What you need to know
- Microsoft will discontinue the receipt scan feature within the Start and Bing apps that allows users to earn cash back on any purchase.
- The receipt scan feature will stop working on July 25, 2024, after which users will no longer be able to scan receipts to earn cash back.
- The Microsoft Cashback Program will continue to be available, but people will have to use Microsoft Bing and Edge at participating online retailers to earn cash back.
Microsoft will stop offering cash back for scanning your receipts later this month. The company sent out a message to those that have used the tool, specifying that the receipt scan feature will no longer be available as of July 25, 2024. After that date, you will no longer be able to earn cash back by scanning receipts through Microsoft applications.
Microsoft did not specify the reason that the feature will stop working. There is a good chance that few people used the receipt scan option in Microsoft apps, though there could be other factors at play. Scanning receipts was only an option from the Bing or Start apps, which are not heavily used. My guess is that few people knew about the feature and that even fewer people took advantage of it.
The Start app is the rebranded Microsoft News app. Microsoft shifted its News app to become Microsoft Start in September 2021. In addition to presenting news and weather, Start includes some shopping features, such as storing loyalty cards.
Our Editor-in-Chief Daniel Rubino explained how the Start app was Microsoft's once-rumored "Super App," although the app has not proven to be very super. Here's a snippet of what Rubino had to say about Start near the end of 2022:
"Folks, it’s been here for over a year now, right in front of our faces the entire time. Now, the question is, is it even good? I give it a solid meh. I find myself using it primarily for news, but there is no doubt Microsoft is shoehorning as much as it can into this thing to make it a super app. It’s a solid effort and a clear example of what such a concept could look like, but I find it unlikely it will gain much traction simply because we eschew such things in Western markets."
Microsoft announced its receipt scan feature in October 2022. While it was active, the program let you earn cash back with any receipt. The tech giant emphasized that you could get free cash back with "no catch." While you could earn money with any receipt, you could earn bonus cash back on everyday items, such as eggs, fruit, and milk if purchased through Walgreens, Walmart, or Target.
Here's what Microsoft had to say about the feature being discontinued:
"Thank you for using the receipt scan offers as part of the Microsoft Cashback Program. Due to recent changes, the receipt scan feature will no longer be available as of July 25th 2024, and you will no longer be able to earn cash back by scanning receipts through Microsoft applications.
Your Microsoft Cashback balance is always available to you on the web via bing.com/rebates. The Microsoft Cashback program will continue to offer cash back to users who have opted in to the program when they shop with participating retailers on Microsoft Bing and Edge."
The message announcing the end of the scan receipt features confirms that a person's Microsoft Cashback balance will be available through bing.com/rebates. While the receipt scan option is going away, Microsoft's Cashback program will continue to be available. But after the July 25 cutoff for the receipt scan feature, you will have to shop at participating retailers on Microsoft Bing or Edge to earn cash back from Microsoft.
