Google is converting gifted Play Music subscriptions into Play Store credits

Play Music users with gifted access to the service that’ll last beyond September don’t have worry about their subscription going to waste. As 9to5Google notes, the tech giant used to sell one-, three— and six-month subscriptions customers can give their friends, and it sometimes ran promos that sold those options at a discount. Now, Google has started sending out emails to users with gifted access, telling them that it will convert the remaining value on their Play Music subscription to Play credit from September onward.

The company announced earlier this month that it will start shutting down its Play Music service in September. Australia and New Zealand will lose access to the app first, followed by the rest of the world in October. Google began preparing for the service’s demise way before that announcement, though, even introducing a tool that’ll let you transfer your Play Music data to YouTube Music in one click back in May. The company reaching out to subscribers with gifted access is probably one of the last things it has to do before the service shuts down.

While Google said in its letter that it’ll convert “the remaining value” of Play Music subscriptions, users may get a different amount in Play credit, and it may be even bigger than expected if they’re lucky. A Redditor who goes by the pseudonym u/sevs reported that they received $150 in credit even though they got their six-month subscription from September to February at a discounted holiday pricing of $5 a month. Even if Google used the regular $10-a-month pricing, that’s still more than twice the amount they were supposed to receive. The user also confirmed with customer service that subscribers will continue to enjoy their current pricing — some are still paying the $8-a-month early access price — on YouTube Music, so long as they don’t cancel their account.