Is Microsoft Rewards Legit & Worth It? Our Honest Review
Windows users and Xbox gamers: wouldn’t it be nice to get rewarded for things you’re already doing online everyday?
That’s sort of what Microsoft Rewards is all about. It's a legit rewards platform from Microsoft that pays you to browse the web, play games, shop, and interact with the company's products.
However, it's important to understand how it all works and its true earning potential. That's why this review is covering how it works as well as testimonials from real users so you can decide if it's worth signing up for.
Is Microsoft Rewards Legit?
Microsoft Rewards is legit and pays you for completing a range of online tasks like searching the web and using Bing. However, it has a phenomenally low 1.7 Trustpilot score. Many negative reviews complain about how little Microsoft Rewards pays and that it takes a long time to cash out.
This is almost the type of score you have to work for to achieve. Let’s see what some Microsoft Rewards reviewers are saying themselves:
- “This used to be a good experience, but now it’s trash.”
- “Has become a total ripoff.”
- “Complete waste of time.”
- “Nice one, Bill.”
- “It’s Superb!”
Most of the negative reviews complain that the program used to pay more and was easier to use. Although there are still some positive reviews from people who earned free Xbox Game Pass and other rewards by using it consistently.
The bottom line is that this rewards program pays out. However, it's a slow source of passive income and is best for people who use a lot of Microsoft products like Bing and Xbox. If this isn't you, it might take months to ever earn a small reward.
What Is Microsoft Rewards?
Microsoft Rewards is an incentive program that encourages people to use Microsoft products and services—like searching with Bing instead of Google, or renting a movie from Microsoft Movies & TV instead of Amazon.
It's a super simple way to earn money online. All you need to do is sign up for free by creating a Microsoft account. From there, you can begin earning small amounts of points by completing a range of simple tasks.
Overall, Microsoft Rewards is similar to get-paid-to websites, only that it focuses on Microsoft products and services.
How Do You Earn Points?
There are numerous ways to earn Microsoft Rewards points which are redeemable for perks like free gift cards, Xbox Game Pass, and discounts to Microsoft products. Here are some of the main methods:
Search & Earn
One of the easiest ways to earn Microsoft Rewards is to conduct searches on Bing. All you need to do is login to your Microsoft Rewards account and then search on your laptop or phone to earn small amounts of points.
This is the easiest way to begin earning points. And you can also earn bonus points for using Microsoft Edge or switching your default browser to Bing.
Plus the Microsoft Rewards homepage often has some low-hanging “bonus fruit” for additional points. Examples:
- Learn more about Dar es Salaam, East Africa’s largest city (5 points)
- Search for a restaurant chain nearby you want to try (10 points)
- Search Bing for items on your shopping list (10 points)
- Download and Install the Bing App (500 points)
Play Microsoft Games – Xbox Rewards Hub
Microsoft Rewards has expanded to Xbox with its new Xbox Rewards Hub.
This feature lets you earn points from Xbox purchases like Game Pass or buying different games. However, you can also earn points for playing games that are available through the Xbox Game Pass and by completing in-game quests.
You generally earn a few points per day for playing a game through Xbox Game Pass. However, some games have achievements that pay 50 points. You also earn points for spending money on the Microsoft Store and for turning in quests.
The fact you can earn money by playing games is a selling point. That said, PC platforms like Buff or a variety of cash game apps certainly pay more than Microsoft Rewards.
Shop Online
There are a few different ways to earn points shopping online. One way is to purchase items in the Microsoft Store. This could include hardware (laptops, desktops, Xbox consoles) and software (Microsoft Office Suite).
Another way to earn points shopping overlaps with searching points: that is, you can earn by using Bing Shopping to start your shopping search. There is also a Bing search bar extension you can add to any browser, if you don’t like the Microsoft Edge browser.
Finally, you can earn points for buying movies and shows or apps from Microsoft's ecosystem.
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Complete Quizzes & Streaks
Your rewards dashboard sometimes has quizzes you can take to earn additional points. I tried one of these quizzes out for 30 points. When you click on the quiz, you open a new tab in your browser. You then answer quiz questions right on Bing's search page.
The quiz I took was about a type of Lemur. These quizzes are interesting, but they're definitely not a consistent earner or all that fun unless you like learning about random facts. Really, the point of quizzes is to get you using Bing.
As for earning streaks, Microsoft Rewards pays you with bonus points for consistent use. A 3-day streak unlocks 45 bonus points. After 54 days of streaking, you can get 150 points for a 10-day streak.
This is actually a great way to snowball some bonus points. All you have to do is one simple search or task per day.
