The Bing Rewards program, launched in 2010, aims to encourage people to use the Bing search engine. While it might seem like bribery, loyalty programs are common in many sectors. Bing Rewards members accumulate credits by using Bing for searches, exploring new features, and completing various tasks. As long as you are logged into your Bing Rewards account, earning credits is possible on any device. Bing has experienced consistent growth in its U.S. search engine market share, rising from 16.3% at the close of 2012 to 18.2% in December 2013. By September 2014, Bing searches constituted 19.4% of all U.S. searches of all searches. nexus-security’s client accounts have mirrored this trend, showing a small but steady rise in Bing search traffic. Did their Bing Rewards loyalty program play a role? It certainly didn’t hurt. Let’s explore Bing Rewards and how to utilize them. This table of contents will guide you to the information you need:
- Bing Rewards: Features and Benefits
- Bing Rewards Loyalty Levels: Member, Silver & Gold Benefits
- Earning More Bing Rewards Credits
- Redeeming Bing Rewards: What Can You Get for Using Bing?
- Bing Rewards FAQs
Bing Rewards: Features and Benefits
The Bing Rewards program rewards you with credits for conducting searches on Bing, trying out new Bing features, or using select Microsoft products and services. A credit counter in your browser (Internet Explorer 7 or later, or the newest versions of Firefox, Chrome, or Safari), located in the top right corner of any Bing.com page you are on, keeps track of your Bing Rewards.
Alternatively, you can download and install the Bing Bar, which includes a Bing Rewards button and credit counter. Mobile users can access Bing Rewards via their default mobile web browser. Bing Rewards members earn points for their Bing searches – think of it as a frequent flyer program, but for searches. As a tiered program, higher-level members can access more credits.
Bing Rewards Loyalty Levels: Member, Silver & Gold Benefits
Bing Rewards provides additional benefits to members who achieve higher status levels. ‘Member’ is the initial tier for new members. Members earn credits for using Bing for searches and taking advantage of daily offers. Upon completing the Welcome to Rewards tour, redeeming their first reward, and accumulating at least 200 credits, Members advance to the Silver level. Upon promotion, Bing Rewards Silver members receive a 50 credit bonus.
Gold is the highest Bing Rewards tier, attainable by members who have earned 750 lifetime credits and consistently perform 150 eligible searches on Bing per month. Once a member reaches the Gold level, they enjoy up to a 10% discount on reward redemptions.
Earning More Bing Rewards Credits
Bing Rewards provides members with several avenues for accumulating credits. On a PC, using Bing for searches grants 1 credit for every 2 searches, capped at a maximum of 15 credits each day. As you finish available Bing Rewards credit tasks, you will notice them checked off in your dashboard and the drop-down menu from your browser’s credit counter:
Other ways to earn credits include:
- Inviting friends to Bing Rewards: Earn 100 credits for each friend who reaches Silver status (maximum 500 credits).
- Using Bing for mobile searches: Earn 1 credit for every 2 searches, up to a maximum of 10 credits daily.
- Completing tasks in the Bing Rewards dashboard: Bing posts special offers here, usually worth 1 credit each for completing a task. For instance, as of this writing, Bing is offering 1 credit for using the MSN Food & Drink App and another for exploring Bing’s most popular features on a dedicated web resource they developed. Bing also introduces special rewards incentives and time-sensitive promotions. You’ll find announcements for these on the Bing Blog.
Redeeming Bing Rewards: What Can You Get for Using Bing?
Bing Rewards allows you to redeem your credits in three ways: Shop, Donate, or Win. Currently, filtering options for rewards are quite limited. You can choose from Shop, Donate, or Win, but filtering by retailer, price, or any other parameter is not possible. The Shop section only lists 41 rewards at the moment, so as the program expands, filters will definitely become essential.
Unsurprisingly, many Bing Rewards options are Microsoft products or items from their other brands, including Microsoft Store credits, discounts on Bing and Microsoft merchandise, subscriptions to Microsoft OneDrive or premium Microsoft Outlook, Skype credit, and Xbox memberships and gift cards. However, other Bing Rewards redeemable with credits include:
- Points/miles for airline and hotel loyalty programs
- Prints and photo books from Shutterfly
- Gift cards for retailers such as Amazon, Applebee’s, Burger King, Domino’s Pizza, Groupon, IHOP, iTunes, Sephora, Starbucks, and others. Each item listed in the Bing Rewards Shop links to a product page with details, an image, and the price in points.
