Microsoft has a very limited offer for anyone who has recently purchased Office 2013 for Windows or Office 2011 for Mac.
Update: the offer was changed from the original announcement. It’s now $40 to upgrade (not $40 off) and the Office 365 option dropped. Alas the method of claiming this upgrade still isn’t clear or working.
This only applies to anyone who bought the ‘perpetual licence’ version of Office, not the annual payment Office 365 plan.
To qualify you must have activated one of these products between 22 Aug and 31 Dec 2015:
- Office Home and Student 2013
- Office Home and Business 2013
- Office Professional 2013
- Office for Mac Home and Student 2011
- Office for Mac Home and Business 2011
Note that it’s the activation date that matters, not the purchase date.
If you qualify you get the choice of:
One year Office 365 Personal subscription
OR
- US$40
off the price of the equivalent Office 2016 product.
So, not very generous at all. A far cry from the days of the ‘Technology Guarantee’ with free or very low cost upgrades.
There may be similar offers in other countries, check with the local Microsoft office. If they don’t know what you’re talking about, refer them to the company’s own web page. A common evasion tactic by Microsoft local offices is to say an offer is only for the USA … don’t accept that and ask why the offer isn’t available, just as Office software and Office 365 is.
How to Claim?
The details of this offer is on a single Microsoft page. To claim it seems you have to go to the Microsoft Answer Desk (the latest name for their support site) and the ‘Accounts and billing’ section.
Problem is, there’s no ‘Accounts and billing’ link on that page (in fact the word ‘Accounts’ doesn’t appear at all).
While Microsoft has changed the offer, they haven’t changed the useless directions for claiming this upgrade. The directions for the ‘Answer Desk’ page are still wrong. Presumably Microsoft knows that and are simply trying to reduce the number of claims.
Good luck trying to make a claim on this Office 2016 offer. Finding the right people at Microsoft is another, unstated, condition.