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Microsoft Rewards Levels
One thing that’s interesting about Microsoft Rewards is that the rewards are tiered. As you earn points, you level up and unlock more perks while increasing your earning potential:
Level One:
How To Unlock | No requirement |
PC Bing Search | 5 points per search, max 50 points per day |
Mobile Bing Search | 0 points per search |
PC Bing Search In Microsoft Edge | 5 bonus points per day |
Microsoft Store Purchases | 1 point per $1 |
Exclusive Discounts | None |
Level Two:
How To Unlock | Earn 500+ points per month |
PC Bing Search | 5 points per search, max 150 points per day |
Mobile Bing Search | 5 points per search, max 100 points per day |
PC Bing Search In Microsoft Edge | 20 bonus points per day |
Microsoft Store Purchases | 10 points per $1 |
Exclusive Discounts | When redeeming points for Microsoft brands |
Level Three:
How To Unlock | Earn 500+ points per month AND have Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Subscription |
PC Bing Search | 5 points per search, max 150 points per day |
Mobile Bing Search | 5 points per search, max 100 points per day |
PC Bing Search In Microsoft Edge | 20 bonus points per day |
Microsoft Store Purchases | 20 points per $1 |
Exclusive Discounts | When redeeming points for Microsoft brands |
As you can see, leveling up really accelerates your rewards, especially since it unlocks mobile search points. You also earn way more cash back with the higher tiers and better discounts to Microsoft products. If you spend a lot of money on video games or tech, this could be a great way to save extra money.
How Much Are Microsoft Rewards Points Worth?
1 Microsoft Rewards point is worth $0.001. That means a tenth of a penny. Or in other words, 1,000 points is $1.
This rate of exchange is not so bad, and fairly common for rewards apps. However, when you think about it in terms of payment per task, the tasks become pretty low-priced. You need to do 200 Bing searches just to get one dollar, at the most basic level.
Ultimately, this isn't the highest paying program out there. But again, it's designed to earn on autopilot while you complete everyday tasks on your computer or phone.
Reward Options & Cashing Out
Microsoft Rewards lets you redeem your points for a variety of prizes, including gift cards, donations to charities, sweepstake entries, and gift cards to Xbox and the Microsoft store.
Redemption requirements vary by prize, however:
- 200 points: sweepstakes entries
- 1,000 points: donations to nonprofits
- 1,600 points: gift cards to the Microsoft or Xbox stores
- 1,500 – 5,000 points: gift cards to top retailers
Sweepstakes aren't worth entering in my opinion. They're a chance to win free money, tech, games, or other prizes. But, your odds of winning are super slim.
The gift card rewards are the best bet, so you'll have to save up your points. But you can redeem gift cards to popular retailers like Amazon, Starbucks, Walmart, Target, Burger King, Hulu, and Sephora.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- An easy way to earn passive rewards
- Free to sign up for
- Lets you earn discounts on Microsoft products and Xbox games
- Leveling up your account unlocks better perks
- Wide variety of rewards
Cons:
- Many tasks don't pay many points
- It takes a long time to cash out a gift card
- Only suitable if you use Microsoft products like Bing or Edge
- You can't cash out free PayPal cash
Is Microsoft Rewards A Scam?
No, Microsoft Rewards isn't scam, and you can earn free gift cards and other prizes with this program. However, this is a very low-paying side hustle that's only worth using if you use Bing, Microsoft Edge, or Xbox.
The reality is this program exists to reward you for using Microsoft's ecosystem of products. If this is you already, you might as well sign up to earn some freebies each year. But if you're a devout Apple or Google user, this isn't the program for you.
What Are Some Good Alternatives To Use?
Microsoft Rewards is the best program for Bing and Edge users. And I actually use Bing sometimes on my laptop, so I'm signed up for this program and can earn 2 to 3 gift cards per year.
That said, I also suggest using a few other passive income apps to maximize earnings. These apps pay you for your data or for shopping online, so you can stack them to earn even more:
With this stack, you can easily earn $100+ per year in free cash and prizes. And again, this is all in exchange for your data or getting paid for shopping.
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Is There Customer Support?
You can contact Microsoft Rewards support by submitting a request form at rewards.bing.com/support. The form says a member of the support team will contact you within 24 hours.
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Final Thoughts
If you use Microsoft products every day, you should join the Microsoft Rewards program. This is an easy way to get free money just for completing simple microtasks in your spare time. And if you're a serious gamer or shopper, there's a lot of savings up for grabs.
If you shudder at the thought of using Bing or Microsoft Edge, don't bother signing up. The reward payout rate is quite low for most tasks. So, unless you're using Bingo, Xbox, or Microsoft Edge everyday, you won't earn very much.
Thanks for reading, and happy searching!
Want even more ideas to earn? Checkout:
Microsoft Rewards Review
Name: Microsoft Rewards
Description: Microsoft Rewards is a free rewards program that pays you for using Bing, Microsoft Edge, Xbox, and other Microsoft products and services.
Operating System: Windows
Application Category: Reward Apps
Author: Tom Blake
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Earning Potential
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