Here’s how I saved $55 on a year of Microsoft 365 Family, in the search for a cheaper Microsoft 365 plan for a friend. It’s easy, legal, anyone can do it and there’s often bonus software to use or ignore. We searched online for a reputable online retailer who sold
Ever since Microsoft 365 consumer plans have existed, you’ve been able to buy them cheaper from other retailers to extend your subscription. Here’s the simple steps to extend your subscription with a product key bought for less money, When you buy from another retailer, you should get a product key
Costco members in the USA and Canada can save on Microsoft 365 and Office 2021 with discounts up to 28% on what Microsoft charges. Microsoft 365 discounts The Costco US deals involve an egift Visa card rebate and sometimes extra months too. Microsoft 365 Family (six users) at Costco sells
Microsoft has no shame about dropping ads into paid Microsoft Office apps when there’s a way for the company to make even a little more money. We’ve received reports of the Word 365 or PowerPoint 365 side-pane opening to show this ad because the customer has turned off automatic renewal
Microsoft is ending their Publisher desktop publishing product completely. Here’s the vital details you need to know, including how to keep your Publisher software after the end date. Publisher is Microsoft’s desktop publishing software that’s been available since 1991 mostly as part of some Microsoft Office bundles but also sold
Get two extra months of Microsoft 365 Personal or Family for no charge. Microsoft can offer a ‘free’ extension to your plan if you try to do something the company doesn’t like. There are some parts of Microsoft 365 Personal or Family that make the plans very profitable for Microsoft.
Those low-priced offers for Microsoft Office, under $60 for software that typically retails for hundreds, questions about their legitimacy. Are they genuine deals or scams designed take your money? We have examined some of these offers and their sources. We’ve all seen these offers for cheap software and games. We’ll
There’s another expensive trap when buying Microsoft 365 Family or Personal with automatic renewal from a Microsoft “partner” like Amazon, Best Buy or computer retailer. An Office Watch reader fell into this trap but found a way out. For years we’ve warned against buying Microsoft 365 from companies like Amazon
With help from major retailers, Microsoft has another way to make people pay more for Microsoft 365 Family or Personal. Amazon and Best Buy and other offer Microsoft 365 renewals charging full price for the first and later years. Ever since Microsoft 365 plans started, Microsoft has enticed people with
The popular employee discount program for Microsoft 365 (Workplace Discount Program or Home Use Program) has some changes in 2025 at the same time as the price rise and Copilot addition to the Family and Personal plans. Office Watch compares the two options with a suggestion about what to do.
Delete the unnecessary licenses and get Microsoft Office working properly. It’s possible to have more than one Microsoft Office license installed on a computer but that can lead to problems. There are several situations where it’s necessary or recommended to remove old or extra Microsoft Office licenses saved on a
Here’s how to find out what type of Microsoft Office licence you have; Subscription, Retail, Volume or OEM and other hidden details of your Office license. For perpetual non-subscription versions of Office like Office 2024, Office 2021 or Office 2019, it’s important to know if your purchase is Retail/Volume or
Black Friday means many software deals, on Microsoft 365 and especially Microsoft Office. Here’s how to navigate the treacherous waters of Black Friday sales and ensure you get genuine products without falling prey to fraudulent offers and scams. Recognizing Too-Good-To-Be-True Deals It’s easy to be tempted by offers that seem
Australian Microsoft 365 customers have a chance to extend their Family or Personal plan for near the old price, before the recent price hikes. As part of the trial of Copilot with Microsoft 365 Family/Personal, prices in some countries rose by 20-30% overnight. See Copilot comes to Microsoft 365 with
Australians are now paying up to 31% more for Microsoft 365 after the prices were quietly raised. A limited Copilot trial is now included. Both the Microsoft 365 Personal (one person) and Family (six people) plans have risen in price. Microsoft 365 Personal now AUD$159 Microsoft 365 Family now AUD$179
There are simple and legal ways to save money on consumer Microsoft 365 plans, either Personal or Family. Don’t give Microsoft more money than you have to. Microsoft 365 is NOT a normal subscription Microsoft 365 Personal or Family plans are different in three, potentially, money saving ways: A Microsoft
Keep up to date with Microsoft Office 2024, the new and latest version of Office. It’s features, price, support and requirements. Office 2024 is what Microsoft calls a ‘perpetual licence’ version of Office. A single payment for ongoing use of the software with no annual payments (aka ‘subscription). It replaces Office
The Workplace Discount Program (formerly Home Use Program) offers 30% discounts on Microsoft 365 to employees of many organizations and government agencies. Here’s how the Workplace Discount Program (WDP) works, the tricks and traps. What is the Workplace Discount Program – WDP? Organizations (companies, governments etc.) that have Microsoft 365
What’s the story behind the “Update Licence” option that’s appearing in Microsoft 365 apps? What does it mean and when to use it? In Microsoft 365 for Windows you might see a new item on the bottom of the File menu called “Update Licence”. It’s strangely prominent and misleading, based
How can you buy an older version of Microsoft Office to fit in with your other computers? Fran, a loyal Office-Watch.com reader has that problem getting an older version of Office. “ I have Office 2013 on two computers now. Is there a way to get another copy for the new Microsoft Surface
There are two different types of Microsoft Office you can buy retail and that difference makes hundreds of dollars difference you buying Office 2021 back to at least Office 2007. It can be hard to know which type of Microsoft Office you purchased – and it really matters to what
Better to stick with a stable, known Microsoft Office instead of monthly updates with new and changed features. That rational customer approach isn’t understood at Microsoft who push the regular Microsoft Office 365 changes on the assumption that it’s a universal good which suits all customers. Brian X Chen in
Everyone hates taxes, but most people pay Microsoft’s Laziness Tax every year. Here’s how to avoid paying extra for Microsoft 365. Microsoft 365 annual tribute fee for the Home/Family plan is US$99.99 but you can pay less for renewals. The difference is Microsoft’s Laziness Tax. It’s the extra you pay
There are two different year-round Microsoft 365 discount offers available to US and Canadian military in all branches. Office-Watch.com talked about these Military Appreciation offers before, going back more than a decade. There are TWO different military related discounts – the Military Appreciation Edition and the Home Use Program. Military