Microsoft has launched what might possibly be the lamest rewards program I have ever seen. At first glance it actually looks pretty good. You earn Microsoft Points for doing things like renewing your subscription and buying select content on Xbox Live Marketplace. However once you make the conversion from space bucks to real cash, you realize that the rewards are laughable. Here is the breakdown in real money:
What You Can Do |
Cost |
Silver Member Reward |
Gold Member Reward |
| Renew 1 month gold subscription. | $9.99 | $0.12 | |
| Renew 3 month gold subscription. | $24.99 | $0.38 | |
| Renew 12 month gold subscription. | $59.99 | $2.50 | |
| Purchase or renew Xbox Live Gold Family Pack | $100 | $5.00 | $5.00 |
| Purchase or renew 1st Xbox Live Gold Membership | $59.99 | $1.25 | $1.25 |
| Make your 1st purchase on marketplace | Varies | $1.25 | $1.25 |
| Purchase select xbox live marketplace content | Varies | Varies | Varies |
| Activate and use Netflix on Xbox | Varies | $1.25 | |
| Take a quick survey each month | Your time | $0.25 | $0.25 |
| Participate in exclusive promotions | Your time | "Cool" Prizes | "Cool" Prizes |
I suppose its better than nothing. They don’t have to have any rewards at all. However with with rewards so low, its pretty close to nothing anyway. It certainly wont influence any of my buying decisions at all.