We're known to wax lyrical about Microsoft Rewards here at Pure Xbox, and for good reason. The program allows you to rack up an amazing amount of Xbox credit (or anything else you want) for completing Bing searches, earning achievements, completing Xbox Game Pass Quests and much more, so it's pretty much a no-brainer in our view.
There's one big caveat with that though — it all depends where you live. For now, Microsoft Rewards is only available in around 20 countries, and beyond that, there are also issues with prizes from MS Rewards being region-locked even if they're visible. Windows Central's Jez Corden highlighted this recently, with many disgruntled responses:
"Still not in Austria. And we are linked to @XboxDACH which is Germany, Austria and Swiss. We get all the cool promotions and see the reward quests and challenges they always get, but can’t access to it."
"The stupid thing is that MS Rewards balance in the Game Pass app is still shown in countries that can't use it. The UI element is visible but if you click on it, it will give you an error. Lack of attention to details in some MS products drives me crazy."
There are some strange rules/regulations on non-cashback based rewards programs. With points & other non tangible items being non transferable, or not having a cash value to exchange for, are some of the problems my former employer ran into before starting its loyalty program.
We've constantly been hearing from Pure Xbox members over the past couple of years that certain Microsoft Rewards punch cards, promotions and sweepstakes aren't available in their region, which is a huge shame.
Hopefully Microsoft will be able to bring the feature to more regions over the next few years, but it looks like there are quite a few hurdles in place that could prevent it, so we'll have to wait and see what the future holds.
Are you affected by region-specific Microsoft Rewards issues? Tell us in the comments.
Comments 20
It's true!!!
In Canada we don't get the monthly 2K punch cards or a lot of the bonus 500 point cards for getting an achievement in a specific game. We have reward points so i don't get why we have different punch cards from the UK. Also bitter still about the gamepass time cards not going on sale in Canada when they are on sale in the US on Black Friday.
Yesterday's news. Here in Greece, we are second-class customers for MS, no doubt. Funny thing is that when I remove Rewards App (since it is useless here), boom, new update to re-install it. Like "I 'll stalk you b***h to the edge of the world".
Yeah does not exist in Portugal as well...
What i would have love to see in future everywhere is a rewards for buying headset or controllers i just bought from them today a 230$ headset but zero reward point it kind of suck it should work on all their product but i agree xbox reward should be available everywhere. 🙌💕
Just a reminder. Region locked keys on Xbox can be redeemed after setting a VPN to the appropriate region, and teeming through the region appropriate Xbox website.
@Kalele i believe that if you buy it through the Xbox store vs MS store you get points for every dollar spent. So if you buy your headset that way you should get the points
@InterceptorAlpha how does one do this and can you get suspended for doing it?
Had issues in the past claiming gift's from folks from different regions also.
Loving it here in America!
I'm still waiting for the XBox mini fridge to come to my country =(
@Rambryn agreed. same stuff in turkey.
I did the math and I can 'only' get 60k points each year. Not bad by a long shot, it's basically a free game a year. Except you'd have to log in and get an achievement each day, something which isn't possible for many. Compare it to countries where you can leasurely get a couple times that in a smaller timespan, and you get this odd situation. I basically get 40k each year and that's only because I haven't gotten my hands on a ps5.
5 years ago, I asked them to bring it to Puerto Rico, a US territory. Still waiting...
MSR are the best thing about Xbox right now for me, I got my Series S with my phone upgrade with 3 months of GP thanks to MSR Im 1000 points from another 3 months for free.
@Cherip-the-Ripper I've got 34000 in less than 3 months & I've not spent a penny to get any points or done any of the big punch cards. You can get 69000 a year just doing the daily bing seaches.
@Kopite did you even read what I said man? 😅 Ofcourse you brits have it better, I don't have daily bing searches. The maximum amount of attainable points IN MY COUNTRY is 60k, I'm tryna make a comparison here mate.
Damn. What me and mine have, isn't the norm. Shocked to hear such disparities exist.
@Krzzystuff If they were to ban someone for it, they'd have to ban literally every person who travels with their Co sole and buys things, ever. So yea, pretty safe bet that won't happen.
First you need a VPN. I personally use Nord. I set it to a UK location, log into to xbox.com/en-gb, then redeem. You'll either have to use I cog ito mode or clear cache and cookies first though, otherwise it won't work based on the cookies.
For example, I just got the Stranger Things addon from the UK since I couldn't find any US keys still and they stopped selling it.
@Cherip-the-Ripper I misread it 😂 crap that it's not just a universal thing I guess it's a wider Microsoft issue rather than an Xbox one hopefully they get it up and running
@Kopite it's all good, thought you were rubbing it in for a second there lol. Big up purexbox for tryna make people more aware.
This "rewards" system is million, billion, bajillion times better system than Xbox achievements.
Which is EXACTLY how Xbox achievements were originally supposed to work. But greed, as usual, came into play. That stopped that. And one of main reasons I absolutely despise achievements.
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