How long does Temporarily Restricted last? Why am I being punished?

Question

How long does Temporarily Restricted last? Why am I being punished?

BornAProphet 100

I've been a Microsoft Rewards Member for over 15+ years. Sitting at 1.3 million reward points for the lifetime amount.

October 2024 the cooldowns rolled out in my region (Denver CO USA). I wasn't allowed to click on news stories anymore, can't use bookmarks, can't click links or I'm punished with a cooldown. Bing was my main source of news.

I broke my hand in May. I even got a cooldown for using voice search. Wth...😔

It took from May 26th to August 28th to get that cooldown lifted. I had to stop using Bing to get the 30 points for reading news. Had to lower searches to 1 at a time, every 10 plus minutes capping my daily searches to about 10. This came after months of asking support, and slowly doing less and less.

Now that it's removed, I can't redeem anything. I have had 20 support tickets since May. I've begged them to not give me the same copy/paste response, and even copy/pasted the same responses myself so they wouldn't. Only to have them post the same thing back right back.

Now, my tickets are automatically closed upon their reply, so I can not even explain anything.

I wonder how much ad revenue are they losing by punishing their main consumers 🤷‍♂️ This is by far the worst customer service I have ever recieved.

There is no way to know what's wrong. No way to know how long I'm being punished for.

Is it my device, Microsoft Swiftkey, is it a bug, and will a permanently lose my account? How long does the Temporary Restrictions last?

It's been months, and it's the only part of my account restricted. These are some of the questions they won't answer. Can any of you?

Rose Weber 45 Reputation points

2025-09-06T23:39:26.9333333+00:00

The same thing happened to me -- first they started with cooldowns, then they escalated to not letting me redeem points. That went on for a long time, despite me submitting ticket after ticket. Finally, somewhat randomly, they lifted both restrictions. It was all good for a couple of weeks, but now I'm back to having cooldowns. I do totally normal searches and don't do anything at all that should be triggering all of this. It's like they're trying to drive customers away.
NinaMacKellar-3827 20 Reputation points

2025-10-14T17:25:15.1333333+00:00

I'm having the same issue. grrr. The response from customer service was NOT helpful AND it did not indicate how I misused my searches. I have NO clue why I'm being penalized. I reread their info about searching "legally" and I have NOT violated their rules. The response was a boiler plate reply stating that the issue was now closed and if needed because I might have "other" concerns, I could click on a link and submit another concern. By the time MS decides to reinstate my account in good standing, the sale for the reward cards will be over. I feel really bad because dealing with the issue has been a time sink and I feel upset. I suppose the best way to deal with all of this would be to just stop interacting with Bing. They keep moving the goal post and you have a choice to "play" or "not to play" because it's their game and they get to change their rules at will.

Thank you to the others who have posted about their experiences...I'm not alone.
Brian White 36 Reputation points

2025-10-15T23:22:54.53+00:00

I have tried multiple times to reach support and have been completely ignored. Not even getting responses (and no my filters are not blocking them). Very frustrated with this program. For a long time it worked great for me but a few month ago everything quickly started going downhill. Getting unusual search activity and then cool downs. I tired to follow the rules by limiting searches (I work in front of the computer all day). Cool downs have slowed down now but when I try to spend points I get that my account is restricted. I have reach out to them multiple times on this and been completely blowed off. Microsoft obviously doesn't care if you earned something they aren't going to fix it. Very frustrated and contemplating my options. At this point I am just telling anyone who will listen and for sure discouraging new users from getting into this program only to be cheated out of their rewards. Microsoft needs to address this issue because all these users are not a bunch of cheaters as they would have you think.
Jonathan Schulteis 20 Reputation points

2025-10-25T00:30:42.54+00:00

Same here. Absolutely terrible by Microsoft. How about you tell people why their account is suspended? Microsoft Rewards has been pretty bad for a while now, very poor customer service. I remain very disappointed with them.
Neil Porter 15 Reputation points

2025-10-26T10:56:09.5466667+00:00

This is the same for me! I have been told it is my searches in several generic responses and have recently been restricted from redeeming points in the store and now restricted from even just contacting the support team. I have decided today, this morning, that searching points on bing is broken. I will forgo the 60points a day and see if the restriction lifts at any point. This is super frustrating. There appears to be many people experiencing this. No idea what else to do any more.
Z S 25 Reputation points

2025-10-30T03:38:53.6033333+00:00

I'm dealing with the same issue, and I have been since September. They've got their program so screwed up. I've been doing this for eight years, and now, it's a total nightmare. I can't even submit a ticket now, and when I've gotten a response, it's automated.

