Rewards schemes are a great way for companies to reward brand loyalty. Microsoft is no exception, and since 2010 it has offered a pretty decent rewards scheme to incentivize using its products.
Originally called “Bing Rewards,” the new look Microsoft Rewards is a great way of getting free stuff for doing things like taking part in polls and searching using Bing.
How to Use Microsoft Rewards
The first thing you’ll need to start using Microsoft Rewards is a Microsoft account. You can use our guide to Microsoft accounts to help you get started if you need a hand.
Once you’ve got yourself an account, head over to the Microsoft Rewards site and sign in, you’ll then be taken to the get started page. Click Start Earning Rewards to begin earning points from Microsoft Rewards.
Once you’ve started, you’ll be able to access the system straight from your desktop search bar.
When you click the search bar, you’ll be shown the total reward points you’ve earned so far in the pop-out search menu. Clicking on this points total will take you immediately to the Microsoft Rewards page for your account.
Maximizing Your Reward Points
From your rewards page, you begin to earn points by clicking on the different activities below your profile. Activities can range from simple polls and quizzes to games and trivia. You’ll also earn daily points for using the Bing search engine, both on your Desktop PC and your mobile devices.
To maximize the points you get, you should change your default search engine to Bing on both your phone and computer. If you want help, you can use our guide on changing your default search engine.
A loyalty scheme in Microsoft Rewards gives you bonus points for using the service every day. Each day a set of three activities appear at the top of the reward page. Completing these activities each day increases your streak, which is what rewards you with the bonus points.
You can also earn extra points by utilizing special offers. These offers return a high amount of reward points, but they usually require you to make purchases. While these deals may not be worth taking part in on their own, it can be worth checking the deals for any purchases you thought of making already to maximize your point total.
Other Ways to Earn Microsoft Rewards Points
Going through the rewards website and doing Bing searches aren’t the only way to earn points on your account. If you or your family play games via Xbox Live, you can also earn points by completing game-specific tasks on your console.
To complete Xbox activities, you’ll need to install the Microsoft Rewards app on your console. The gaming app version allows you to do challenges such as checking Game Pass Quests and launching the app for 5 days in a row.
What to Spend Your Points On
Now that you’ve earned all these points, what are you supposed to spend them on? Well, the kind of rewards you can redeem vary from items to purchase, competition entries, and even donations to charity organizations.
By far the cheapest options are the sweepstakes. You can redeem sweepstake entries for as little as 200 per entry. You’re not guaranteed a win with the sweepstakes, but if you’re itching to spend your points, they’re good and cheap options. You can also save points by buying entries in bulk.
The next-cheapest redemption option is charity donations. Starting at around 1,000 points, you can donate your points to various charities rather than spending them on yourself. The charities you can choose from vary from month-to-month, so keep checking the point store for a cause you feel strongly about.
The final and most expensive redemption option comes mostly in the form of gift cards and digital vouchers. At around 5,000 points, these rewards include 3 months of Game Pass Ultimate or monetary value cards for shops and restaurants.
Gift cards range from $5 – $25, and by far, the best value comes from Microsoft-owned cards. Not only can they offer better value from the start, but you also get discounts depending on your Microsoft Rewards account level.
What Are You Giving Up for Microsoft Rewards?
As with many supposedly “free” things on the internet, you’re actually paying for Microsoft Rewards points with your data. It’s important to realize that companies that offer these rewards programs are trying to get information about you.
So, just how much data are you giving up when you take part in Microsoft Rewards? Directly, you’re usually giving up your opinion data through polls. For example, when you take part in a film poll, Microsoft will use that information to more accurately advertise movies to you.
There’s also another incentive for Microsoft to get people into the rewards program. Currently, Bing is the world’s second-most-popular search engine behind Google, but its market share is only 2.71%.
Microsoft Rewards giving out points for Bing searches is a great way of getting more people to start using their search engine. Having said that, Bing searches, like Google searches, give away just as much information as the polls and quizzes do.
Of course, the other thing that you’ll be giving up is your time. If you have lots of free time on your hands in a day, that might not be a problem. However, if you’re very busy, it’s unlikely that you’ll be earning enough from the program to make it worth the rewards you’ll be receiving.
Is Microsoft Rewards Worth It?
How much you’ll get out of Microsoft Rewards depends very much on your personal preference. If you don’t mind using Bing, have some free time, and could do with some extra luxury money, then the reward program is probably perfect for you.
If you make a lot of money, the rewards program likely holds less value. Time can be just as valuable as money, and taking time out of your day to complete arbitrary activities that also collect your data will only appeal to the right sort of person.
That’s the Scoop on Microsoft Rewards
Now you should be completely clued up on exactly how Microsoft Rewards works, what it’s going to cost you, and whether or not the program is right for you.
You should have an easy time deciding whether to get involved in the program or not.