The credit requirement for Gold users to redeem the reward is displayed alongside the price for Members and Silver users. For example, at 525 credits, earning a $5 Burger King eGift card will necessitate 950 searches over 64 days (given the daily limit of 15 credits from searches and even fewer from mobile searches). So, is it worth it? This is where special offers come in. If you’re solely relying on Bing Search to earn rewards points, the program’s value might seem limited. However, regularly checking in to take advantage of daily deals will significantly accelerate your point accumulation. If you prefer not to keep the rewards for yourself, Bing encourages members to donate their credits to a deserving cause.
Through their Bing in the Classroom program, Bing Rewards facilitates support for the school of your choice. While it might seem like a tactic to introduce their products into the education system, don’t let that discourage you—it’s a common strategy in today’s tech-savvy world. You can donate Bing Rewards credits in increments of 50, designated for a school you select. Once that school accumulates 30,000 credits, they receive a brand new Surface 32GB tablet with a black Type cover. This program, like Bing Rewards itself, is exclusively available in the U.S. You can verify if your child’s school has earned any donated credits or tablets by visiting bing.com/findyourschool. Achieving this alone might take a while, but Bing highlights that 60 parents participating in Bing Rewards for a mere month could earn enough for a Surface tablet for their school. They further claim that 125 parents participating in Bing Rewards for a year could earn enough tablets for an entire classroom. Microsoft will ship the tablet within 60 days of your school reaching the 30,000 credit threshold.
For generous Bing Rewards users looking to use their credits to assist others, five alternative options currently exist. Redeeming 100 credits translates to a $1 donation to organizations like the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Kids in Need Foundation, or Teach for America. Alternatively, you can opt for a $ Charity Impact Card. Redeeming 500 Bing Rewards credits can get you a $5 gift card from the Network for Good, which allows you to direct your donation to any of their 1.2 million partnered charities. If altruism isn’t your thing today, that’s perfectly fine—you can use your credits to enter Bing Rewards sweepstakes for chances to win exciting prizes instead. The selection under the Win tab is currently limited, but be on the lookout for new sweepstakes as Bing Rewards are updated.
Currently, there are 8 Bing Rewards sweepstakes options but only four distinct prize packages. Each prize package offers two points level options. For instance, in the Microsoft Band sweepstakes, you can choose to redeem 40 credits (35 for Gold members) for 10 entries or 20 credits (15 for Gold members) for 1 entry. Current prizes include the Microsoft Band, three $500 Nordstrom gift cards, three Assassin’s Creed Xbox One prize packs, and a Halo: Spartan Strike for Windows prize pack. {MORE: 7 Ways Bing Ads Beats Google AdWords**}**
Bing Rewards FAQs
Still undecided? Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about Bing Rewards: Are Bing Rewards worth it? Bing has simplified participation in their rewards program, whether you’re using a desktop or mobile device. If you’re already a regular Bing user, earning credits for your searches is a no-brainer. However, it will take a considerable amount of time to achieve significant rewards unless you actively leverage credit promotions, so keep an eye out for those. How do I sign up for Bing Rewards? While signing in with your Facebook account used to be an option, it seems Microsoft and Facebook have parted ways, as that option has been phased out. Bing Rewards users can only use their Facebook account to log in until February 15, 2015. After that, a Microsoft account will be mandatory. Navigate over to Bing Rewards to get started. Remember, it’s only available to U.S. residents, and even then, Americans can’t earn or redeem credits while traveling abroad (unless they use a proxy server, but keep that under wraps). You’ll be required to provide your phone number for Bing Rewards to verify the account, and VOIP numbers are not permitted. I’m searching but not earning credits – what’s going on? Firstly, ensure you haven’t accidentally logged out. It’s also possible you’ve reached your daily limit for offers. If you’ve confirmed you’re not using In-Private browsing, you’re logged in, and haven’t exceeded your quota, reach out to Bing Rewards Support for assistance. Who is eligible for Bing Rewards? Anyone residing in the United States, aged 13 or older, and possessing a Microsoft account is eligible. Each individual is limited to a single account and must provide their legal first and last name, a valid mailing address (P.O. boxes are excluded), a functional phone number, and their email address.
Get Started with Bing Rewards
Ready to try Bing Rewards? There’s no harm in giving it a go. Start by browsing through the available rewards and set a goal to earn enough credits to acquire one (you can track this using the handy goal button on each reward page). See how long it takes! Visit bing.com/explore/rewards to begin your Bing Rewards journey.