They gave me no specific reason as to why it's restricted. I have 71,000 points, and I wanted to use it to buy two different games, tonight, but I can't. I'm furious. They need to address all of us. This isn't right!
Deleted

This comment has been deleted due to a violation of our Code of Conduct. The comment was manually reported or identified through automated detection before action was taken. Please refer to our Code of Conduct for more information.

1 answer

Your answer

Rose Weber 45 Reputation points

2025-09-06T23:39:26.9333333+00:00

The same thing happened to me -- first they started with cooldowns, then they escalated to not letting me redeem points. That went on for a long time, despite me submitting ticket after ticket. Finally, somewhat randomly, they lifted both restrictions. It was all good for a couple of weeks, but now I'm back to having cooldowns. I do totally normal searches and don't do anything at all that should be triggering all of this. It's like they're trying to drive customers away.
NinaMacKellar-3827 20 Reputation points

2025-10-14T17:25:15.1333333+00:00

I'm having the same issue. grrr. The response from customer service was NOT helpful AND it did not indicate how I misused my searches. I have NO clue why I'm being penalized. I reread their info about searching "legally" and I have NOT violated their rules. The response was a boiler plate reply stating that the issue was now closed and if needed because I might have "other" concerns, I could click on a link and submit another concern. By the time MS decides to reinstate my account in good standing, the sale for the reward cards will be over. I feel really bad because dealing with the issue has been a time sink and I feel upset. I suppose the best way to deal with all of this would be to just stop interacting with Bing. They keep moving the goal post and you have a choice to "play" or "not to play" because it's their game and they get to change their rules at will.

Thank you to the others who have posted about their experiences...I'm not alone.
Brian White 36 Reputation points

2025-10-15T23:22:54.53+00:00

I have tried multiple times to reach support and have been completely ignored. Not even getting responses (and no my filters are not blocking them). Very frustrated with this program. For a long time it worked great for me but a few month ago everything quickly started going downhill. Getting unusual search activity and then cool downs. I tired to follow the rules by limiting searches (I work in front of the computer all day). Cool downs have slowed down now but when I try to spend points I get that my account is restricted. I have reach out to them multiple times on this and been completely blowed off. Microsoft obviously doesn't care if you earned something they aren't going to fix it. Very frustrated and contemplating my options. At this point I am just telling anyone who will listen and for sure discouraging new users from getting into this program only to be cheated out of their rewards. Microsoft needs to address this issue because all these users are not a bunch of cheaters as they would have you think.
Jonathan Schulteis 20 Reputation points

2025-10-25T00:30:42.54+00:00

Same here. Absolutely terrible by Microsoft. How about you tell people why their account is suspended? Microsoft Rewards has been pretty bad for a while now, very poor customer service. I remain very disappointed with them.
Neil Porter 15 Reputation points

2025-10-26T10:56:09.5466667+00:00

This is the same for me! I have been told it is my searches in several generic responses and have recently been restricted from redeeming points in the store and now restricted from even just contacting the support team. I have decided today, this morning, that searching points on bing is broken. I will forgo the 60points a day and see if the restriction lifts at any point. This is super frustrating. There appears to be many people experiencing this. No idea what else to do any more.
Z S 25 Reputation points

2025-10-30T03:38:53.6033333+00:00

I'm dealing with the same issue, and I have been since September. They've got their program so screwed up. I've been doing this for eight years, and now, it's a total nightmare. I can't even submit a ticket now, and when I've gotten a response, it's automated.

They gave me no specific reason as to why it's restricted. I have 71,000 points, and I wanted to use it to buy two different games, tonight, but I can't. I'm furious. They need to address all of us. This isn't right!
Deleted

This comment has been deleted due to a violation of our Code of Conduct. The comment was manually reported or identified through automated detection before action was taken. Please refer to our Code of Conduct for more information.

Answer 1

Hendrix-V 5,330 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi BornAProphet,

I'm Hendrix, here to help with your query on the Microsoft Q&A forums.

