I can't add a phone number to my microsoft account on microsoft rewards.

So the ultimate issue is that my phone number was marooned with another microsoft account, one that I haven't logged into for years - therefore no recollection of the password.

However, by attempting to login with the old @live.com account, (not the phone number) and selecting to reset password but send my mobile a code, I was able to reset it's password and login. Removed the phone number off the old account, added it to the new one without issue. Also was able to add it as a security option, proving the MS rep incorrect that you can't have the same phone number as an 'alias' and a 'security option.'

When i add my number ( which is a landline, clearly what they have in there directions,) apparently they are not smart enough to know a LANDLINE does not get text messages! so how in the world am i to get my code??????? this is a bunch of b.s. work our buts off to get these points and then you hijack them and we are left with nothing!

Glad i'm not the only one experiencing this, I have been experiencing the same. MS Rewards were no longer usable because of this whole 'phone number couldn't be added as an alias' ****. The support has been equally as useless. The only workaround was using a girlfriend's number as an alias in order to access my rewards, however when I just launched Teams from my PC for the first time - it has my email and her number listed which I obviously don't want.

The rep told me it's a "security thing" and "you can't have the same number listed as a security device and an alias" which makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. We're all supposed to have two cell numbers?

Well just so everyone knows, the actual problem we're facing is the phone numbers we have and are trying to enter onto our account is already associated with another account so it's erroring out and not telling us. The online chat rep I was talking to was very helpful as far as what the problem was and why there was nothing he could do to help and it all boils down to Microsoft policies. He said they have taken away the abilities to make manual changes so basically unless rewards or Microsoft change their policies or we change our phone numbers to another one that hopefully isn't already associated with another account then we're just dead in the water.

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond and finally provide a logical explanation! I hope they are going to work on a fix but I doubt they even plan to.

Hi Mosken_L

I believe the issue everyone here (including myself) is having is they correctly select add phone number, they go through the password verification and likely the bot test and receive their verification code no problem.

But when they are asked to re-enter their password the interface states that they(we) cannot add that alias, many people, such as myself, didn’t even remove their phone numbers, it seems they were just deleted on the back-end.

Some tried to use different numbers and sims, others have waited months for a fix, but they are repeatedly told the copy-pasted “click add phone number” instructions, and people, understandably, are getting frustrated.

Hopefully the back-end/front-end/full-stackers on the team can zero in on this issue soon because these posts will keep popping up, but they will get more angry as they get more frustrated.

Hopefully you now have a clearer picture on my fellow Microsoft users’ plight.

-Mini Griffin