Microsoft is changing its rewards program.
Microsoft is planning a major overhaul of its popular rewards program, set to take effect as early as May 2026. Users in many European countries, including Germany, are already being informed about the upcoming changes.
Microsoft Rewards: Users should be prepared for changes
The most noticeable innovation concerns the structure of the program. The previous terms Level 1 and Level 2 will be abolished and replaced by the new levels Member, Silver and Gold. The exact advantages and disadvantages of the new stages still need to be communicated in detail.
In addition to the new levels, Microsoft is introducing a so-called Bing Star Bonus. This is intended to enable particularly active users up to 2,100 additional points to earn per month. Unlike daily searches, these bonus points are not credited immediately, but rather cumulatively at the end of the respective month.
The community has so far reacted to the news with suspicion. Microsoft has changed its rewards program several times in the past, but not always for the better for users. For example, this year the company massively deteriorated the conversion rates from points to vouchers without warning. Accordingly, there is a fear that the new design represents another step backwards for fans.
Xbox Store: You’ll soon be able to pay with Rewards points
In addition to these structural adjustments, there is another innovation that… Make redeeming points much easier becomes. In the future, you will be able to use your collected Rewards points directly in the Xbox and Microsoft Stores as currency to purchase games or DLCs.
This does not remove the previous, somewhat cumbersome method of converting points into voucher cards, but the new option should be much more practical for many users. Initially, however, this feature will be limited to purchasing individual games – bundles or subscriptions such as Game Pass are excluded for the time being (Source: PureXbox).