Microsoft Rewards has launched in the UK, and aims to tempt more people over to Bing.
It’s the company’s latest attempt to poach Google’s users, and arguably the most desperate so far. Microsoft will reward you for using the Bing search engine, with points you can exchange for a number of freebies.
You’ll need to be signed into Bing with your Microsoft account, in order to earn points. Each Bing search will get you three points, but this will be doubled if you’re also using Edge, Microsoft’s answer to Google Chrome. ‘Level 1’ users can earn up to 60 points per day, simply by searching for 10 things through Bing. If you manage to reach 500 points in a month, you’ll become a ‘Level 2’ member, and will be able to earn up to 150 points per day through search.
“On Bing.com, Level 1 members can earn points for up to 10 searches a day and Level 2 members can earn points for up to 50 searches a day (30 PC, 20 mobile),” explains Microsoft. “The search limit resets every day, so you can start earning again tomorrow.”
You can get your hands on extra points by taking quizzes at Microsoft Rewards, though you’ll have to sign up for an account first. Microsoft will also give you a point for every £1 you spend through the Microsoft, Windows and Xbox stores.You can exchange those points for a selection of prizes, such as an Xbox Live Gold Membership that usually costs £9.99 (6,000 points), a one-month Groove Music Pass that usually costs £8.99 (9,500 points) and a 12-month Groove Music Pass (110,000 points, or 99,900 for Level 2 members).
In 2012, Microsoft launched the ‘Bing It On’ challenge, which displays Bing search results and Google search results side-by-side and invites users to blindly choose which set they prefer.
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