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MS launches XBL friend referral scheme

Recruit your pals, get free Points.

As of today, Microsoft is dishing out free Microsoft Points as rewards to US 360 owners who encourage their friends to sign up for Xbox Live Gold membership.

Until 1st July, existing Gold members will win of of four separate rewards per person referred via a dedicated website, with a maximum of five referrals permitted per day.

According to Joystiq, the offers, which change on a monthly basis at Microsoft's discretion, are as follows:

  • Get your free member friend to go Gold and (1) you and your friend will each get 400 Microsoft Points* or (2) 600 Microsoft Points, depending on the active offer.
  • Get your free member friend to go Gold and (3) you and your friend will get a multiplayer Xbox Live Arcade game of Microsoft's choosing.
  • Get your free member friend to try Gold with a promotional token good for 1 month of Gold, and (4) if your friend redeems the token within 30 days, you'll get 200 Microsoft Points.

Tokens to download the points will expire on 31st December 2011. Once downloaded, you'll then need to use them by 30th June 2012.

Microsoft has warned against using "multiple or different email addresses, Xbox Live accounts, identities, registrations and logins" to gain more points. Apparently you'll be found out and disqualified from the program, so consider yourself warned.

We've asked Microsoft if it intends to bring the scheme to Europe and will update when we get a response.