If you have Microsoft 365 Classic, watch for a sneaky Microsoft trick to make you pay more. They are automatically renewing Classic plans to more expensive Microsoft 365 plans without notice. That’s not just tricky but possibly illegal. We’ll explain how to keep Microsoft 365 Classic or complain if it’s already happened.
Microsoft 365 Classic is the “no Copilot AI” plan that was available to people who do not want to pay the higher prices for Microsoft 365 Personal or Family that were introduced since late 2024.
Microsoft should renew Classic customers at the same price (US$69.99 {Personal / $99.99 Family) but there are reports of the company auto-renewing at the higher price of $100/$130 and changing the customer to Microsoft 365 plans with some limited Copilot access.
Classic customers would have chosen that plan to continue paying the lower price, they don’t want Copilot AI or both!
Changing customers to a different and more expensive subscription could also be against the customer protection laws in some countries.
Microsoft is trying to stop people using the Classic plan by renewing them at the higher price, knowing that most people will either not notice or won’t complain.
Reportedly, it’s possible to get a Microsoft 365 renewal of the Classic plan but you have to contact Microsoft sales, complain politely and get them to switch the full renewal back to Classic. A deliberately time-consuming path, setup in the hope that customers won’t bother and just accept the higher price.
What is your current Microsoft 365 plan?
Check online in your Microsoft account to check which plan you have and the next expiry date. Look for a mention of the word ‘Classic’ e.g. Microsoft 365 Classic Family or Microsoft 365 Classic Personal.
How to stop Microsoft changing from Microsoft 365 Classic
Some polite insistence should get a Classic plan renewal. There might be some pushback from the Sales staff who will have scripts to encourage more expensive renewals. After all, Microsoft prefers to keep a customer using Microsoft 365 at a lower price than lose them completely.
Please be polite to Microsoft staff. They are not responsible for company policy and are mostly low-paid people who have carefully written scripts to follow.
We have a suggestion to avoid this Microsoft sneaky trick.
Turn off Auto-Renewal
Go to your Microsoft account and switch OFF the automatic renewal option. You can do that any time.
Turning off auto-renewal means you can see what Microsoft wants to charge you BEFORE they take your money. If the renewal is at the higher price, contact Sales and ask for Classic plan at the lower price. Once they’ve changed the price, you can pay online.
You can contact Microsoft before the renewal date. As soon as the charge for the next renewal is shown, then contact Microsoft to force a change.
Do NOT accept any offer to pay the higher price and then ask for a partial refund later. That’s just a delaying tactic. Make it clear you’re only prepared to pay for the Classic plan and no more.
Renewal for multiple years
If you have Microsoft 365 Classic plan, check online to see if you can buy extra years now at the lower price.
Microsoft 365 consumer plans (Family or Personal) can be bought up to five years in advance. That’s a trick we’ve recommended whenever a cheap plan is available from a third-party merchant to lock-in a lower price.
It might be possible to pay for multiple years of Microsoft 365 Classic, That would lock in the price for a few years and save an annual argument with Microsoft about renewal. Check your Microsoft plan to see if a multiple year purchase is possible.
If you’ve already been charged the wrong price
If you had Microsoft 365 Classic and have already been ‘renewed’ to Microsoft 365 Personal/Family at a higher price, you can still complain and return to the Classic plan.
Microsoft has an unspoken policy of refunding within 30 days of renewal so it should be possible to dispute a renewal done at a higher price and for a different plan than the one chosen by the customer.
Also keep in mind the consumer laws in your country, which Microsoft has to obey. Those laws could give you additional leverage to insist on reversing an unauthorized purchase.
It will take time and polite insistence.
Start with the online chat service at Microsoft Store help for your country. Yes, it’ll start with automated responses but with a little persistence you should be linked to a real human. We prefer online chat mostly because there’s a ‘paper trail’ that you can save and refer to.
Or call Microsoft Sales in your country.
Apply the usual cautions for contacting any company. Keep a record of what was said, when and to whom. Having a careful record of your dealings will help with any ongoing dispute.
Help us help our readers
This is a situation we can’t check or test for ourselves. If you have Microsoft 365 Classic, we’d love to hear your experience with renewing the Classic plan.
Did Microsoft try to renew at the higher price?
What did you have to do to get the Classic price?
Any screen shots or copies of online chat would be very helpful and, like all Office Watch feedback, kept strictly confidential.
