How Not to Get a Free Windows Store Developer Account with Your MSDN Subscription Benefit

Antoine LeBlond’s Windows Store now open to all developers in 120 markets post to the Windows Store for Developers blog explains:

All eligible MSDN subscribers receive a free, one-year Windows Store developer account as part of their MSDN benefits. (Eligible subscriptions include Visual Studio Professional, Test Professional, Premium, Ultimate, and BizSpark.)

But doesn’t explain how to take advantage of the benefit. When you sign up directly and receive your Registration Code, there’s no opportunity to specify your MSDN subscription benefit.

The solution to this dilemma would appear to be:

1-1. Sign in to MSDN with the Live ID for your MSDN subscription and navigate to the My Account page:

1-2. Click the Get Code link to return an MSDN-specific registration code:

1-3. Click How to Register to open a help page:

1-4. Click the Copy Code to Clipboard button, click the Windows Dev Center link to open the Help Us Protect Your Account form, and past the code to the text box.

1-5. Optionally check the I Trust This PC checkbox and type a name for the computer you’re using:

1-6. Click Submit to receive the following message:

Doesn’t the Windows Store team have a QC team or developers who check their code?

How to Reduce the Price from $49.00 to $0.00 for the First Year with the Alphanumeric Code

2-1. Instead of clicking the Windows Dev Center link in step 1-3, go to the Windows Store Dashboard page and enter the numeric registration code you receive by e-mail in the form below:

2-2. Click Submit to open the Account Type page.

2-3. Select the Individual or Company option.

2-4 Click Next, complete the Account Info page.

2-5. Click Next and accept the Windows Store Pre-Release Application Developer Agreement.

2-6. Click Next to display the Price page:

2-7. Click the Update Total button to reduce the price to $0.00 USD:

2-8. Click Next to open the Sign In page:

2-9. Click Next to enter credit card information (despite the $0.00 amount).

2-10. Click Next to open the Purchase page, which shows $0.00 as the amount.

2-11. Click the Purchase button to complete registration and display the Thank You page.

2-12. Select either the Set Up a Pay Out Account or Get Started Option.

2-13. Click Continue to open the My Apps page:

2-14. Verify your payment method to enable adding an app.

You’ll receive an e-mail conformation of the $0.00 purchase.

I wonder why the designer of this process didn’t think to alert MSDN subscribers to this convoluted process.

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