Microsoft Rewards: How It Works and How to Earn Points (2026 Guide)

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Microsoft Rewards is a free loyalty program that pays you back in points for things you may already do online, like searching the web or playing games. You collect points over time, then trade them for gift cards, sweepstakes entries, charity donations, and more.

This guide breaks the program down in plain language. You’ll learn how Microsoft Rewards works, the legitimate ways to earn points, how much points are worth, and how to redeem them. We’ll also be clear about one important thing: many features vary by country, region, account, device, and current promotion. What you see may differ from what a friend in another country sees.

Everything here is grounded in official Microsoft information. Where a rule can change or depends on your situation, we say so directly.

What Is Microsoft Rewards?

Microsoft Rewards is an official Microsoft loyalty program. You earn points for using Microsoft products and services, and you redeem those points for real perks.

Think of it like a store loyalty card, but digital. Instead of collecting stamps at a checkout, you gather Microsoft Rewards points as you search, shop, play, and complete simple activities. The points sit in your account until you’re ready to cash them in.

The program is tied to your Microsoft account. If you’ve ever used Bing, Xbox, Outlook, or the Microsoft Store, you likely already have one. If not, creating a Microsoft account is free.

A quick note on history: if you were once a Bing Rewards member, your account moved over to Microsoft Rewards automatically.

How Does Microsoft Rewards Work?

The program follows a simple loop: earn, track, redeem, repeat.

Earn points by doing qualifying activities, such as searching with Bing or completing daily activities on your dashboard.
Track your balance on the Microsoft Rewards dashboard, which shows your points, your level, and available offers.
Redeem points for gift cards, sweepstakes entries, donations, and other rewards.
Repeat as often as you like. There’s no fee and no commitment.

To make points count, stay signed in with your Microsoft account on whatever you’re using, whether that’s Bing, the Bing app, the Microsoft Store, or Xbox.

One thing to keep in mind: available activities and rewards refresh often and differ by market. Your dashboard is the single source of truth for what you personally can earn and claim today.

How to Earn Microsoft Rewards Points

There are several legitimate ways to earn Microsoft Rewards points. Not every method is available to every user, so treat the list below as a menu rather than a checklist. Your dashboard shows what applies to your account.

Earn Points With Bing Searches

Searching with Bing is the most familiar way to earn points. When you’re signed in, qualifying searches add points to your balance, up to a daily limit based on your status level.

A few points to remember about Microsoft Rewards Bing searches:

Daily limits and terms apply and vary by country and region.
Searches on desktop and mobile count toward the same daily cap, so you don’t get separate limits for each device.
On mobile, you can earn by setting Bing as your default search engine, using the Bing app, or using Microsoft Edge. Not all mobile earning methods are available everywhere.

If you enjoy fine-tuning how you search across platforms, you may also like our guide to Google Maps search operators for finding places and businesses faster.

Complete Microsoft Rewards Daily Activities

Your dashboard offers rotating daily activities like quizzes, polls, and trivia games. These Microsoft Rewards daily activities are updated regularly, so it pays to check in often.

Because these Microsoft Rewards offers change frequently and vary by market, the exact activities you see won’t always match what someone in another country sees.

Use Microsoft Products and Services

Microsoft Rewards connects to several products across the ecosystem. Depending on your account and region, you may earn points through:

Microsoft Edge used as your browser on desktop and mobile.
Outlook mobile, where checking a few emails a day can count toward a daily streak. This is an account-dependent feature and may not appear for everyone.
Windows search, including the search box on the taskbar of your Windows 10 or 11 device.
MSN, where reading articles can offer earning opportunities.

Earn Through Microsoft Store Purchases

You can earn points on qualifying purchases of games and game add-ons at the Microsoft Store. A few rules to know:

Subscriptions and gift card purchases are not eligible.
A purchase only qualifies for one Rewards offer at a time.
Buying from the Microsoft Store on Xbox may not earn points in every country or region.

Earn Through Xbox

Rewards with Xbox is part of the wider Microsoft Rewards program. Points you earn playing games and shopping for games and add-ons all add to the same Microsoft Rewards balance.

