How do I get my $50 PSN credit after my first Playstation Card purchase?

Question

The PS3 menu shows an offer to sign up for a Playstation card and receive $50 worth of Playstation Network (PSN) points after the first purchase.

How does this work, do I get the points immediately, can I place my purchase immediately, how do I redeem the points, etc. The website is kind of vague about this.

I understand this is a gaming question site, but this question is linked directly to a credit card for Playstation gaming and networked players are always bombarded with the advertisement in the main menus, and the associated reward is for PSN points, so I feel there is relevance.

Answer 1

I had hoped to receive my $50 credit the day I registered for the card. After receiving the card in the mail a week after registration, and making a purchase with it, I searched online to find out where the $50 credit was. I ended up calling the number on the back of the card.

I found out:

1. During the registration process for the card, make sure you also sign up for Sony Rewards with the same e-mail you use for both. This will link your card and the Sony Rewards site.
2. If approved, once you receive the card in the mail approximately week later, make a purchase with it.
3. At the start of the next billing cycle after the first purchase, you will receive an e-mail from Sony Rewards (see below).
4. Go to the Sony Rewards website, log in using the information from step 1. Your Sony Rewards point amount will not have changed; you will simply have a credit to purchase the $50 PSN card. When you add it to your cart, the card point price per item cost will be displayed with strike-through font, and replaced with $0.00.
5. Check out your cart and the code will be e-mailed to you, or you can access it from your order invoice through the "get your coupon" link.

Essentially, from registration time to checkout time for a $50 PSN credit on Sony Rewards takes from four to six weeks (1 week for the card to arrive, and assuming you make a purchase immediately, approximately 1 month for the next billing cycle). My Sony Rewards points credit were available one week after my qualifying purchase. Since I made the purchase the day I received the card, the total process, in practice, took a little over 2 weeks, but that might be due to lucky timing based on the billing cycle, or the phone representative was incorrect and the billing cycle has nothing to do with receiving the credit, since it wasn't point-based.

Here is the relevant text from an e-mail sent by SonyRewards after the allotted time passed:

Congratulations. You have qualified for your $50 PlayStation®Network Code.

For EXISTING Sony Rewards members

If you are an existing Sony Rewards member and you have linked your PlayStation®Card to your Sony Rewards account, after you have logged on, skip to Step 4 below to redeem your $50 PlayStation®Network Code.

1. Log into your Sony Rewards account at www.sonyrewards.com.
2. Under the My Account tab, click the Sony Card/PlayStation®Card link.
3. Click the "Already A Cardmember?" banner on the right to link your card account to Sony Rewards. Linking your account will give you access to exclusive card member benefits with Sony Rewards, such as more catalog items at better prices than non-card members.
4. Browse Rewards for the PlayStation®Network category under PLAY.
5. Click and add the $50 PlayStation®Network Code to your cart and proceed to checkout.
6. After completing your order, your $50 PlayStation®Network Code will be sent via email or it can be accessed within the My Orders section of your Sony Rewards My Account tab.

To create your NEW Sony Rewards member account

1. If you are new to the Sony Rewards program, follow the steps below to create an account, link your PlayStation®Card to your Sony Rewards account, and redeem your $50 PlayStation®Network Code.
2. Create a Sony Rewards account here.
3. At the end of account creation, click the "HAVE A SONY CARD? LINK IT TO SONY REWARDS!" button to link your PlayStation®Card to your Sony Rewards account. Linking your account will give you access to exclusive card member benefits with Sony Rewards, such as more catalog items at better prices than non-card members.
4. Browse Rewards for the PlayStation®Network category under PLAY.
5. Click and add the $50 PlayStation®Network Code to your cart and proceed to checkout.
6. After completing your order, your $50 PlayStation®Network Code will be sent via email or it can be accessed within the My Orders section of your Sony Rewards My Account tab.