Nintendo has Club Nintendo. Now Microsoft has created “Xbox Live Rewards” to reward players for doing things they already do. What’s the reward? Microsoft Points, which you can use to buy anything on Xbox Live, just like other MS Points you purchase with your own money.
So what do you have to do to earn MS Points through Xbox Live Rewards? Most of them involve spending your hard-earned money, but on the upside, you’re spending it on stuff you’d buy anyway. Stuff like buying or renewing an Xbox Live membership, buying downloadable games and items on Xbox Live, including specially-designated Xbox Live content. UK users can activate Sky on their Xbox and get MS Points.
But there are a few things you can do to earn points without having to spend any money at all. There’s not much, but there’s some, like taking monthly surveys. Microsoft also says that participating in exclusive promotions will earn you some points, but they don’t detail what these promotions might be, or whether purchases will be involved. It could be stuff like inviting five Xbox Live friends to take part in a multiplayer session or an Xbox Live event of some kind.
To take part in Xbox Live Rewards, just go to rewards.xbox.com and sign up. That’s all there is to it. Xbox will send you an email when your Rewards account is set up. The only catch: right now it’s only available for US and UK players.
Reportedly, Sony is working on a similar “PlayStation Rewards” program for a future launch.
