Microsoft Rewards Update Introduces Useful New Feature

Alright, here we go—just a little meandering through my brain as I’m trying to nail this down. So, Xbox folks—kinda like me but probably with more energy for rewards programs and point-scoring shenanigans—can now whip up custom Xbox Gift Cards using Microsoft Rewards. Yeah, no more stuck-at-five-buck-increments nonsense. I guess someone at Microsoft finally had an epiphany after an Xbox update or something. Not that I’m complaining.

Okay, let’s paint this scene: Microsoft Rewards—this loyalty gig they cooked up. You know, play some games, buy some stuff, mess around on Bing (cue the collective groan, maybe)—earn points. It’s like making money in SimCity, but, um, real? Sort of. Anyway, points turn into discounts, and then you grab Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or whatever tickles your fancy.

Oh! Did I mention they snuck in some new stuff lately? Custom gift card amounts, finally! Here’s the drill: go snooping in that “Rewards” hub (I’m picturing this majestic digital cave), hit “Xbox Gift Card,” and boom! They’re letting you choose your own amounts now. Goodbye silly $5 increments. Hello to a glorious range between $5 and $100. Honestly, a small victory for humanity—I think?

Let’s see. . . oh right—Game Pass! They’ve gone and made it possible again to turn points into three months of Game Pass Ultimate. That’s 35,000 points for the cool kids on Level 2, 42,000 if you’re, um, less addicted.

But hey, it’s not all rainbows and unicorns. Prices went north in February 2025—I guess everyone at Microsoft forgot to read the room. Plus, some nerdy algorithm decided to flag legit users as spammers. Bing searches got nerfed to keep out spam, they said. Right. Well anyway, fingers crossed Microsoft keeps these good changes rolling and, I dunno, maybe throws a big ol’ party in our digital honor.

In other news—don’t know why I remembered this—Microsoft has this whole thingy where you can trade points for classic movie goodness too. Maybe a less painful trip down nostalgia lane might cool things off. More rewards, less user crankiness? Only time will tell, my friend.