Browse With Edge – Get Free Rewards

Microsoft Rewards Program

It seems everyone is offering rewards programs these days to retain their customer base and to get new customers. I received eMail inviting me to “Try out Microsoft Edge for FREE” and get rewards. Naturally, being a Google Chrome girl, I was somewhat intrigued– Microsoft dangling a carrot in front of me to use their products? I was curious, but I am fiercely loyal to Google Chrome. I decided to look into it a bit– what could it hurt?

First, it made me wonder why Microsoft would do such a thing? Well, at the end of July 2016 Google Chrome held over 50% of the world’s browser market share. Edge limped in at 5.09%. Microsoft desperately wants us to use their products. Edge only works on the Windows 10 platform, so if you are running Windows 7 or 8.x, or an earlier version of the operating system, forget I even mentioned it.

You must have a Microsoft Account to do this. They also want you to use Microsoft Bing as your default search engine when signed into your Microsoft account. If you change your default to Google, Yahoo, Dogpile or any other search engine, the deal is off and you won’t accumulate points. The more you search, the more points you get, and you level up. As you level up you have the opportunity to earn your points faster and get access to better rewards. It kind of reminds me of playing a video game. You want to see those points rack up, so you spend more time searching.

If you use the Microsoft store to purchase a Surface tablet or buy any Microsoft product, you also get rewarded. Imagine that, another Win-Win for them.

What’s In It For You?

You get points for every hour (yeah hours, not minutes) that you utilize Edge. They max you out at 30 hours. I know I browse the web more than 30 hours a month. They have not revealed, though, what one hour of browsing with Edge is equal to, point-wise. They tell you that you can get the following for FREE:  Movies, games, Apps, music and, oh, so much more. You redeem the points for what you want or use the points towards the purchase of an Xbox One or other great device.

Update: Five points per hour up to a maximum of 30 hours of “active browsing” per month (150 points) ~ gleaned from various sources

Here is a list of some of the things you can do to get points:

• Take a Bonus Quiz on using Microsoft Edge on Windows 10 – worth 30 points
• How much do you know about Microsoft? Find out in this quiz and earn 50 points
• National Voter Registration Day is September 27th, Have you registered? Earn 10 points
• Coffee Break Quiz – earn 10 points for each correct answer
• Think you know Microsoft Rewards? Take the Bonus Quiz to find out and earn 50 points

I signed up and was surprised to see “colorful tiles” on the page with various options and point systems. Our own Dave Hartsock signed up as well. Maybe I will just have to have a little friendly competition with the boss, being the competitive person that I am. Our own DCT writer Richard Pedersen also uses this and leaves Dave and me in the dust, point-wise.

Nobody wants to lose or be the low man on the totem pole. Is Microsoft getting desperate here? People are getting used to Windows 10. Microsoft expects people that were formerly using Internet Explorer to jump in and totally immerse themselves in change. Use Cortana, use Edge and Bing and Windows 10 and help us go back up the ladder to be the #1 Browser. What we, the consumers want in technology, is no longer important, it seems. The big tech companies cram down our throats what serves them best. Somewhere there is a middle ground, but their large egos won’t allow it.

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