We cover the gaming side in more detail later, but the short version: you can earn by playing games, completing quests, and claiming points on Xbox consoles, PC, and mobile. Xbox gameplay rewards are for players 18 and older, and minimum playtime is required.

Take Advantage of Available Promotions and Offers

Beyond the regular routine, watch for bonus opportunities. These include monthly bonuses, seasonal promotions, and limited-time offers on your dashboard or in the Bing app.

Because promotions come and go and differ by market, no fixed promotional earning amount is guaranteed for everyone. Your dashboard shows the real, current offers for your account.

How to Earn Microsoft Rewards Points Faster

If you want to build your Microsoft Rewards points balance more quickly, focus on legitimate habits rather than shortcuts. Here are practical, rule-friendly strategies.

Check your dashboard daily. New daily activities and offers appear regularly, and missing days means missing easy points.
Do your eligible Bing searches naturally. Search the way you normally would. Spread searches through the day instead of firing off many at once.
Set Bing as your default search engine in your browser so everyday searches count toward earning.
Watch for bonus opportunities like monthly bonuses and limited-time offers, and claim them before they expire.
Check Xbox opportunities if you game. Daily, weekly, and monthly quests can add up.
Keep your account details current, including a valid phone number, so you don’t hit snags later.
Understand your daily limits. Once you hit your search cap for the day, extra searches won’t earn until the counter resets.

Important: Do not use bots, macros, automated searches, emulators, fake accounts, or a VPN to fake your location. Do not spam letters or numbers into Bing or click through articles rapidly just to farm points. These tactics violate program rules and can get your account limited or suspended, with earned points invalidated.

How Many Microsoft Rewards Points Can You Earn?

There’s no single answer, because earning potential depends on several factors:

Your country or region.
Your status level, since higher levels can earn more per search.
The activities and offers currently available to you.
Promotions running at the time.
Microsoft’s current program rules.

Rather than chasing a fixed daily number, aim to complete the activities that appear on your own dashboard. That’s the realistic way to understand your personal earning ceiling.

What Are Microsoft Rewards Points Worth?

Microsoft is clear that Microsoft Rewards points don’t have any cash value on their own. Their worth comes from what you redeem them for.

As a general reference, it usually takes about 5,000 points to redeem something worth around $5. That’s a helpful benchmark, not a fixed exchange rate for every reward.

On the Xbox side, Microsoft states plainly that point values vary by local market currency, your Rewards level, and the number of points you redeem. In other words, the “value” of a point shifts depending on the reward and your situation, so treat any single conversion as an example rather than a rule.

How to Redeem Microsoft Rewards Points

Redeeming is straightforward. Once you have enough points, eligible rewards appear on your Rewards page.

Here’s the basic process to redeem Microsoft Rewards points:

Sign in and open your Microsoft Rewards dashboard.
Go to the Redeem page to browse available rewards.
Choose a reward and follow the prompts. You can save up for a big item or spend on smaller rewards along the way.
Complete any required phone verification to confirm your identity.

Keep these redemption rules in mind:

Redeem in the same region where you signed up. Points can’t be redeemed while traveling in another market.
Don’t use a VPN when redeeming, as it can conceal your true location and cause orders to be cancelled.
Use a mobile or landline number for verification, not a VoIP number.
A phone number has limits: a maximum of 6 accounts per household can be associated with one number.
If you enter a wrong code too many times, you may need to wait 48 hours before trying again.

Reward availability varies by market and changes over time. If you don’t see a gift card you want, check back later, since catalogs are refreshed regularly.

What Rewards Can You Get?

Microsoft Rewards offers a range of redemption options. Exact choices depend on your region, but common examples include:

Gift cards for popular brands, including options like Amazon, Xbox, and Roblox.
Sweepstakes entries for cash prizes and other rewards, where available.
Charity donations to nonprofits you care about.
Games, add-ons, and gaming-related rewards, especially through the Xbox experience.

Sweepstakes availability in particular varies by market, so don’t assume every entry is offered everywhere.

Microsoft Rewards and Xbox

The gaming side of the program, called Rewards with Xbox, layers gaming perks on top of the core Microsoft Rewards program.

