Sony has officially confirmed that it has blocked existing PS Plus subscribers from stacking memberships before the release of its new levels. In a sneaky update to a FAQ, the platform holder added the following language: “If you currently have a PS Plus or PS now membership, due to changes we make to the service before launch, you will not be able to redeem a coupon code for this service until your existing membership expires and is deactivated, or after the new PS Plus service is launched in your area, depending on what happens first. “
Earlier this week, it emerged that the manufacturer was preventing existing PS Plus subscribers from extending their membership by using both PS store and prepaid vouchers. Some assumed that this was a technical error, but language from the company’s support departments suggested that it was all on purpose – despite no prior communication from the company at all. Members of both PS Plus and PS Now will be automatically upgraded to PS Plus Premium during their longest subscription, and some tried to exploit the loophole to expand their membership to the highest level.
It is worth repeating that there had been a loophole, even though it was a loophole none prior communication from Sony that PS Plus stacking would be disabled until today.
The company says it will honor any purchased PS Plus coupons, but active members will not be able to redeem them until the new service launches. In addition, they will be converted to an equivalent value for the level they are currently at: “The PS Plus or PS Now coupon you redeem will be converted for a period of time on your current PS Plus membership plan equal to the monetary value of the voucher For example, a 1-month PS Plus voucher will provide access to approximately 3 weeks of PS Plus Extra or approximately 2.5 weeks of PS Plus Premium. ”
The website contains a link to a conversion chart, but at the time of writing it points to a blank page. It is, of course, on par with the course of this company’s incompetent communication standards, we suppose.