Apologies for any inconvenience you are experiencing. I am happy to help you today.

Thank you for sharing your experience with us. We truly appreciate your loyalty as a Microsoft Rewards member for over 15 years, and we understand how discouraging this situation has been, especially after dealing with a cooldown for months and now facing redemption issues.

First, please know that these restrictions are never meant to punish valued members like you. They are part of automated systems designed to protect accounts and ensure fair use, but we recognize that they can sometimes impact genuine users.

Here are 2 options for you to seek direct support on this issue:

Option 1: Microsoft Rewards Support Form

Go to Bing Rewards Support
Sign in with your Microsoft account.
Select “Contact Microsoft Rewards Support”.
Fill out the form and submit.

Option 2: Microsoft Virtual Agent → Live Chat

Visit Microsoft Support
Click “Get Help” and type “Microsoft Rewards account restricted”.
When the Virtual Agent responds, type “Talk to a person” or “Agent”.
Choose Chat (fastest) or Call back if available in your region.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

Warm regards,

Hendrix Vu | Microsoft Q&A Support Specialist

BornAProphet 100 Reputation points

2025-09-04T00:48:42.18+00:00

As mentioned Rewards Support is non-existent. They choose not to help, close tickets before one can reply, and always give the same copy/paste answer no matter what the ticket states. They ignore every question asked regarding what I did wrong, how long I'm being punished for, or helping to diagnose if something may be related to system or software.

I appreciate the Microsoft support link. I will try to reach out to them now. Hoping they don't just say I need to contact Rewards Support. 🙏

Thanks.
Hendrix-V 5,330 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-09-04T02:15:23.56+00:00

Hi BornAProphet,

Just checking in to see if the above information was helpful. If you have any further updates on this issue, please feel free to post back. If you think my reply is helpful to you, please remember to mark it as an answer.

Warm thanks,

Hendrix Vu | Microsoft Q&A Support Specialist
David Pratt 25 Reputation points

2025-09-07T16:07:07.0966667+00:00

But they are punishing real people, regardless of the intent. We are actively being punished. And I still don’t really know what’s allowed and what’s not. The rules as written are contradictory and vague. Why is the richest company on earth even so concerned and unable to separate bots from real people? Ethical ai, ever heard of it?
laurie robinson 5 Reputation points

2025-10-19T22:15:25.4433333+00:00

its been 2 months for me, and same as all the others complaining, get same robot form email-no answers just a blow off reply. HOW long might it take to get unrestricted?? and your above suggestions just stalled or came back no answers, no page, no links :-(
Yi 5 Reputation points

2025-10-20T20:36:40.7133333+00:00

I tried the link provided by Hendrix-V and still got nowhere. This is maddening that Microsoft can just restrict our accounts without legit reasons. The Bing customer support is non-existing. So frustrating.
J W 5 Reputation points

2025-10-23T18:10:29.78+00:00

Everyone here does realize the tens of thousands of employees Micro$oft has laid off, right? So many jobs including ones that manage this reward program are being maintained by AI. I highly doubt a human is even looking over the issues. With these problems we're having, like my spouse, nothing is going to be resolved. Enough voices aren't heard to make this a big deal, and they can change the rules at any time. It's unfortunate, but it's the truth.
Brian White 36 Reputation points

2025-10-27T04:17:24.6666667+00:00

J W I get it but still have to voice out here or they will just screw people over. They have already shown they could care less. You want even a bigger idea go look at their rating on Better Business Bureau. Last I looked it was like 1.03. They rarely even respond to issues there. Complete evidence they have reached a point of be so big they don't give a crap.
Z S 25 Reputation points

2025-10-30T03:42:06.3266667+00:00

I've done all of the above, and I'm now in line, at position 140, just to speak to someone. What the Hell is going on with your company? You're mistreating honest customers. Not once have I had success with this AI response bot, but it's judging us?

Microsoft is already losing a LOT of business on the XBOX end, by capping Rewards points. $30 a month for Game Pass, to add insult to injury.

I've been incredibly patient with the company, but this is ridiculous. None of us are getting helpful responses.

I'll just take my business to Valve or Sony.

Share via

How long does Temporarily Restricted last? Why am I being punished?

1 answer

Your answer