Reddit user CarolinaKing704 converted roughly 100,000 Microsoft Rewards points into Xbox gift card credit and pre-ordered the $99.99 GTA 6 Ultimate Edition without spending a cent. Here is everything you need to know about this method.
Reddit user CarolinaKing704 pre-ordered the $99.99 GTA 6 Ultimate Edition five months before launch without spending any real money. The player achieved this by converting nearly three years’ worth of Microsoft Rewards points into a $100 Xbox gift card, then applying that balance to the digital pre-order on the Microsoft Store. Grand Theft Auto VI launches on 19 November 2026 exclusively on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, with the Standard Edition priced at $79.99 and the Ultimate Edition at $99.99.
How Did Microsoft Rewards Make This Possible?
Microsoft Rewards is a free loyalty programme that lets users earn points through everyday activities inside the Microsoft ecosystem. Searching on Bing, browsing with Microsoft Edge, completing daily quizzes on the Rewards dashboard, playing Xbox Game Pass games, and making purchases on the Microsoft Store all generate points. Those points can then be redeemed for Xbox gift cards, which function as store credit for any digital purchase.
At the highest tier (Level 2 with an active Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription), users earn up to 20 points per dollar spent on qualifying Microsoft Store purchases and up to 250 points per day from Bing searches alone: 150 from desktop and 100 from mobile. Accumulating enough points to cover the $99.99 Ultimate Edition requires between 98,000 and 110,000 points, depending on the region. That takes anywhere from eight months to several years of consistent daily activity.
Who Else Pulled This Off?
CarolinaKing704 was not the only one. As GamesRadar reported, another Reddit user named HugoWheynow used 98,000 points to secure the same Ultimate Edition and publicly thanked Rockstar “for all the delays, which allowed me to have all these extra months to save my Microsoft Points.” The irony was not lost on the community: GTA 6 was originally slated for autumn 2025, then pushed to May 2026, and finally settled on 19 November 2026. Each delay gave dedicated point savers more runway.
Several other users in the Reddit thread confirmed they were sitting on large point balances and planned to follow the same strategy. Some reported earning over 22,000 points per month by maximising every daily task, which would let a new user reach the Ultimate Edition threshold in roughly seven months.
Step-by-Step: How the Method Works
- Create or sign into a Microsoft account and activate Microsoft Rewards at rewards.microsoft.com.
- Reach Level 2 by earning at least 500 points in a single month. This unlocks higher Bing search caps and better redemption rates.
- Earn points daily through Bing searches (up to 250 points/day at top tier), daily quizzes on the Rewards dashboard, Xbox Game Pass quests, and Microsoft Store purchases.
- Redeem points for Xbox gift cards. In the US, 100,000 points converts to a $100 gift card. In the UK, a £25 gift card costs 34,095 points, meaning the Standard Edition at £69.99 requires roughly 95,480 points.
- Use the gift card balance to pre-order GTA 6 on the Xbox or Microsoft Store. Pay the full amount with gift card credit only.
Critical Warnings from the Community
Players who have gone through this process flagged several important caveats worth knowing before you try it yourself:
- Gift cards expire in 90 days. Xbox gift cards redeemed through Microsoft Rewards have a 90-day validity window. Converting points too early could leave you with expired credit before launch day.
- Do not mix payment methods. Multiple users reported that splitting a pre-order between gift card balance and a credit card can cause accidental double charges when the game actually releases. CarolinaKing704 confirmed that Microsoft charges immediately when you use store funds for a pre-order, so make sure the full amount is covered by your balance.
- Points expire after 18 months of inactivity. If you go 18 months without earning or redeeming any points, your entire balance is wiped. Keep your account active.
- Automated scripts carry risk. Some users admit to running scripts that perform Bing searches automatically to maximise daily point caps. Microsoft may flag this as exploitation, which could lead to a suspension of Rewards privileges.
How Much Can You Realistically Earn Per Month?
According to Gfinity Esports, a user who completes daily tasks, searches on Bing, and plays Game Pass games regularly can earn approximately 10,000 points per month, equivalent to about $10 in store credit. Game Pass subscribers can earn up to 4x more points on select purchases and receive bonus points from in-game achievements and quests.
Power users who min-max every available task have reported monthly earnings above 22,000 points. At that pace, the $100 Ultimate Edition would take roughly four and a half months to earn from scratch. Even at the lower 10,000-point pace, a user starting now in July 2026 could accumulate between 40,000 and 50,000 points by November, enough to cover a significant chunk of the Standard Edition’s $79.99 price tag.
GTA 6 Pricing and Editions at a Glance
| Region | Standard Edition | Ultimate Edition |
|---|---|---|
| United States (USD) | $79.99 | $99.99 |
| United Kingdom (GBP) | £69.99 | £89.99 |
| European Union (EUR) | €79.99 | €99.99 |
| Australia (AUD) | AU$129.95 | AU$159.95 |
The $79.99 standard price makes GTA 6 one of the first major AAA titles to break above the long-standing $69.99 industry standard. The Ultimate Edition adds exclusive premium vehicles, weapons, clothing, and story-integrated content for Jason and Lucia. All pre-orders include the Vintage Vice City Pack (a nod to the 2002 classic) and one month of free GTA+ membership. Pre-loading begins on 12 November, one week before launch, with no early access for any edition.
What About PC Players?
GTA 6 launches exclusively on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Rockstar has not announced a PC release date, though industry analysts and sources like GamesRadar suggest a late 2027 or 2028 PC port is likely based on the studio’s track record with GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2. The Microsoft Rewards method only works for Xbox digital purchases, so PC players cannot use this approach for a console pre-order they would not be able to play.
Where Is Microsoft Rewards Available?
The full Xbox Rewards programme is currently available in the United States, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom. Users outside these markets may still access basic Bing search rewards through the Microsoft Rewards dashboard, but point-earning rates, daily caps, and redemption options vary significantly by region.
Things Worth Knowing Before You Start
Is it genuinely free or just deferred cost?
You pay nothing in currency, but you invest time. Three years of daily Bing searches and task completions is a meaningful commitment. Whether that trade-off makes sense depends on how much you value your time versus $100.
Can I start now and reach the Ultimate Edition by November?
If you are in a supported region with access to Game Pass Ultimate and you maximise every daily task, reaching 100,000 points in roughly five months is possible but demanding. More realistically, starting now could earn you enough for a substantial discount rather than a fully free copy.
Does this work for PlayStation pre-orders?
No. Microsoft Rewards points can only be redeemed for Xbox and Microsoft Store credit. PlayStation has its own loyalty programme (PlayStation Stars), but it does not currently offer a comparable path to earning enough credit for a full-priced game.
What happens if I cancel the pre-order?
If you paid with Microsoft Store balance, the refunded amount typically returns to your account balance. Check Microsoft’s current refund policy before pre-ordering, as terms can change.
