Microsoft Rewards Adds Helpful New Bonus for Some Players

gamerant.com:

Tech giant Microsoft's loyalty program, Microsoft Rewards, has given Xbox users an extra way to earn points, gamers have discovered. However, it seems like the new method either offers different rewards or does not pop up at all for some folks.

The Microsoft Rewards initiative allows people to collect points by completing a wide variety of tasks, from doing something as simple as making a search through Microsoft's Bing to making a purchase on the Microsoft Store. These accumulated points can then be used to claim rewards like gift cards, or they can be given to nonprofit organizations as donations. People have discovered a new way to earn a lot of Microsoft Rewards points just by consistently playing video games on their Xbox consoles.

In a recent post on the Microsoft Rewards subreddit, user yikesmyguy shared a screenshot of the extra weekly console bonus challenge that rewards people 500 points for playing any of the currently available Xbox Game Pass titles on a console for four days a week. Some community members, however, reported that the recently discovered task only offered 250 points as a reward. Others, meanwhile, claimed the weekly console bonus challenge did not appear at all on either the Xbox app or console.

The addition of this new way of earning points followed the recent changes to Microsoft Rewards' Xbox Game Pass quests, which included the removal of several challenges. While the update did not reduce the maximum amount of points that people could earn, it did make collecting them more difficult. These changes caused an outcry among users online, with some accusing Microsoft of trying to prevent most of its Xbox Game Pass subscribers from earning the highest amount of possible rewards just to save money.

Xbox owners were warned of huge changes coming to the Microsoft Rewards program around November 2023, and many people actually thought it was a sign that the initiative would completely shut down. Despite the criticism Microsoft Rewards has received