14 DAY TRIAL // For a while now, Microsoft has been focused on making it products work together, and the company has just made another step in this direction.
In addition to making the Bing Bar available for download during Skype’s installation process, the company is also offering users the possibility to turn their Bing Rewards credit into Skype Credit.
By offering the Bing Bar to Skype users, Microsoft claims it is providing them with means to get to various places on the Internet at ease.
According to the company, the Bing Bar is “providing users with a fast way to search and easy access to Facebook, email, breaking news, weather, Bing Rewards, and more — no matter where you are on the web.”
The Bing Bar is being offered to new Skype users when installing it, but it is available for existing Skype users as well. It is also available for all users of Internet Explorer 7 or above.
The relationship between the two Microsoft products goes both ways. The company has just announced that it will be offering Skype Credit through its Bing Rewards redemption center.
“For only 100 Bing Rewards credits, members can receive Skype Credit for up to 60 minutes of calling1on Skype,” Liz Tassey Gerber, director, Bing and MSN engagement marketing, Microsoft, explains.
Through Skype, users benefit from free one-on-one video calls, and are also able to send instant messages. However, more options are available for them if they have Skype Credit:
- Call landlines or mobile phones - SMS to mobile phones directly - Set up a Skype To Go number2 and call abroad from any phone - Access Skype Wi-Fi through third-party hotspots
Microsoft offers some more info on Bing Rewards and how users can earn towards free Skype Credit on this page.
“Bing Rewards is the best way to use Bing. Members earn credits for rewards by taking advantage of offers, which may include earning credits for conducting searches on Bing, or trying out new Bing features,” Liz Tassey Gerber continues.