Microsoft’s desperate attempt to bribe people to use Bing comes to the UK

If you were to search for the word “desperate” on Bing, you’d probably come up with this article. Well, er… actually… you wouldn’t. Bing is shit.

But that doesn’t mean that Microsoft has given up on it. Redmond is bringing its Microsoft Rewards program to the UK, incentivizing Brits to use Bing (ew) in exchange for points. These can be exchanged for all sorts of prizes, like gift cards, Skype credit, and Groove Music Past.

You can earn 3 points per Bing search. Microsoft will also give you one point per pound spent with the Microsoft Store, and you get 50 bonus points for signing up.

Microsoft Rewards uses a level system to get participants to stick around. On the first level, you’re limited to earning 30 points per day. But if you earn 500 points in a month, you reach the next level. Level 2 lets you earn up to 50 points per day (30 from desktop, 20 from mobile) and unlocks special offers. So far, so Herbalife.

To have a hope of getting the good stuff, you’ve got to stick around. A month’s worth of Xbox Live Gold requires 6000 points, or 2000 searches. £5 of Skype credit is 1,250 points, or over 400 searches. If you want a month’s worth of Groove Music, be prepared to make over 3000 searches.

You can also use your hard-earned points to buy entries into competitions in order to win Xbox consoles and Surface laptops, as well as donate them to charity, should you feel especially altruistic.

You can sign up for Microsoft Rewards from today. The program will launch in Canada, France, and Germany in the weeks and months to come.