Like the OP said, I see no way to purchase MSFS from the Microsoft store. All I see is how to buy game pass. 

Yet another example of how much easier Steam is to use compared to the Microsoft store. Or Itunes purchases on an iOS device, or to buy anything from Amazon.

This is why Steam, Amazon, Apple all grew from nothing to gigantic: purchases were easy instead of a puzzle. If Microsoft did not own the copyrights to most desktop users' OS, they would have trouble competing.

1 hour ago, Fielder said:

Like the OP said, I see no way to purchase MSFS from the Microsoft store.

It looks like it has to be bought from the "X Box app", which is linked in the Microsoft Store.
Logic and clarity have no place in Microsoft's marketing strategy.

What bothers me the most is the deception.  

They advertise it as being a discount.  But you have to pay $15.00 a month to play it.  If you don't pay, you can't play.

So really, they land up making WAY more $.  They make that initial discount back after only 2 months.

AND they don't tell you that if you pay full price ($119) you won't have to use game pass subscription.   

13 minutes ago, Dreamflight767 said:

What bothers me the most is the deception.  

They advertise it as being a discount.  But you have to pay $15.00 a month to play it.  If you don't pay, you can't play.

So really, they land up making WAY more $.  They make that initial discount back after only 2 months.

AND they don't tell you that if you pay full price ($119) you won't have to use game pass subscription.   

Maybe you misunderstand Gamepass's purpose.  Gamepass is for playing hundreds of games, for $15 a month.  It's like Netflix, but for gaming. If you want to try MSFS but you don't want to buy it, Gamepass is a good deal since you can get Gamepass for your first month for $1. Then you can try MSFS and decide whether you like it or not.  And even if you don't like MSFS for your first month of Gamepass, you can play the other games, until your subscription runs out for that first month.

If you work the math, if the Premium Deluxe version of MSFS is $120 USD, and that's the version you want, about 9 months of Gamepass will be equal to $120 USD (including the first month for $1 USD). So if you plan to play MSFS for longer than 9 months, you should just buy the Premium Deluxe version, and skip Gamepass. In the long run, if you don't play any other games and you only play MSFS, you are better off just buying MSFS.  If you plan to play other games, Gamepass can be a really good deal.

 

Edited July 16, 20223 yr by abrams_tank

And to add to what @abrams_tank said, seeing how you have bigger difficulties with the MS store, you should probably just buy it on steam and be done with it.

quote: 

What bothers me the most is the deception.  

They advertise it as being a discount.  But you have to pay $15.00 a month to play it.  If you don't pay, you can't play.

unquote:

 

Actually yeah, if you buy it directly from the store, you have to subscribe.

Here's how to buy indirectly from the store and get the discount and no subscription and no joining gamepass. 

(I would have had no clue how to do this until Reader mentioned the procedure 2 messages ago).

1) Install the Xbox app on a PC (this is not subscribing to anything, just installing the app).

2) Don't open that app, instead open the Store.

3) From the Store click on Xbox.

4) Now you are in Xbox and out of the store.

5) Click 'Store' on the left hand side of the Xbox app. (now you are in the store again but everything is different).

6) type 'flight simulator' in the search bar.

7) now you have options: buy it with game pass or buy it without gamepass. It will be discounted.

 

step 5)

 

 

step 7)

 

 

 

Edited July 16, 20223 yr by Fielder

23 minutes ago, Dreamflight767 said:

What bothers me the most is the deception.  

While I would not for a moment defend the Microsoft Store, here is a similar way to make the one-off purchase.

This is what you see in the Microsoft Store: The "£47.99 from Xbox app" is the only link.


Click on it and you see this:

which doesn't seem to be in the least bit deceitful.

 

 

That's not what I see in the microsoft store, I see 2  links and the obvious  one has no option to buy the sim without a gamepass. And hovering with the mouse in the store does not change to curser to tell you what is a link. It's fun watching the messages every sim and world update with people lost as I was. Maybe Microsoft doesn't see an issue with their store.

But their CEO's are not as rich as Bezos who made Amazon carts dirt simple and offered great customer service, instant chats or phone. You don't file a long form and wait days like with Zendesk. Bezos must have a tall building full of customer associates in India where wages are cheap. I love hearing foreign accents speaking English from the help desk. It means that company probably has hired lots of complaint desk people. 

We  bought a 100 pound mattress at Amazon. Fedex came and picked it back up next day at their expense. (Maybe because we have a purchase record of over 1000 orders, down thru the years). Family's use, not a business. We were buying stuff when hardly anyone had heard of Amazon.

Although it is far far away from the subject of the topic, I would agree that Amazon's customer focus is second to none.
So good in fact that so far, I have not needed their customer support.
 

8 hours ago, Reader said:

While I would not for a moment defend the Microsoft Store, here is a similar way to make the one-off purchase.

This is what you see in the Microsoft Store: The "£47.99 from Xbox app" is the only link.


Click on it and you see this:

which doesn't seem to be in the least bit deceitful.

 

 

Well the reason I got to this point of asking the question here is because I did what you outlined.  However, when you go to install/download, you get an error message.  Doesn't say what the error is, just stops downloading at 99%.  I "chatted" with support and they explained that it was giving me that error since I didn't have a subscription set-up in game pass.

And, if buy from the xbox store, it appears you'll need to buy game pass regardless.  

Edited July 16, 20223 yr by Dreamflight767

I don't pretend to understand how the minds at Microsoft work and I suspect that to attempt to do so might lead towards insanity.
However, I did buy from the Microsoft Store and I do not and never have had a "Gamepass", unless they have devised a way to both
grant me one and offer me one at the same time.
Here, I am logged on with my quaint Xbox user name:

 

29 minutes ago, Reader said:

I don't pretend to understand how the minds at Microsoft work and I suspect that to attempt to do so might lead towards insanity.
However, I did buy from the Microsoft Store and I do not and never have had a "Gamepass", unless they have devised a way to both
grant me one and offer me one at the same time.
 

I also bought from the MS Store and never had a Gamepass.  No idea what is going on with the OP..

1 hour ago, Dreamflight767 said:

And, if buy from the xbox store, it appears you'll need to buy game pass regardless.  

I believe this is incorrect.  Maybe the MS Store simply has a confusing interface.. in which case, why not buy from Steam instead?

Edited July 16, 20223 yr by Bert Pieke

The purchase price is higher on Steam right now.