Published Apr 20, 2026, 9:01 AM EDT
James is a gaming writer from London who has spent thousands of hours exploring titles from every genre. Though he has a particular affinity for multiplayer titles like World of Warcraft, Destiny 2 and League of Legends, he has also put thousands of hours into single-player experiences, from deep RPGs to epic PC strategies. When he's not playing or writing, he can usually be found supporting his beloved Brentford FC.
In a world where Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, and PC platforms are competing for the attention of gamers, it's understandable that many feel they need to sweeten the deal with additional offers and exciting promotions to keep players locked into their particular piece of hardware.
Whether it's the competition between Game Pass and PS Plus or a battle between direct discounts in seasonal sales, anything can be a staging ground for getting more customers on board. What that does mean is that there are potential wins for the consumer if you are diligent about keeping an eye on them, as one player recently demonstrated over on Reddit.
Xbox Gamers Reckon Microsoft Rewards Feels Like A Job
Over on the official Microsoft Rewards Reddit page, one user shared a post detailing how they have finally saved up enough Microsoft Points to buy the $100 Xbox gift card (after 15 months). While this is obviously a long time to wait, they essentially managed to get it by doing nothing other than playing their Xbox, which they were planning to do anyway.
If you don't know, every time you boot up a game on the Xbox, you receive a small number of digital reward points that can be spent in the Microsoft Store on certain items. Though it takes a long time to save up for anything tangible, it's a nice boost to the proverbial coffers if you play on the platform often enough.
As many of the comments pointed out, it's easy to get points each day if you are committed to it. "I don't know about OP but I spend maybe 3 minutes a day getting my points (I don’t do the max searches and stuff) and I average 10,000 points in a month. Time-wise, it comes out around minimum wage for my state, which isn’t great, but it’s also time I would’ve spent doom-scrolling anyway. I actually do it on my walk into work from my car so it’s no time lost for me," one comment read.
"Nice. Just don't forget that the remainder of that balance expires in 90 days from the date of redemption!" another added, helpfully.
Ultimately, Free Xbox Credit Is Free Xbox Credit
As many of the comments acknowledge, 15 months is a long time to earn a $100 gift card, but if you play regularly it is relatively easy to earn one a lot more quickly. Some report being able to earn four or more in a year, which makes a huge difference to the amount of actual cash you would otherwise spend on Xbox games.
Brand Xbox
Original Release Date November 10, 2020
Original MSRP (USD) Series X priced at US$499 and the Series S priced at US$299
Weight 9.8 lb
English (US) ·