Microsoft Rewards gives you double points on games and add-ons during your birthday week, and Microsoft says so on its own support page. The wording covers eligible games and add-ons from the Microsoft Store. It doesn’t mention Surface hardware, Windows PCs or Microsoft 365, and the points land the week after your birthday week, not on the day.
What Microsoft Is
Microsoft was founded in 1975, and its facts page lists the moves that followed: to Bellevue on January 1, 1979, to the Redmond campus on February 26, 1986, and onto the public market on March 13, 1986. The Xbox launched on November 15, 2001, and Satya Nadella was named CEO on February 4, 2014. The company’s stated mission is “to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.”
The loyalty program is Microsoft Rewards, and it’s free: “All you need is a Microsoft account.” It has three levels, Member, Silver and Gold, and its about page says Store points come from “qualifying purchases on games and game add-ons on Microsoft.com.” That matches the scope of the birthday gift.
How To Get The Microsoft Birthday Deal
The gift is written up in the Rewards help on Microsoft’s Xbox support site, under the question “How does the birthday gift work?” Here’s the answer, word for word:
During your birthday week (Monday – Sunday), eligible Rewards members will receive a special birthday gift. You can earn 2x Rewards points on eligible games and add-ons purchased from the Store during this week. The points earned during this time can be claimed the week following your birthday. Check the Rewards hub to see what’s available for you. To confirm that your date of birth is accurately recorded in your profile, visit the following link and sign in to your account: Microsoft account | Your profile
In practice that means joining Rewards with your Microsoft account, checking that your profile has the right date of birth, and timing any game or add-on purchase to fall inside your Monday-to-Sunday birthday week.
What Was Actually Checked
Microsoft’s Rewards about page and FAQ, the Xbox Rewards page, and the Store’s returns and sale pages were all read, and none of them mention a birthday. The birthday gift lives on the Xbox support page for earning Rewards points, inside a folded section that only shows its answer once you expand it. Windows Central reported the feature on April 23, 2026, and quoted the same text.
Two Traps in the Fine Print
The first is the pre-order rule. Microsoft’s note reads: “Only valid for purchases that can be completed within the week of your birthday. For example, you will be charged for pre-orders 7-10 days before the release of the game, not at the time of pre-order.” The day you click pre-order isn’t the day that counts. The day you’re charged is.
The second is that the gift is bonus points, not money off. Nothing on Microsoft’s pages promises a birthday discount on Surface, Windows or Microsoft 365, and the offer “can’t be combined with any other Microsoft Rewards offers.”
Eligibility and Cost
Rewards is free. The support page says “eligible Rewards members” get the gift but doesn’t say what makes a member eligible. It also says “Point values vary by local market currency, Rewards level, and the number of points redeemed. Monthly earning limits apply.” Microsoft’s account sign-up page is set up to collect a birth date and country, and if you’re not sure yours is right, the profile link in the quote above is where to check it.
No cashback rate turned up for Store purchases. Price.com says cash back isn’t currently available for the store, Fluz shows only its generic 1.5% rate, and TopCashback’s Microsoft Store address lands on a general computers category page with no Microsoft rate on it.
Q&A
Q: Does Microsoft give a birthday discount?
A: No discount. Microsoft Rewards members get 2x points on eligible games and add-ons purchased from the Store during their birthday week.
Q: When is my birthday week?
A: Microsoft describes it as Monday to Sunday. The support page doesn’t say more than that about how the week is set.
Q: When do the birthday points show up?
A: Microsoft says the points earned during your birthday week can be claimed the week following your birthday.
Q: Does it cover Surface, Windows or Microsoft 365?
A: The wording covers eligible games and add-ons purchased from the Store. Hardware, Windows and Microsoft 365 aren’t mentioned.
Q: Can I stack it with other Rewards offers?
A: No. Microsoft says the offer can’t be combined with any other Microsoft Rewards offers.
Q: Does a pre-order count?
A: Only if you’re charged inside your birthday week. Microsoft says pre-orders are charged 7 to 10 days before the game’s release, not when you place the pre-order.
Q: Is Microsoft Rewards free?
A: Yes. Its about page says all you need is a Microsoft account.
Q: Is there cashback on Microsoft Store purchases?
A: No rate was found. Price.com says cash back isn’t currently available for the store, and Fluz shows only a generic 1.5%.
Q: What’s the Store’s return window?
A: Microsoft’s returns page lists free 60-day returns on physical products in like-new condition in the original packaging, with some exclusions.
Compare This To
Xbox runs on the same Rewards birthday gift from the console side. Nintendo has a confirmed birthday discount instead of bonus points, and PlayStation has a real cashback rate.
Microsoft is covered in our guide to laptop and PC birthday freebies, along with how it compares to the rest.
More Information:
Verified against Microsoft’s Xbox support page for earning Rewards points (read in a browser with its sections expanded), the Microsoft Rewards about and FAQ pages, Microsoft’s facts page and the Microsoft Store returns page. Cashback checked on Price.com, Fluz and TopCashback.
