Microsoft Rewards is getting a complete overhaul in May, and it doesn't seem like a net positive for end users. Microsoft Rewards began life as Bing Rewards, only to be rebranded and later merged with Xbox Live Rewards in 2016 and 2018, respectively. It has undergone many revisions and changes during its lifetime, and there are many more to come.
More unpopular changes to the service came when Microsoft Rewards increased the points required to redeem Xbox gift cards in February 2025. Since users can earn points by interacting with the rewards and completing the tasks it offers, the relative value of its redeemable gifts is always in dispute, leaving users frustrated with the service.
The Microsoft Rewards update adds a useful new feature
A new change to Microsoft Rewards introduced in the latest console update could be very useful for Xbox gamers who use the service frequently.
Microsoft Rewards is getting big changes in May 2026, but early adopters won't like the overhaul
Although many users thought that Microsoft Rewards went bad in February 2026, it doesn't seem like the last changes coming to the service. The biggest exclusive change coming in May is the reworking of membership tiers, with three tiers: Member, Silver and Gold. The daily earning cap for these new tiers will be 15, 30 and 60 points respectively. The redaction pop-up offers the ability to “earn up to 7x points with Gold status” as well as more ways to earn points in general. However, vague promises that the service will be better may be dismissed by its early adopters. Microsoft is testing this revised version of Rewards in New Zealand, Colombia, India, Canada and several other regions, and it's not looking good.
User reports suggest that Microsoft is now in the process of rolling out the Rewards update to eligible European countries, including Germany, France, Italy, the UK, and possibly others. While it's still too early to tell if this is one of Microsoft's worst Xbox Series X|S era decisions, the rework seems like an overall nerf to users' ability to score points. The daily maximum has dropped from 150 points to 60, with a 2100-point bonus pool that seems like a non-starter to many.
It is important to note that some of the early adopters of the new system, i.e. users in New Zealand and other such regions, often seem to dislike it. Microsoft Rewards' best points purchases are very expensive, and the new system seems to have greatly reduced points earning opportunities across the board. Packaging this as a net positive will be challenging for Microsoft.
Drag the arms to fill the grid
get started
Drag the arms to fill the grid
EasyMediumHard
It's clear by now that Microsoft is going through a substantial shake-up of almost all of its user-facing services. Xbox's approach to exclusives is also being reconsidered, according to insiders. The shift toward console-exclusive games would mean a sweeping overhaul of all brands' current operations, and suggests big changes could be ahead for Xbox and Microsoft.
