Better living through arithmetic

Does anybody like buying Microsoft Points rather than paying for games and songs in actual money? It seems like the company is pathologically clueless about how much customers hate this. Overall, I like Microsoft. I like the Xbox. But enough is enough.

Given that customers hate MS Points, my guess is the reason they exist is to increase overspend and lower Microsoft's cost of payments for Xbox Live transactions (how much it costs Microsoft to process a credit card transaction). In that case, here is the exact WRONG way to structure the exchange rate between dollars and MSP:

If you're trying to lower cost-of-payments by reducing the number of CC transactions, DON'T CHARGE CUSTOMERS MORE for buying more points. Some division:

The more MSP you buy at once, the more money it costs you per point. If you need 800 MSP, you can either pay $9.99 in one transaction or $4.99 in two transactions ($9.98, a savings of $0.01. A penny saved is a penny earned).

Oh yeah, and those 253 points I have locked up? I can't spend them on anything. There's nothing I want and no way to get the money back. That's a "thank you" for experimenting with purchasing music from the Zune marketplace three years ago. You're welcome, Microsoft. Now please fix this embarrassment.