Highlights
- Microsoft Rewards users in the UK will now earn fewer points through the weekly console bonus on Xbox, making it harder to get free games or memberships.
- Changes to Microsoft Rewards have disappointed players, with cuts to point-earning opportunities and now a reduction in the weekly console bonus points.
- Xbox fans outside the UK should stockpile points now to prepare for potential future changes to Microsoft Rewards that may affect their ability to earn discounts.
Microsoft Rewards is reducing the number of points some users can earn through the reward system's weekly console bonus on Xbox. While Xbox users have enjoyed Microsoft Rewards offering a way to earn free games or memberships, this change is unlikely to go over well with fans.
The Microsoft Rewards program has been around for a long time now, though it wasn't always directly connected to Xbox. In recent years, Microsoft added ways for Xbox players to earn points by playing games and completing select tasks in titles. Since it costs nothing to join Microsoft Rewards, it was a way to make the gaming habit a little more affordable for fans.
Unfortunately for Microsoft Rewards users and Xbox owners in the UK, the weekly console bonus is getting a nerf that dramatically reduces the number of points users can earn. Following a number of cuts to the ways that Xbox owners could earn points previously, Microsoft Rewards added a new potential bonus to earn in the form of the weekly console bonus. As long as players played games at least five days over the course of a week, they could potentially earn up to 275 points on average. That number is now being slashed to a mere 150 for standard Xbox players and 175 for those subscribed to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. At this time, it's not clear if this change will be coming to other regions following the UK.
Microsoft Rewards Changes Continue
Ultimately, Microsoft Rewards offer players a way to earn some discounts towards the games and services they like for completely free. However, players have previously lamented that the system has had many of its advantages stripped away. Previously, Microsoft Rewards discontinued the daily achievement task except for those subscribed to Xbox Game Pass, and introduced search cooldowns, limiting how readily users could earn points from using Microsoft's search engine, Bing.
Sadly, this comes at a time when the economy is in a rough spot and some gamers can use an extra discount to keep doing what they love. However, this could also be part of the reason for the change. While Microsoft's latest financial report revealed that its overall revenue and net income had risen, its net profit margin dropped by nearly 5%. The company has notably also been axing positions at some of the gaming companies it recently acquired, joining the overall trend of mass layoffs in the gaming industry.
For now, the wisest thing Xbox fans outside of the UK can do is to rack up as many points as possible per month. These changes or others, like prior increases to Microsoft Rewards' gift card point costs, could potentially come to the service in the future, so having a stockpile of points or redeeming as many as possible now may help to take some of the sting out of any further adjustments.
4K Capability Yes, Up to 120Hz Power Source AC Adapter Brand Microsoft Processing Power 12.16 TFLOPS (GPU) Storage 1TB custom SSD CPU 8-Core Custom AMD Zen 2-based Chip Battery 2 x AA (LR6) Batteries (Included) Connectivity Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Xbox Wireless Protocol Bands Dual Band (2.4G/5G) Ports 3 x USB-A Ports, 1 x HDMI 2.1 Port, 1 x Ethernet, 1 x SSD Expansion, 1 x AC Power Dimensions 301 mm × 151 mm × 151 mm Weight 9.7 lbs RAM 16GB GDDR6 Screen Resolution 3840×2160 Expand $500 at GameStop$500 at Target$500 at Best Buy$494 at Walmart