How You Earn on Xbox

You can earn points by playing games, completing quests, and claiming points across Xbox consoles, PC, and mobile. Look in the Rewards hub for daily, weekly, and monthly quests, plus limited-time offers.

Xbox Game Pass can boost earning. Microsoft states that Premium and Ultimate subscribers unlock exclusive quests, and Ultimate members can earn more points on qualifying gameplay and purchases.

Xbox Redemption Examples

The Xbox Rewards page shows sample redemptions. These are market- and level-dependent examples, not universal guarantees:

Reward (Xbox page example)	Points
1 sweepstakes entry	200 points
$1 donation to a cause	1,000 points
Up to a $5 Xbox Gift Card	5,000 points
Custom amounts to spend at the Store	up to $100

Microsoft is explicit that point values vary by local market currency, Rewards level, and how many points you redeem, so the figures above are illustrative.

Age and Availability Notes for Xbox

Two things stand out for the Xbox experience specifically. First, gameplay rewards are for players 18 and older. Second, availability depends on supported markets, so check the Xbox regions details for your area.

Microsoft Rewards Levels

The level system is where confirmed official information and page-specific dashboard experiences sometimes look different. We’ll keep those separate.

The Confirmed Official Status Levels

According to Microsoft’s official support documentation, Microsoft Rewards has two status tiers: Level 1 and Level 2.

You earn and keep Level 2 status by reaching 500 Microsoft Rewards points each month. All points count toward status, no matter how you earn them.
Level 2 members can earn more points on Bing, save on some redemptions, and access exclusive offers.

Microsoft’s how-to-earn guidance adds specifics on search caps: Level 1 members can earn points for up to 10 searches each day, and Level 2 members for up to 30 searches per day.

What You May See on the Dashboard

The rewards dashboard may present tiers using names like Member, Silver, and Gold, along with monthly point requirements, level-up activities, and various monthly bonuses. These dashboard experiences can differ by account and market, and the program evolves over time.

Bottom line: the confirmed, documented structure is Level 1 and Level 2 status. If your dashboard shows a different naming or set of benefits, trust what your own account displays, since that reflects your current, personalized experience.

Is Microsoft Rewards Free?

Yes. Microsoft Rewards is completely free. There’s no cost to join, no fees, and no commitment. All you need is a Microsoft account, and the program is included with it.

If you don’t have a Microsoft account yet, you can create one for free and start exploring the dashboard right away.

Does Microsoft Rewards Work in Every Country?

Not everywhere, but it’s widely available. Microsoft Rewards is offered across a large list of countries and regions spanning the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Oceania.

A few important points about Microsoft Rewards countries and regions:

Offers and redemption catalogs vary across regions. What’s available in the United States may differ from what’s available elsewhere.
If you travel to another country where the program is available, you’ll still earn and stay eligible for rewards, as long as you’re not consistently earning across multiple markets.
Your country is defined by your activity, and if it changes, the system updates it automatically once you qualify. You might be asked to verify your location.
Trying to earn from more than one country in the same day, or redeeming outside your home region, violates program policy.

Do Microsoft Rewards Points Expire?

Yes, and it’s important to understand the rule so you don’t lose progress.

Microsoft states that Microsoft Rewards points will expire if there are no earning activities within 12 months. In other words, staying active keeps your balance alive.

Separately, certain claimable bonus points carry their own shorter claim windows shown on your dashboard, so claim those promptly when they appear.

To be safe, redeem or earn something at least once within any 12-month period, and claim bonuses when you see them.

Is Microsoft Rewards Legit?

Yes. Microsoft Rewards is a genuine, official Microsoft loyalty program. It’s run by Microsoft, tied to your Microsoft account, and free to join.

That said, being legitimate cuts both ways. You’re expected to follow Microsoft’s terms and eligibility rules. Attempts to game the system, such as using bots, fake accounts, or a VPN to fake your region, can lead to account suspension and invalidated points.

Play it straight, and the program is exactly what it claims to be: a real way to get real rewards for using Microsoft services.

Common Microsoft Rewards Mistakes to Avoid

Steering clear of these missteps protects your account and your points.

