Who doesn’t like getting free stuff by doing practically nothing? If there is a method that can help you earn and save money by carrying on with your daily activities, then it’s worth a try. You can make this happen by making small changes in the way of browsing the internet. Using a specific search engine such as Bing can help you earn some lucrative rewards through the Bing Rewards program which is presently known as Microsoft Rewards. This free program offers an incentive to users who browse using their search engine service. The reward points can be accumulated by browsing the web using your mobile device, desktop, or even an Xbox. Today we are going to discuss in-depth how to make the most of Microsoft Rewards or Bing Rewards.
The Bing rewards program was released in September 2010 as a way of incentivizing the use of this search engine. It allowed users to earn credits every time they search the web. Even when you are not a frequent user of the Bing search engine, you are eligible to earn a $5 gift card every two months. The Bing rewards earned can also be converted into gift vouchers. You just need to be signed in to your Bing Rewards account for earning credits irrespective of the device you browse from. Members could previously sign in to Bing Rewards using their Facebook account but this option has been phased out since 15th February 2015. Now you will require a Microsoft account for signing in to this rewards program.
How to Join Bing Rewards
- You can visit bing.com/explore/rewards using Internet Explorer and navigate to its Dashboard. Here you will be prompted with steps for joining the rewards program.
- Users can download and install the Bing toolbar on their PC and start earning credits by surfing the internet. You can take a look at the credits earned from the redemption center.
- Browse the default web browser from bing.com/explore/rewards on your mobile and sign in. Following the sign-in, you can go to Dashboard and take advantage of the rewards program by earning credits using the Bing search engine.
Membership Tiers of Bing Rewards
Whenever you try different Microsoft products and services, use new Bing features or search using Bing, then you can earn credits with the Bing Rewards program. Your browser will have a credit counter which will help in tracking the reward points accumulated. This credit counter can be accessed through the top right corner of the Bing.com page you are browsing. Bing Rewards is a tiered program allowing more credits to upper-level members. The first or entry-level tier is known as a ‘Member’. Once you become a ‘Member,’ you will get credits for searching on Bing and also for daily offers. After a ‘Member’ has completed their ‘Welcome to Rewards’ tour, redeemed their first reward, and accumulated credit worth 200 points, they are promoted to the ‘Silver’ level with 50 credit bonuses. Gold is the highest level in Bing Rewards and this tier can be attained once members earn 750-lifetime credits and perform 150 qualifying searches using Bing every month. You are eligible to get up to a 10% discount from your reward redemptions on reaching the ‘Gold’ level.
Earning Bing Credits
Using Bing search on your PC offers members 1 credit point for every 2 searches with an upper ceiling of 10 credits daily. On completion of the available Bing Rewards task, you will see it checked off in your dashboard and also in the drop-down list from the credit counter of your browser. Inviting friends to use Bing Rewards can help you earn 100 credits for each friend attaining Silver status (with a maximum ceiling of 500 credits). Bing posts special offers in the Bing Rewards dashboard and each offer is approximately worth 1 credit if you can complete the task properly. Various limited-time promotions and rewards incentives are offered to users every now and then.
Redeeming Bing Rewards
You can redeem your Bing Rewards by shopping, donating, or winning. Bing encourages its members to donate their credit towards benevolent avenues. You can support a school of your choice via the Bing in the Classroom program. The Bing rewards can be donated in increments of 50. Once your chosen school accumulates 30000 credits the school shall receive a new smart device.
Most of the Bing Rewards options are Microsoft products and ones from other brands including discounts on Bing, Microsoft Store credits, Microsoft apparel, Skype credit, subscription to premium Microsoft Outlook or Microsoft OneDrive, Xbox memberships, and gift cards. You can also avail of the following Bing Rewards in exchange for credits:
- Photobooks and prints from Shutterfly
- Miles/Points for hotel and airline loyalty programs
- Gift cards for Burger King, Amazon, Groupon, Domino’s Pizza, Sephora, Applebee’s, Starbucks, iTunes, and other businesses.
If you are not in the mood to donate, then you can win cool prizes instead by using the credits in Bing Rewards sweepstakes. Some popular prizes which can be won in sweepstakes are:
- Xbox Live Gold Membership for 12 months.
- Microsoft Lumia 950
- Microsoft Band
- Microsoft Surface Book – 256Gb
- 128 GB Surface 3 with Type Cover and Pen
- Microsoft Surface Pro 4 w/ Type Cover
- Halo 5: Guardians Xbox Prize Package
- Sculpt comfort desktop keyboard
- $500 Microsoft online store credit
You won’t see much value in the program if you are using Bing Search for earning rewards. However, you can accumulate points easily by checking in regularly and completing daily deals. The Bing Rewards program is available only in the U.S. For participating in Bing rewards, you need to be above 13 years of age and have an active Microsoft account containing original information about you. Once you have purchased the rewards, it takes 24 hours to reach your email address. However, at times the rewards might be of limited means or can get stocked out. In such cases, you won’t receive the email until the products come back in stock. This program can be used by one person in each household. The number of days for which you can use this program in a month will be determined by Microsoft. If you have been conducting the requisite searches but not earning enough credits, then this means you have been accidentally signed out of the account. There is also a possibility that you have exceeded your daily offer limit. For further queries and concerns, you can consult Bing rewards support.