Current Events > Microsoft Reward points are good

(+) Yeah! (+)

Seems pretty easy to rack up Xbox/Microsoft credit using them. Makes me want to play more Game Pass games which I guess is the point. I think when it comes to the 'reward points' stuff Microsoft's is the best for video games. Steam trading cards are busywork and Nintendo is more just like a standard rebate. Don't think Sony does anything outside the US.

Worst part is Bing tbh. I don't know why it still sucks after this long. It still feels like Dollar Store Google.

---

Switched to Bing recently just to get more points, and yeah it is weird. Doing "exact searches" with quotation marks feels broken for some reason. I was trying to find a character on a TV show and instead kept getting pictures of other people with completely different names.

---

Hexenherz posted...

Switched to Bing recently just to get more points, and yeah it is weird. Doing "exact searches" with quotation marks feels broken for some reason. I was trying to find a character on a TV show and instead kept getting pictures of other people with completely different names.

quotations don't work. You have to add plus signs to get exact results
---

Unless I can convert it to other currency like Google Play then I don't give a fuck!

Hexenherz posted...

Switched to Bing recently just to get more points, and yeah it is weird. Doing "exact searches" with quotation marks feels broken for some reason. I was trying to find a character on a TV show and instead kept getting pictures of other people with completely different names.

I didn't even know that was a thing. My tactic is to try once and if it sucks go to Google lol.

I don't worry too much about it. I sometimes grind those 50/50 Bing searches for the Weekly Xbox Quests.

---

Tryhaptaward posted...

Unless I can convert it to other currency like Google Play then I don't give a fuck!

Not sure what the choices are in other regions but you can redeem them for other gift cards.

---

Tryhaptaward posted...

Unless I can convert it to other currency like Google Play then I don't give a fuck!

Technically, in a roundabout way you can. Amazon gift cards are available, so redeem for those, then buy the google play cards off amazon
---

AuthenticZac posted...

quotations don't work. You have to add plus signs to get exact results

How does that work?

Like

+Lara +Croft

?

---

Okay, sounds like I might give a fuck now!

Hexenherz posted...

How does that work?

Like

+Lara +Croft

?

That, or +"Laura Croft". "Laura Croft" without any plus sign would potentially bring up all kinds of unrelated searches. It's weird
---

I love Bing.

---

I use bing just so I can farm amazon bux lol

don't really see much of a difference in what I'm finding when I search stuff so it's no big deal for me to use bing instead of google

---

Darmik posted...

Not sure what the choices are in other regions but you can redeem them for other gift cards.

That's all I do is redeem them for Amazon gift cards, probably have redeemed over $200 worth the past couple years, got 60,000+ points sitting in my bank right now. Don't get points off Xbox stuff though because I don't own one.
---

We don't get Amazon here unfortunately. I've just redeemed them for Xbox credit when it goes down to 4000 points for $5.

---

I heard you can't even redeem for Amazon cards anymore if you weren't grandfathered in from before.

Well this is pointless now.

Tryhaptaward posted...

I heard you can't even redeem for Amazon cards anymore if you weren't grandfathered in from before.

Well this is pointless now.

oh that's weird, that really seems like something they could just change the terms of service on at will / change the deals at will.


---

Apparently they have a Microsoft Rewards browser extension too -_-. Kind of tempted to install though I know I shouldn't.

---

Bing is a great engine for porn searches

---

Yeah it's pretty great. Less than 10 minutes a day to do, and I haven't had to spend real money on games in like 2 years.

My current streak is 216 days

---

AuthenticZac posted...

That, or +"Laura Croft". "Laura Croft" without any plus sign would potentially bring up all kinds of unrelated searches. It's weird

why not just search without quotes and plus signs? do you do this for other search engines? i just type what i want to search and aside from aesthetic differences i get pretty much the same results

eston posted...

My current streak is 216 days

damn o_o

Yes I use exact term searches all the time on Google.

---

eston posted...

My current streak is 216 days

Mine would be high if one of the quizzes wasn't broken in the morning (I do the 3 things while taking a shit).

It is a cool program and I've actually learned things from the quizzes. Also it makes me feel not guilty about buying NBA 2K20 VC or a $60 launch game because it isn't like I spent real money

---

just tested...don't see the point myself but i learned something new i guess lol

Ghetto_Turtle posted...

just tested...don't see the point myself but i learned something new i guess lol

Certain phrases contain very common words with multiple meanings - exact terms help eliminate results that you're not looking for or provide clarification to the search engine.

---

just like every other company; they will keep is good until they get enough of a user base then screw everybody.

This is how I get all the Smash DLC characters for free (among other games)


---

Odoylerules posted...

just like every other company; they will keep is good until they get enough of a user base then screw everybody.

How can you screw everybody in a rewards program like this?

---

Ghetto_Turtle posted...

why not just search without quotes and plus signs? do you do this for other search engines? i just type what i want to search and aside from aesthetic differences i get pretty much the same results

If you are looking for something very specific, the quotation and plus (just quotation for google) do help. The Lara Croft example was a bad one, since it's rather short, but for longer strings, you'll find what you are looking for much easier. Also, as a related tip, use the subtraction sign to remove certain things things from appearing in your results.

Example 1: Shadow of the Tomb Raider pick up glitch vs Shadow of the Tomb Raider +"pick up" glitch
The first one's top result is how to get the lockpick, followed by just general glitches in the game. It doesn't show the specific result you are looking for until about 9 down. The second search, on the other hand, has the glitch in question as the top two results (followed by the lockpick, again for whatever reason, 3 down).
There are definitely better applications of this type of searching if you are looking for a specific problem with something like home repair.

Example 2: Dream Eaters vs Dream Eaters -"Kingdom Hearts"
One brings you to the wiki page of the creatures in Kingdom Hearts, the other, after excluding KH, brings you to the esports team by the same name
---

AuthenticZac posted...

If you are looking for something very specific, the quotation and plus (just quotation for google) do help. The Lara Croft example was a bad one, since it's rather short, but for longer strings, you'll find what you are looking for much easier. Also, as a related tip, use the subtraction sign to remove certain things things from appearing in your results.

Example 1: Shadow of the Tomb Raider pick up glitch vs Shadow of the Tomb Raider +"pick up" glitch
The first one's top result is how to get the lockpick, followed by just general glitches in the game. It doesn't show the specific result you are looking for until about 9 down. The second search, on the other hand, has the glitch in question as the top two results (followed by the lockpick, again for whatever reason, 3 down).
There are definitely better applications of this type of searching if you are looking for a specific problem with something like home repair.

Example 2: Dream Eaters vs Dream Eaters -"Kingdom Hearts"
One brings you to the wiki page of the creatures in Kingdom Hearts, the other, after excluding KH, brings you to the esports team by the same name

Thanks for the tips. I've never really thought about search engines in that way.

---

Darmik posted...

Thanks for the tips. I've never really thought about search engines in that way.

Same and although i don't think i'll change my googling ways, it's good information to have.

I am a little annoyed that when I do the daily quizzes/polls on Bing it tells me to "register now to keep my points", even though I'm clearly logged in.

I hope the system doesn't really poop itself and then I lose those points.

---