Microsoft will pay you $5 to buy an e-book — even if your selection costs less than that

Microsoft will pay you $5 to buy an e-book — even if your selection costs less than that

June 23, 2017 • By Brian Fagioli

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As the owner of a Kindle, I normally get all my e-books from Amazon. It is a great experience, as not only can I read the book on my e-reader, but thanks to the Kindle app, my smartphone and tablet too. Quite frankly, I never considered getting an electronic book anywhere else.

If you are a Windows 10 user, you can buy books from the official Store — just like an app, song, game, or movie. If you have never bought an e-book from Microsoft before, now may be the time. The Windows-maker will give you a $5 Windows Store credit for buying a book from its store. Believe it or not, it even applies to books that cost less than $5, meaning you can sort of make a profit off the deal.

“For a limited time, buy any book in the new Books store for Windows 10 and you’ll get $5 towards the next read you pay for. You can explore this new digital store category and read from whatever Windows device you’re on — laptop, 2-in-1, desktop or mobile,” says Athima Chansanchai, News Center Staff, Microsoft.

Chansanchai says “any book,” so I checked the small print as seen below. There are some catches, such as the $5 credit is forfeited if you do not redeem by August 15 and it is only available in the USA. With that said, as long as the book isn’t free, it is eligible — even if it costs less than $5. Score!

Limit 1 per customer. Customer must purchase a book between June 21, 2017 12:01 am ET and June 30, 2017 at 11:59 PM PST from Windows Store. Not valid on prior orders or purchases, or free books; cannot be transferred or otherwise redeemed for cash. Microsoft reserves the right to modify or discontinue offers at any time. Once purchased, an e-mail will follow within ten days with a promotional gift code. You must redeem code by August 15, 2017 and spend within 90 days of redemption. Gift code is valid in the United States only at select Microsoft digital stores for eligible purchases. See gift code terms at microsoft.com/cardterms.

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After doing some searching, I found a cool section of the Windows Store titled “Great Books Under $5.” There are some books as low as 99 cents here, meaning you can buy a selection for a buck, get the $5 credit, and then use it for another selection. How cool is that?

The credit should work for all things in the store, including apps, so even if you don’t want a book, it can’t hurt to buy one for 99 cents to get a $5 credit for an app or game. You could, in theory, get a book and $5 app for 99 cents total.

Which book will you buy? Tell me in the comments below.

Image Credit: Ezume Images/ Shutterstock