Microsoft Office 365 - renewal price increase
Discussion
"Effective 14 February 2025, the price for Microsoft 365 Personal subscriptions will increase from £59.99 per year to £84.99 per year."
Seriously? A 42% price increase?
What's the answer to this. Is it a situation where it's cheaper to cancel and then buy a new subscription? Does it mean crack on and renew before 14 Feb to avoid the increase, if that can be done?
Seriously? A 42% price increase?
What's the answer to this. Is it a situation where it's cheaper to cancel and then buy a new subscription? Does it mean crack on and renew before 14 Feb to avoid the increase, if that can be done?
That's probably for the new AI-slop-enhanced Premium version.
There should be an option to go to the non-slop version at the original price, or buy a subscription from somewhere else and top up that way. I just do a 15 or 27 month Family bundle when I see a good price, last time was £61 for the 15 month option from ShopTo).
The non-AI versions are called Microsoft 365 Personal Classic and Microsoft 365 Family Classic.
There's an offer on the 12m pack for £60 if you want to do it that way...can't see any good offers for the longer or classic family packs though ( £78 for 12m of the new Family pack).
There should be an option to go to the non-slop version at the original price, or buy a subscription from somewhere else and top up that way. I just do a 15 or 27 month Family bundle when I see a good price, last time was £61 for the 15 month option from ShopTo).
The non-AI versions are called Microsoft 365 Personal Classic and Microsoft 365 Family Classic.
There's an offer on the 12m pack for £60 if you want to do it that way...can't see any good offers for the longer or classic family packs though ( £78 for 12m of the new Family pack).
Edited by mmm-five on Monday 12th January 16:11
Panamax said:
"Effective 14 February 2025, the price for Microsoft 365 Personal subscriptions will increase from £59.99 per year to £84.99 per year."
Seriously? A 42% price increase?
What's the answer to this. Is it a situation where it's cheaper to cancel and then buy a new subscription? Does it mean crack on and renew before 14 Feb to avoid the increase, if that can be done?
The price increases are apparently to cover the cost of 'innovation' (isn't that what previous profits were for??), which is for things like the Microsoft AI, Copilot. You have the option to switch to Microsoft office classic at a more pleasing price and do without access to Copilot. Seriously? A 42% price increase?
What's the answer to this. Is it a situation where it's cheaper to cancel and then buy a new subscription? Does it mean crack on and renew before 14 Feb to avoid the increase, if that can be done?
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/switchi...
You can also renew 365 early if you like and Microsoft allows for time stacking, i.e. if you renew your 12 month subscription 3 months before the renewal date, you then have 15 months until the next renewal.
The prices increases are not really a surprise. Every software vendor has been gravitating towards annual subscription methods and know that once a user is locked in for 12 months, it's easier for price increases to creep in as they have built dependency on the apps - particularly for the likes of Office where many people also store their output on Onedrive and it's all very integrated and intermeshed. It was much easier to switch to a new platform 10-15 years ago when you just looked for a cheaper option on the shelf in your local computer shop.
- edit - sorry, in the time it took me to write that reply and answer the phone, I see mmm-five has beat me to it!
Don't pay for it - Microsoft - has been a bit naughty about this, they recently got in trouble with the Australian government for doing exactly the same thing of bumping up the price.
However what they failed to mention was this bump up was due to including AI in the subscription - and also not telling you that you can actually choose the Office without AI (Classic Subscription). They say they do inform customers abvout the Classic subscription - but only late in the cancellation of the subcriuption or payment of Office.
You can read the Aussie hoo ha here - and how to get your classic subscription without AI - here
However what they failed to mention was this bump up was due to including AI in the subscription - and also not telling you that you can actually choose the Office without AI (Classic Subscription). They say they do inform customers abvout the Classic subscription - but only late in the cancellation of the subcriuption or payment of Office.
You can read the Aussie hoo ha here - and how to get your classic subscription without AI - here
mmm-five said:
That's probably for the new AI-slop-enhanced Premium version.
There should be an option to go to the non-slop version at the original price, or buy a subscription from somewhere else and top up that way. I just do a 15 or 27 month Family bundle when I see a good price, last time was £61 for the 15 month option from ShopTo).
The non-AI versions are called Microsoft 365 Personal Classic and Microsoft 365 Family Classic.
There's an offer on the 12m pack for £60 if you want to do it that way...can't see any good offers for the longer or classic family packs though ( £78 for 12m of the new Family pack).
Just looked into Classic as, although I use Copilot a lot at work, I don't need it on my personal devices. You have to attempt to cancel to be offered Classic and unfortunately for me it is more expensive than the Workplace Discount Scheme I currently subscribe via. The workplace discount scheme doesn't appear to offer Classic as an option.There should be an option to go to the non-slop version at the original price, or buy a subscription from somewhere else and top up that way. I just do a 15 or 27 month Family bundle when I see a good price, last time was £61 for the 15 month option from ShopTo).
