by Tim Peters

Created on: November 24, 2009

Bing cashback is a bold attempt by Microsoft to gain ground against the venerable Google. In a nutshell, Bing cashback is a program which gives you money back whenever you purchase anything from Bing Shopping. "Free money" is a phrase most people tend to pay attention to, and Microsoft is banking on that in the hopes that Bing will become the #1 place to go for online shopping. So far, despite a few hiccups in their very new program, the Bing cashback program is well on its way to accomplishing its goals.

If you are a US citizen at least 18 years old with a valid mailing address in the United States, you are eligible for the Bing cashback program. You will also need a valid Windows Live ID, which you may already have if you use Windows Live Messenger for instant messaging. Just confirm your information (including name, street address and phone number), read the Bing cashback agreement carefully, and you're ready to earn cash whenever you shop on Bing.

Whenever you find something you're interested in, Bing Shopping will list all the shops it can find that sell the product, in order by price (after Bing cashback). Just click on the link, buy the item, and Bing will E-mail you to confirm that you've earned cash back. After a 60-day waiting period to allow for returns (which may turn out to be as many as 90 depending on the store's returns policy), your Bing cashback account will be credited. If there's more than $5 in the account and you haven't reached your $2500 cap, you'll get your cash in about a week.

Keep in mind that you'll receive your funds fastest if you have a PayPal or Amazon Payments account to link to it, as bank transfers and paper checks require 1-3 extra weeks to process. Using a PayPal account also allows you to join Bing's quick cashback program, which lets you avoid the usual 60-day waiting period for a few select purchases. Currently there are only a few stores which offer quick cashback, but it's a tempting incentive to pick those stores over the ones that offer slower returns.

Bing cashback is still a very new program, however, and there are some problems with it. First, you are NOT allowed to use any coupons, discounts, gift cards, or gift certificates with your purchases through Bing. This includes cell phones as part of certain new service plans, which at least one customer had the misfortune to find out the hard way.

Second, Bing won't work if you use private browsing features such as inPrivate Browsing in Internet Explorer 8. It also seems to have problems when new tabs or windows are opened, so staying on the page while shopping through Bing is crucial to receiving proper cashback rewards.

Finally, there's been a few reports about sites that offer different prices on and off Bing. The cause of this problem seems to shady retailers rather than Bing itself, though Microsoft's failure to properly follow up doesn't speak well for the integrity of the Bing cashback program.

Despite these problems, Bing's cashback program is a good way to shop if you don't have any other discounts or coupons available to use. While smart shoppers may not want to deal with Bing's quirks, those who like Bing's easy-to-use method of window shopping now have another incentive to use it. Bing cashback is just one of the reasons why Microsoft has gained ground against Google, and it's clearly not going to stop shelling out money any time soon.

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