Creating or maintaining multiple accounts. Microsoft’s policy prohibits setting up and running multiple user accounts to earn.
Using automated tools. Bots, macros, cheat codes, and mobile emulators are against the rules.
Faking your location. Using a service to alter your IP address or a VPN to earn or redeem outside your market violates policy.
Search spamming. Rapid back-to-back searches or spamming random characters can trigger earning limits.
Providing inaccurate account info, such as a false name, bad address, or nonworking phone number.
Ignoring regional restrictions. Earning in multiple countries the same day, or redeeming outside your home region, can cancel orders.
Expecting every activity to be available to you. Offers vary by account, device, market, and time.
Relying on outdated guides. The program changes, so verify against your dashboard and official pages.

Tips for Getting the Most From Microsoft Rewards

These realistic tips come straight from Microsoft’s best-practice guidance.

Stay signed in with your Microsoft account wherever you earn, whether Bing, MSN, Xbox, or the Bing app.
Set Bing as your default search engine so everyday searches count.
Engage daily across a few surfaces, like searching, reading MSN articles, and using Edge.
Keep your phone number current on your account so verification goes smoothly.
Set a redemption goal and work toward it, whether that’s a specific gift card or a donation.
Use the mobile app to earn on the go.
Add Microsoft Rewards emails to your safe list so you don’t miss offers and notifications.

For more explainers on Microsoft tools and everyday tech, browse the AlfaNexus Tech section.

Frequently Asked Questions About Microsoft Rewards

What is Microsoft Rewards?
Microsoft Rewards is a free loyalty program where you earn points for using Microsoft products and services, then redeem those points for gift cards, sweepstakes entries, donations, and more.

How do I earn Microsoft Rewards points?
You can earn by searching with Bing, completing daily activities on your dashboard, using products like Edge and the Microsoft Store, and playing or shopping on Xbox. Available methods vary by account and region.

How do I earn Microsoft Rewards points fast?
Check your dashboard daily, do your eligible Bing searches naturally, set Bing as your default, claim bonus offers, and complete Xbox quests if you game. Avoid any automated or rule-breaking shortcuts.

Is Microsoft Rewards free?
Yes. It’s completely free to join, with no fees or commitment. You just need a Microsoft account.

How much are Microsoft Rewards points worth?
Points have no cash value on their own. As a rough benchmark, it usually takes about 5,000 points to redeem something worth around $5, though value varies by reward, market, and level.

How do I redeem Microsoft Rewards points?
Sign in to your dashboard, open the Redeem page, pick a reward, and complete phone verification. Redeem in the same region where you signed up, and don’t use a VPN.

Can I use Microsoft Rewards on Xbox?
Yes. Rewards with Xbox is part of the program. You can earn by playing games and shopping for games and add-ons, and points add to your overall balance. Xbox gameplay rewards are for players 18 and older.

Do Microsoft Rewards points expire?
Yes. Points expire if there are no earning activities within 12 months. Some claimable bonuses have shorter claim windows shown on your dashboard.

Is Microsoft Rewards available in my country?
It’s available across a large list of countries and regions, but offers and catalogs vary by area. Check the official regions page to confirm availability where you live.

Can Microsoft Rewards points be converted directly into cash?
No. Points have no direct cash value. You redeem them for rewards like gift cards, sweepstakes entries, and donations instead.

Can Microsoft Rewards accounts be banned?
Yes. Using bots, multiple accounts, a VPN to fake your location, or search spam can lead to suspension and invalidated points. Follow the rules to stay in good standing.

Is Microsoft Rewards legitimate?
Yes. It’s an official Microsoft loyalty program tied to your Microsoft account, and it’s free to join. Just be sure to follow Microsoft’s terms.

Conclusion

Microsoft Rewards is a genuinely useful, free program that turns everyday actions like searching, shopping, and gaming into points you can spend on gift cards, donations, and more. The key to success is simple: stay active, use your own dashboard as your guide, follow the rules, and redeem in your home region.

Just remember that the program evolves, and details vary by country, region, account, device, and promotion. When something looks different for you than for someone else, that’s usually by design. For anything time-sensitive, trust your dashboard and Microsoft’s official pages over any general guide.