The non-AI versions are called Microsoft 365 Personal Classic and Microsoft 365 Family Classic.
There's an offer on the 12m pack for £60 if you want to do it that way...can't see any good offers for the longer or classic family packs though ( £78 for 12m of the new Family pack).
Edited by mmm-five on Monday 12th January 16:11
Panamax said:
What's the answer to this.
$17.40. Unless you are comitted to Onedrive storage. Get off the Subscription-gravy-train. I run a business with several PCs and what version of office I'm on is transparent / irrelevent.https://www.gamers-outlet.net/en/buy-office-2024-p...
Griffith4ever said:
$17.40. Unless you are comitted to Onedrive storage. Get off the Subscription-gravy-train. I run a business with several PCs and what version of office I'm on is transparent / irrelevent.
https://www.gamers-outlet.net/en/buy-office-2024-p...
Agreed!https://www.gamers-outlet.net/en/buy-office-2024-p...
It's £60 here: https://www.shopto.net/en/dwnld83566-microsoft365-...
I bought a couple of years of family licences when they had it on offer for about that a few months ago.
Too late now, but Amazon were selling the family version for £13 for a few days after Christmas, bundled with McAfee and people were getting the McAfee part refunded, so 365 family was costing about 7 quid! https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/microsoft-365-fam...
I bought a couple of years of family licences when they had it on offer for about that a few months ago.
Too late now, but Amazon were selling the family version for £13 for a few days after Christmas, bundled with McAfee and people were getting the McAfee part refunded, so 365 family was costing about 7 quid! https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/microsoft-365-fam...
Stop buying subscription services. This is how they are designed to operate - suck you in, wait until you're dependent, then screw you over later.
Microsoft has spent a lot of money over the last couple of years on acquisitions and AI datacentres. They have to recoup somewhere. See Game Pass for another Microsoft example.
If everyone opts for the subscription without Copilot, then they will remove the option in the next year or two. The money must keep rolling. Best to find an alternative now.
Microsoft has spent a lot of money over the last couple of years on acquisitions and AI datacentres. They have to recoup somewhere. See Game Pass for another Microsoft example.
If everyone opts for the subscription without Copilot, then they will remove the option in the next year or two. The money must keep rolling. Best to find an alternative now.
Depending on your usage, Libre Office may be a viable alternative.
If you rely on Onedrive, or employ macro-heavy spreadsheets you may struggle, but for pretty much everything else it’s very good. Out of the box it looks a little dated, like Office 2016 or something, but you can customise it if that’s important.
The only part of the office suite missing is outlook.
I use tutamail and protonmail both of which have good desktop and mobile apps so outlook doesn’t matter to me. YMMV.
If you rely on Onedrive, or employ macro-heavy spreadsheets you may struggle, but for pretty much everything else it’s very good. Out of the box it looks a little dated, like Office 2016 or something, but you can customise it if that’s important.
The only part of the office suite missing is outlook.
I use tutamail and protonmail both of which have good desktop and mobile apps so outlook doesn’t matter to me. YMMV.
Buy the standalone version of Office.
Keys available legitimately for not much money, and the vast majority of people don't use the vast majority of the functionality the products have, even from quite old versions (I think I'm on 2019 - I buy a new license when the apps are no longer supported by the OS).
It's a great product, IME LibreOffice and so on are not as good by a long way. But I cannot stand subscription software like this (unfortunately now the norm).
Keys available legitimately for not much money, and the vast majority of people don't use the vast majority of the functionality the products have, even from quite old versions (I think I'm on 2019 - I buy a new license when the apps are no longer supported by the OS).
It's a great product, IME LibreOffice and so on are not as good by a long way. But I cannot stand subscription software like this (unfortunately now the norm).
Sheepshanks said:
It's £60 here: https://www.shopto.net/en/dwnld83566-microsoft365-...
I bought a couple of years of family licences when they had it on offer for about that a few months ago.
Too late now, but Amazon were selling the family version for £13 for a few days after Christmas, bundled with McAfee and people were getting the McAfee part refunded, so 365 family was costing about 7 quid! https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/microsoft-365-fam...
Amazon cancelled these as it was clearly a mis price. They did honour those subs that had been activated but any unactivated purchases in your account were refunded.I bought a couple of years of family licences when they had it on offer for about that a few months ago.
Too late now, but Amazon were selling the family version for £13 for a few days after Christmas, bundled with McAfee and people were getting the McAfee part refunded, so 365 family was costing about 7 quid! https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/microsoft-365-fam...
Brainpox said:
Stop buying subscription services. This is how they are designed to operate - suck you in, wait until you're dependent, then screw you over later.
.
The whole industry is moving to annual subs. I paid around £25 for a nifty screen grab tool called "Snagit". Small tool, mostly replicated by microsofts included scren capture tool. Went to buy another license last year and now its £38... a YEAR. f.
k that. I just use Microsofts free version. Why the fk am I going to want to pay an annual sub for a small tool?Gassing Station | Computers, Gadgets & Stuff | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff