Microsoft “bribes” Edge users with gifts — what’s behind it

Searching for the word "Chrome" in Bing on Windows 11 triggers a promo banner promising up to 1,300 Microsoft Rewards points for using Edge. These points cannot be withdrawn as money, but they can be exchanged for gift cards — including Amazon, Roblox, or even a few months of Spotify Premium, depending on the region.

Windows Latest reports this.

How the offer works

Bing and Edge have become another channel for promoting Microsoft services: when attempting to download Chrome, an unskippable "Promoted by Microsoft" banner appears with the message "Try Edge — earn 1,300 Rewards points." The company emphasizes that points can be redeemed for gift cards or donated to charity, while encouraging users to stay with Edge.

According to Windows Latest, these media insertions are targeted: they appear specifically when searching for "Chrome," whereas no similar ads appear for other browsers (Opera, Firefox, Brave).

Representatives of the Browser Choice Alliance (which includes Google Chrome, Midori, Opera, Vivaldi, and Wavebox) criticized Microsoft’s approach, calling it "a bribe using Rewards points that hold real value" and accusing the company of restricting user choice.

At the same time, Microsoft continues running other banners on Bing.com comparing Edge with Chrome. These ads stress that Edge is "built on the same technology as Chrome" (Chromium), meaning "sites and features won’t disappear," and showcase a "benefits board": Rewards points, a built-in VPN, and "AI personalization."

However, the ads do not clarify that Edge’s VPN is powered by Cloudflare and does not allow choosing a location, and that "AI personalization" mostly refers to theme generation that changes only certain interface elements.

In essence, Microsoft is offering users to "stay with Edge and get bonuses," justifying it with security, Chromium compatibility, and added features. The debate over whether this constitutes fair competition continues — and judging by the frequency of these ads, Microsoft has no intention of abandoning the practice.

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