Bing Cashback Program by Microsoft Ending July 30th

Bing, owned by Microsoft, which is in direct competition with Google for search engine customers, announced yesterday it is ending its Bing Cashback online shopping program, with the last day that you can earn cashback from shopping through Bing being July 30th, 2010.

According to this Bing forum post announcing the end of the cashback program,the Bing cashback program did not gain the broad adoption Microsoft had hoped, and they will take what they learned and develop new programs for shoppers and advertisers.

Some additional details from the Bing forum post:

So what does this mean for Bing cashback users? Well, until July 30th at 9:00 pm PST, it’s business as usual, with cashback offers still living within Bing. After that, Bing cashback will discontinue, though you will have a year to redeem any cashback you have earned through your cashback account consistent with the cashback Terms and Conditions. In addition, Microsoft will provide 12 months of customer support to ensure a smooth transition.

I’ve only taken advantage of the Bing Cashback a few times, so I can’t really say that it will have an effect on my online shopping habits very much. But many people loved the Bing Cashback program and made somewhat of an art out of saving money shopping online by using the program.

Here is a thread on slickdeals lamenting the demise of the Bing Cashback program, with some members posting some pretty impressive totals of the amount they’ve saved through Bing.

Have you taken advantage of the Bing Cashback program when shopping online? Are you disappointed/upset that it is ending, or does in not make much difference to you?