Microsoft Rewards App: What It Is and How to Use It

Tech & Gaming
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Microsoft Rewards is a free loyalty program that gives you points for using Microsoft products and services. Points can be redeemed for gift cards, Xbox content, sweepstakes entries, and donations to charity. Here’s what’s worth knowing about it.

How you earn points

Bing searches: The primary earning method. Searching on Bing through a browser (with the Microsoft Rewards extension installed) or through Edge earns points per search, capped at a daily limit. PC searches and mobile searches have separate daily caps.

Daily sets and activities: The Rewards dashboard (rewards.microsoft.com) shows daily activities – quizzes, polls, and click-through tasks that each award points. These take 2-3 minutes per day and are the most reliable earning method.

Xbox achievements: Playing Xbox games and earning achievements awards Rewards points through the Xbox Game Pass Quests system.

Microsoft Store purchases: Shopping in the Microsoft Store can earn points at a multiplier rate.

Microsoft Edge usage: Edge has built-in Rewards integration – using it for searches earns points slightly more efficiently than other browsers.

Point values

Points are worth approximately $0.001 each – 1,000 points equals roughly $1 in redemption value. Redemption rates vary by reward:

  • Microsoft Store credit and Xbox gift cards: generally the best value
  • Amazon and other third-party gift cards: slightly lower value per point
  • Sweepstakes entries: variable value

The realistic earning rate

Doing the daily searches and daily activities consistently earns roughly 1,500-2,500 points per month for a typical user. That’s $1.50-$2.50/month in Xbox credit or gift cards – not life-changing but meaningful if you’re a consistent Xbox or Microsoft ecosystem user.

Getting started

Go to rewards.microsoft.com and sign in with your Microsoft account. Enroll if you haven’t already. Install the Microsoft Rewards browser extension if using Chrome or Firefox to track searches.

Level 2 status (earned by reaching 500 points in a month) unlocks bonus daily point opportunities and slightly better redemption rates on some rewards.

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The daily activities on the dashboard being the most reliable earning method is accurate. Searches have a cap and require actively using Bing, but the quizzes and polls take two minutes and consistently deliver points. If you’re going to do one thing with Microsoft Rewards, check the daily set every day.

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the $1.50-$2.50 per month estimate is honest. it’s not impressive in absolute terms but if you already use microsoft services it’s essentially free xbox credit for minimal effort. i use it specifically for game pass renewal which makes it feel more meaningful than the raw number suggests.

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The mobile search earning being separate from PC search is a detail that doubles your daily earning potential. Installing the Bing app on your phone and doing a few searches there in addition to PC searches hits a separate daily cap. Takes thirty seconds and runs in parallel with your normal earning.

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Microsoft Store credit being the best redemption value is worth emphasizing. Redeeming for Amazon or other third-party gift cards gives you fewer cents per point than using the credit directly in the Microsoft ecosystem. If you’re in the Xbox/PC gaming world, keeping points in that ecosystem maximizes value.

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Level 2 status being worth pursuing is correct. The bonus opportunities at Level 2 meaningfully increase earning rate. The threshold is 500 points in a 30-day period which is achievable in the first week if you do the daily activities consistently.