down and choose Contact support

Under Products and services, select Other Products

Under Category, choose Billing and account profile questions, then click Confirm

Select Chat with a support agent in your web browser

I know this isn’t the outcome you were hoping for, but they’re in the best position to check refund options or any possible workaround for your specific case.

Thank you for your understanding.

Answer 2

Darhyl Amizola 50,070 Independent Advisor

Hey there! Nice to meet you!

Unfortunately, it is not possible to bypass the region lock for redeeming codes. Please ensure that the gift card codes match the region of the account where they will be redeemed.

Thank you for your kindness and understanding! Please let me know if you need anything else.

Best regards,

Darhyl

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