A glitch in the Xbox Live Rewards programme last night awarded selected users thousands of free Microsoft Points.

Eagle-eyed gamers who noticed the extra currency being added were able to raid the Xbox Marketplace for several hours with their freely obtained Points.

Honest Samaritans who alerted Microsoft to the issue on Twitter, wary of spending their unearned gains, were initially told the Points were theirs to keep. "We appreciate your honesty. Enjoy your points", a message on the official XboxSupport account reads. "There was a known issue with the rewards system. The points you were rewarded are yours", says another.

But Microsoft then changed its stance, with users who refrained from spending sprees reporting unspent extra Microsoft Points had been removed.

"The Rewards deposit today was credited multiple times for some users. The extra points have been recalled," reads a more recent message, explaining Microsoft's new stance.

Will gamers be asked to pay up for purchases made using the Points given in error? Concerned users are still waiting for an answer, with Microsoft support saying the company currently had "no info on that" to share.

Eurogamer has contacted Microsoft for clarification.