Microsoft Rewards is getting a major overhaul in May, and it doesn't seem to be positive for end users. Microsoft Rewards began life as Bing Rewards, only for it to be rebranded and later merged with Xbox Live Rewards in 2016 and 2018, respectively. It has gone through a number of revisions and changes over its lifetime, with more to come.
One of the more unpopular changes to the service was when Microsoft Rewards increased the points needed to redeem Xbox gift cards at the end of February 2025. Since users can earn points simply by interacting with Rewards and completing the tasks it offers, the relative value of its redeemable goodies has always been in conflict, which naturally leaves users frustrated with the service.
The Microsoft Rewards Update adds a useful new feature
A new change to Microsoft Rewards that was introduced in the latest console update could be of great help to Xbox players who use the service frequently.
Microsoft Rewards is getting big changes in May 2026, but early adopters aren't liking the overhaul
Although many users believe that Microsoft Rewards got worse in February 2026, it doesn't seem to be the last of the changes coming to the service just yet. The biggest change coming in May is the overhaul of the membership level, where there are three levels to choose from: Member, Silver and Gold. The daily earning cap for these new levels will be 15, 30 and 60 points respectively. The redesigned popup promises the ability to “earn up to 7x points with Gold status,” as well as more ways to earn points in general. However, the vague promises that the service would improve may well be dismissed by its early adopters. Microsoft has been 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 rolling out the Rewards update to eligible European countries, including Germany, France, Italy, the UK and potentially others. While it's still too early to tell if this is one of Microsoft's worst decisions of the Xbox Series X|S era, the redesign appears to be an overall nerf to users' ability to score. The daily maximum has dropped from 150 points down to 60, with a bonus pool of up to 2100 points which seems like a non-starter for most.
It is important to note that some of the earliest adopters of the new system, namely users from New Zealand and other such territories, seem to dislike it the most. All Microsoft Rewards top point purchases are very expensive, and the new system seems to result in greatly reduced points earning opportunities across the board. Unpacking that as a net positive will be a challenge for Microsoft.
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It's clear by now that Microsoft is going through a major overhaul of almost all of its user-friendly services. Xbox's approach to exclusive products is also being reconsidered, according to insiders. Swinging back towards console-exclusive games would be a major overhaul of all of the brand's newer operations, and suggests that even bigger changes could be in store for Xbox and Microsoft at large.
