What are Xbox Rewards & How to Quickly Earn Them [2024]

Key Takeaway
  • Xbox Rewards are a subset of Microsoft Rewards, which is basically the company's way of thanking you to be a part of their ecosystem.
  • You earn points by using different Microsoft products and services, completing tasks, and then redeem those points for actual rewards.
  • These rewards range from gift cards to real-life items like a pair of headphones.

Gaming has evolved from simple video games to an ecosystem where users are not just consumers but rather participants. Xbox along with its parent company Microsoft have created a great ecosystem surrounding their products. To reward their users for being a part of their ecosystem, a feature was introduced: Xbox Rewards.

In this article, we will delve into the different aspects of Xbox Rewards, what they are, and how to earn and redeem them.

What are Xbox Rewards?

First of all, let’s look at what exactly are Xbox Rewards. As implied by the name, these are rewards tailored for Xbox console users. You can acquire these rewards by doing simple tasks ranging from using Microsoft Edge to simply completing a quest on a game. Once you earn these rewards you can use them for multiple things such as buying gift cards to Game Pass subscriptions.

Xbox Rewards vs Microsoft Rewards

Many people get confused between the terms Microsoft Rewards and Xbox Rewards. These terms are interchangeable as they are almost the same thing. A person earns Microsoft Rewards when they fulfil tasks on Microsoft Products such as Edge, and Bing. Xbox Rewards are earned when you complete tasks on Xbox like launching a game. These rewards then get combined for you to redeem (more on this later.)

Let’s say you earn 30 Microsoft Reward points by doing multiple searches on Edge and earn 20 Xbox Reward points through a game-related task. In the end, you will have 50 reward points (we will be referring to these as Xbox Rewards.) You will be using these to redeem different products.

How to Earn Xbox Rewards?

You might be wondering; well how exactly do I earn these rewards? The following list includes the most important ways using which you can earn rewards.

  • Using Edge & Bing: You are given rewards for using Edge and Bing. Almost all of us use a browser for our daily searches. Simply switch to Edge and earn Xbox Rewards while doing so. Each search will equal five reward points. Use Edge on all of your devices (same account of course) to maximize the reward points.
    Using Bing for searches
  • Using Microsoft Store: When you use Microsoft Store to purchase apps, you earn rewards. These rewards are directly proportional to the amount you spend.
    App purchase on Microsoft Store
  • Trivias and Puzzles: You can visit the Microsoft Rewards website and scroll down to Activities. Here you can take part in many activities and earn the mentioned points (5, 10, 15) accordingly.
  • Logging in Xbox Application: Signing in daily to the Xbox mobile application, earns you rewards. Just maintain this streak and you will earn more for successive days, starting at 5 points on day one.
  • Playing the Featured Game: There is a daily featured mobile game on the Xbox mobile app. Play this game, clear a level and earn points.
  • Having Xbox Friends: If you have 7+ Xbox friends you get 15 points daily, play games with your friends to increase rewards.
  • Launching & Playing a PC Game: Daily launch a game that is not on the Xbox game pass, remain in its lobby for a few minutes and then shut it down. This will earn you rewards.
  • Monthly and Weekly Tasks: There are also some weekly and monthly tasks which you can complete to earn reward points. These are usually a bit harder than the daily tasks, hence, the longer deadline.

How to Redeem Xbox Rewards?

You have accumulated all these reward points, now let’s get the real reward. You can redeem all these reward points for different products which otherwise would’ve cost you money. Following are the steps for redeeming your rewards:

  1. On your Xbox home screen, go to My Games & Apps.
    Open My games and apps
  2. Scroll down to Apps and proceed to Microsoft Rewards. Press “A” to open it.
    Microsoft Rewards in Apps
  3. The page that opens will be the Earn section showing you how you can earn rewards. Just glide to the second tab called “Redeem.”
    Open Redeem tab
  4. Now you will see all the things you can redeem your points on including Xbox game cards, Game Pass Subscriptions, Sweepstakes entries, etc.
    Redeemable Products
     

Depending on however many points you have, you can claim a lot of different stuff here. We recommend opening the “Shop” section (as shown in the image above) to see offers on gift cards, game pass and various other subscription services.

Why Microsoft Reward Points Need to Improve on Xbox?

While the reward system is great and all, there are still a few things that Microsoft needs to work upon in order for it to become a more viable feature. The first issue is that users find it extremely slow to earn points, this would not have been an issue if the points were worth more.

Not only are the points difficult to be earned but even after you earn them, they are of a very less monetary value. For example, 5000 reward points can only redeem you a $5 gift card at max.

Read More: Do Amazon Gift Cards Expire?

The monthly and weekly tasks are also becoming less and less fruitful. A monthly task which was worth 2000 points just some time ago has now depreciated to just about 1000 points. So, Xbox is making it extremely difficult to even earn the already low-valued reward points.

Conclusion

Xbox Rewards is an interesting feature that portrays that Microsoft cares for its customers. It can be an alternative to spending money on the platform to some extent. If you’re part of the Microsoft ecosystem, then it’s a no-brainer to take advantage of this system. Even if you’re not actively trying to garner any points, after some period of time you will have gained enough to cash in a decent reward.

FAQs about Xbox Rewards

What are Xbox Rewards?

Xbox Rewards is a feature that rewards the users for being a part of the Xbox ecosystem. Users can utilize these rewards by redeeming them on different things.

How do I earn Xbox reward points?

You can earn Xbox reward points by using Edge & Bing, playing games, completing daily, weekly and monthly tasks.

How are Microsoft Rewards linked to Xbox Rewards?

To link both of these rewards together, go to your Xbox and add your Microsoft account there. Doing so will link both these rewards with each other.

Can I cash out my Xbox rewards?

Not exactly, however, you can cash these points by purchasing gift cards which you can use in real life such as on Starbucks, UberEATS, etc.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kamil Anwar


Kamil is a certified MCITP, CCNA (W), CCNA (S) and a former British Computer Society Member with over 9 years of experience Configuring, Deploying and Managing Switches, Firewalls and Domain Controllers also an old-school still active on FreeNode.