Microsoft accepts Bitcoin.

Thus, if you want to buy downloadable content from the Redmond-based company, you can add Bitcoin funds to your Microsoft Account as a payment option. Microsoft has quietly started to support it, allowing anyone to purchase stuff with the digital currency from Windows, Windows Phone, Xbox Games, Xbox Music, and Xbox Video stores.

Bitcoin was created in 2009 by the alias Satoshi Nakamoto. Several marketplaces called “bitcoin exchanges” allow people to buy or sell bitcoins. Although they can be used to buy merchandise anonymously and internationally, they are not tied to any country/subject to regulation and are stored in a digital wallet either in the cloud or on a user’s computer.

Unlike bank accounts, bitcoin wallets are not insured in most countries, including by the FDIC in the US, though a US Senate committee hearing still dubbed it a legitimate financial service. The currency has therefore piqued the interest of merchants, and many are beginning to accept it. Virgin Galactic will even let you pay for a space flight with Bitcoin.

That said, while Bitcoin can be added to a Microsoft Account balance, you cannot use it to purchase certain services like Office 365. For more information about the rules of Bitcoin, check out Microsoft's new FAQ page.

READ: What is Bitcoin?