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Microsoft Retunes Xbox Live Rewards Program
Microsoft has made a few changes to its Xbox Live Rewards program, which include a few new ways for players to earn credit for things they may already be doing. Most noticeably, each member is ranked by a series of stars, which is accompanied by a higher rebate percentage for bigger spenders.
Members who spend $150 annually will earn one star, which carries with it an automatic rebate of 1 percent. Additional stars earn a corresponding percentage point, up to a base maximum 5-percent discount. If you're a gold member, that number is doubled, meaning that you'll get 10 percent back on purchases made on the Xbox Live Store – whether it's through games, video content, or DLC.
Microsoft is continuing to host temporary promotions. Right now, customers who purchase three games on demand (at a minimum of $60 each) between Sept. 4 through Nov. 30 will earn 20,000 rewards credit, which translates to $20. Similar "punchcard" deals are in place for movie and TV downloads. Players can also earn credits for completing monthly surveys and by referring friends to the program.
If you're a Gold member, you can earn 1,000 credits by simply downloading and playing one of the free Games with Gold releases for 10 hours. Check out the official site for more details on the program.
Thanks to reader "Chiefslayer" for the news tip.
[Source: Microsoft]
Our Take
Players have more options than ever available to them, and you have to credit Microsoft for trying to entice customers to stick with Xbox platforms. Whether those discounts will be enough to sway people to purchase the Xbox One version of a new game over its PlayStation 4 counterpart remains to be seen, but at least there's a reason to consider doing so.
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