Over the years, Microsoft Rewards has been steadily getting worse, with each major update chipping away at potential user points. However, the latest update, which rolled out just three days ago, is easily the worst one yet. It has already sparked a massive storm of complaints across Reddit communities and Twitter, leaving long-time users wondering if the program is even worth their time anymore.
Here is a breakdown of what changed, how much value users are actually losing, and the few positives hidden in the update.
From Guaranteed Earnings to Algorithmic Uncertainty
The main reason people use Microsoft Rewards is simple: to earn as many points as possible. Before this update, it was essentially a low-stakes grind, paying anywhere from 6 to 30 cents an hour depending on your region and how efficiently you bypassed restrictions like the dreaded 15-minute search cooldown. While it felt like a chore just to hit a $10 gift card, it was still free money, so most of us didn’t complain.
The best part of the old system was the predictability. On average, a dedicated user could easily secure 12,000 to 14,000 points per month, which was enough to cash out a $10 Amazon gift card every single month.
With this new update, that guarantee is gone. Users must now depend on a vague algorithm for their monthly points rather than guaranteed daily tasks. The algorithm decides whether or not you will receive the maximum 3,500-point “Big Star Bonus.” Worse yet, Microsoft provides zero transparency on how to achieve that maximum amount.
The Grim Reality of the Numbers
In the description for the Big Star Bonus, Microsoft provides a graph illustrating the projected point distribution for the average user at the end of the month. The data reveals a grim reality, showing that only one-fifth of users will even hit the 300 to 2,100-point range. Meanwhile, a staggering 80 percent of the user base will receive under 300 points, which is a microscopic fraction of the advertised 3,500-point maximum.
To be fair, a large portion of the user base consists of casual users who earn points passively through Xbox Game Pass without even realizing it. They aren’t actively trying to maximize the system.
However, for hardcore users who actively track their daily points, the hit is massive. In my case, the system projects I will only receive 800 points this upcoming month. This figure is incredibly disappointing for a long-time user like myself, someone who performs genuine daily searches and consistently maxes out available points. Meanwhile, due to these new daily nerfs, I am losing 150 points per day, amounting to a 4,500-point deficit over 30 days. Even when you factor in that 800-point bonus, I am still left 3,700 points short compared to my pre-update earnings. Extrapolated over a full year, that equates to a staggering 42,000 potential points lost.
Clunky UI
It isn’t just the payouts that took a hit; the desktop user interface (UI) has also gone completely downhill. On day one, the new UI felt incredibly chaotic and overwhelming. While it becomes slightly more tolerable once you get used to navigating it, the design remains fundamentally flawed.
Previous iterations kept practically everything under a single, convenient tab. Now, the experience is fragmented across three distinct tabs: Dashboard, Earn, and Redeem. To make matters worse, Microsoft has added unnecessary friction to the claiming process. For instance, to collect certain daily points, you are now forced to use a desktop browser just to click a “Ready to Claim” button on the dashboard. This arbitrary restriction means users stand to lose out on potential points if they go on vacation, travel, or simply don’t have a computer handy. It is an inconvenient and backward step.
The Positives
Despite the overwhelming negatives, a few positive updates did manage to slip through the cracks, mainly involving the return of popular rewards that had been broken or missing for months. First, Microsoft finally resolved the long-standing $10 Xbox Auto-Redeem bug. For the past half-year, a frustrating glitch had prevented me and countless others on the r/MicrosoftRewards subreddit from even toggling this monthly feature on. Additionally, Roblox gift cards are finally claimable once again after being completely out of stock for months. This is a massive win for the community, considering a huge portion of the user base relies on the program solely to earn Robux.
Second, the introduction of a third daily streak makes puzzle pieces significantly easier to obtain. Instead of completing the 1,000-point puzzle every six weeks, users can now finish it every single month, effectively bumping the yearly puzzle payout from 8,000 points to 12,000 points. While pocketing an extra 4,000 points a year is a welcome upgrade, it does next to nothing to offset the staggering 42,000 potential points that I and other dedicated users stand to lose under this new system.