What are a gems worth in U.S. currency

Well, it would seem like 50 gems is equivalent to $1 USD in the MyVIP vault. The price changes a bit if you buy the higher tiered items, such as the $25 visa gift card being 40 gems each dollar. However, in the FAQ, it states that 1 gem will equal 1 Microsoft
rewards point. However, 1000 Microsoft rewards points is equivalent to $1 USD. So it's way better if you spend your gems before they are transferred. If you have 500 gems, that get's you a $10 gift card in the Vault. If it's transferred, that get's you $0.50
in Microsoft rewards points.....

gems are hardly worth anything once converted to MS currency..

Hello AnthKO,

Gems have no currency value. Since we recognize how much members love the Gems they have earned in our program, they will be worth 1 Microsoft Point when you are transitioned to Microsoft Rewards.

So, a simple ratio should tell you 10000/500 = a gem is worth $20 and therefore a gem should be worth 20,000 Microsoft points.

Your math isn't quite right here... 10000 Gems = $500 -> 1 Gem = $.05

But still, after the conversion, 1 Gem = 1 Microsoft Point, 5000 Microsoft Point = $5 -> 1 Gem = $.001, which means Gems will be worth 1/50th the value as they would be at the highest tier of the vault (and 1/20th of the lowest tier, where 250 Gems = 5000
Xbox Live Rewards Points). So, the conversion should be at least 1 Gem = 20 Microsoft points.

So yeah, unless they change the conversion it seems to me like Microsoft is basically trying to devalue their rewards currency without paying out the prizes they've been teasing (everything is still out of stock unless you want to buy an Overwatch desktop
background) and screw all of their loyal customers.

Hello ohno itstheCoPz,

Gems have no currency value and were only used to obtain items from the Vault. Due to user feedback, if you opt out of the program, 1 Gem will become 1 Reward Credit, not 10 Rewards Credits. Since this is also the conversion rate for Gems to Microsoft Points
(1:1). Gems have never been worth 20 Rewards Credits. As you request, we will leave the thread unlocked, but cannot guarantee a response.