Sony has confirmed that it has “temporarily” blocked subscription stacking, although voucher codes will still be valid when purchased. Ahead of the launch of the new PlayStation Plus membership service, some users attempted to extend their subscription by redeeming PS Plus and PS Now codes.
“As we prepare to launch the new PlayStation Plus membership service, we are doing some work behind the scenes to make the transition as smooth as possible for all of our existing members,” the FAQ update on the PS Plus site reads.
Subscribers have claimed that their codes have been rejected after they attempted to redeem them, with numerous examples of this being found in forum threads and on social media.
Membership stacking is when a pre-paid card–purchased from either Sony or a third-party vendor–is used to extend a current membership before it expires and typically happens when subscription codes have been discounted. After Sony revealed how it was changing its subscription service, some users discovered a loophole that would allow them to stack PS Now memberships and have them upgraded to PS Plus Premium at no extra cost to them.
Sony hasn’t responded to allegations that it prevented users from redeeming codes to prevent them from gaining a discount before May’s subscription overhaul, although PS Now memberships can no longer be purchased.
For more information how PlayStation Plus is changing next month, check out our PS Plus guide. Interestingly, it appears that Sony may look at adding more value to the highest tier of the program by requiring games over $34 to feature two-hour time trials.
