Below, Ines shares some quick-wins to look at as an organisation:
Tip 1: See if a Copilot bundle is more cost-effective than individual licences
If you use Microsoft 365 Business Standard or Business Premium and want to add Copilot, then from 1 July 2026 it will be worthwhile to look not only at a standalone Copilot licence, but also at the new Microsoft 365 Business met Copilot-bundels.
Example:
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard with Copilot: $23.50 per user per month
- Microsoft 365 Business Premium with Copilot: $32 per user per month
These bundles combine your Microsoft 365 licence with Copilot in one subscription. This means they can often be more cost-effective than a separate base licence with a standalone Copilot Business licence.
When is it interesting?
Your organisation has a maximum of 300 users.
You want to roll out Copilot broadly or in phases.
You are using Business Standard or Business Premium today.
You want predictable licence costs upon renewal.
What do you get extra?
Copilot is integrated directly into Microsoft 365 apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams. With Business Premium, you also get additional security and management features on top of that.
Tip 2: Office 365 E3 > Microsoft 365 Business Premium
An example of a 'downgrade' is the switch from Office 365 E3 to Microsoft 365 Business Premium:
- What do you already have? Office, Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint Online and OneDrive
- What do you submit? Oa. mailbox from 100GB to 50GB + OneDrive 1TB instead of unlimited
- What do you get extra? Security features such as: Microsoft Defender for Office 365, Azure Active Directory, Intune, Defender for Business, ...
Tip 3: Microsoft 365 E3 > Microsoft 365 Business Premium
An example of a 'downgrade' is the switch from Microsoft 365 E3 to Microsoft 365 Business Premium:
- What do you already have? Office, Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint Online and OneDrive
- What do you submit? Windows Pro instead of Enterprise, no Windows Server CAL rights, less storage mailbox and OneDrive + some Microsoft security features less compared to Microsoft 365 E3.
Tip 4: Microsoft 365 Business Standard to Microsoft 365 Business Premium
An example of a recommended 'upgrade' is the switch from Microsoft 365 Business Standard to Business Premium.
- What do you already have? Office (desktop), Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint Online and OneDrive
- What do you get extra? Security features such as: Microsoft Defender for Office 365, Azure Active Directory, Intune, Defender for Business, ...
Tip 5: Microsoft 365 E1 to Microsoft 365 F3
A recommended 'downgrade' for organisations with many frontline employees is to switch from Microsoft 365 E1 to F3. This licence is ideal for employees who do not work at a PC all day, but still need access to their mailbox, SharePoint and OneDrive (in a secure way).
- What do you already have? Basic versions of Office web apps, Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint Online and OneDrive
- What do you get extra? Access to productivity tools specifically tailored to frontline employees, including Teams communication capabilities and company portals
However, bear in mind the following with the switch to F3 restrictions:
- E-mail: The mailbox is reduced from 50 GB to 2 GB, with access via the web version of Outlook
- OneDrive: Storage capacity reduces from 1 TB to 2 GB per user
- SharePoint: F3 licences offer limited functionality, including no access to team mailboxes and personal sites (SharePoint Online Kiosk licence)
Still, it can provide significant savings for employees who mainly use mobile devices and do not need full desktop apps.
The Microsoft 'New Commerce Experience' (NCE) licensing model, introduced in February 2022 as a successor to the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) programme, is now in use for almost two years. This model applies to licences of Office 365, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Windows 365 and Power Platform, among others. For many organisations, 2025 is therefore the ideal time to critically reassess their licence use and optimise.
Moreover, its NCE rules now also apply to the non-profit and education sectors, which opens up new opportunities and focal points for these organisations.
These guidelines remain in force
There are several subscription options with various levels of flexibility and price protection benefits. Depending on the duration and type of subscription, specific conditions apply to billing, termination options and licence access.
The guidelines below remain in force and will help you choose the subscription that best suits your needs.
| Subscription 1 month | Subscription 12 months | Subscription 36 months | |
| Billing | Per month | Per month or year | Per month, year or 3 years |
| Prices | +20% | Standard | Standard |
| Commitment | Flexible | Fixed | Fixed |
| Cancel after 1 week? | 1 month charged | 12 months charged | 36 months charged |
| Price protection | 1 month | 1 year | 3 years |
| Interim upgrades | |||
| Interim downgrades | |||
| Which licences? | All subscriptions | All subscriptions except Windows 365 | Mainly Dynamics 365 |
For Microsoft 365 Copilot, 3-year options are available under specific conditions.
New Copilot Options within NCE
The New Commerce Experience model also introduces new options for Microsoft 365 Copilot. In addition to annual subscriptions, 3-year purchase options are also available for larger Copilot deployments. Microsoft has announced a limited-time 15% promotion for customers who commit to a 3-year Microsoft 365 Copilot purchase of at least 300 licences. This promotion runs from 1 June to 30 September 2026.
For smaller organisations, the choice primarily remains between the new Microsoft 365 Business with Copilot bundles, Copilot Business standalone, or a promotional combination with Business Basic.
Time for action!
As you can see in the equation above, 'Interim downgrades' are no longer allowed in any formula. Since most organisations opt for the 12-month licence model, now is the time - even before the expiry date - to downgrade and/or downgrade your licences where necessary.
Because from 7 days after the renewal date your licences are again fixed for 1 year! From then on, you can only:
- Upgrading your subscription
- Increase licences
- Changing billing frequency
- Apply co-term date
Applying for the necessary changes on time is therefore the message! Allow a few days for processing before the effective expiry date!
From 1 July 2026
1. New Microsoft 365 Business with Copilot subscriptions
From 1 July 2026, Microsoft is introducing new Microsoft 365 Business plans that include Copilot directly in the bundle. The promotional bundles for Microsoft 365 Business Standard with Copilot and Microsoft 365 Business Premium with Copilot will therefore become fixed subscriptions. Microsoft is listing the RRPs for these at £19.60 and £27.40 respectively. $23.50 and $32 per user per month.
| Product | Price from 1 July 2026 | For whom? |
| Microsoft 365 Business Standard with Copilot | $23.50/user/month | For SMEs looking to combine Office apps, Teams, email and Copilot |
| Microsoft 365 Business Premium med Copilot | $32/user/month | For SMEs that want to combine Copilot with extra security and management |
| Microsoft 365 Business Basic + Microsoft 365 Copilot Business | $21/user/month after 25% promo | For organisations combining lighter base functionality with Copilot |
| Microsoft 365 Copilot Business standalone | $18/user/month after 15% promotion | For customers who want to add Copilot separately to an existing licence |
Prices are indicative Microsoft list prices in USD. For exact prices in Euros, availability, and CSP terms, please contact our licensing team.
The promotion for Microsoft 365 Business Basic + Microsoft 365 Copilot Business runs until 31 December 2026, according to Microsoft. The promotion for Microsoft 365 Copilot Business standalone will also be extended until 31 December 2026. Both packages are aimed at organisations with 1 to 300 users, on an annual commitment and annual billing basis.
What does this mean for you?
For many SMEs, it is becoming more interesting to consider Copilot immediately as part of a Microsoft 365 Business bundle, rather than adding Copilot separately to an existing licence. Especially with Business Standard and Business Premium, the bundle can be more financially attractive than a standalone combination of base licence + Copilot.
Take action?
Get your current Microsoft 365 licenses evaluated before renewal. This allows us to determine if a switch to a Microsoft 365 Business with Copilot bundle would be more cost-effective or strategically advantageous for your organisation.
PREVIOUS UPDATES from 1 April 2025
1. New pricing structure for monthly payments
From 1 April 2025, monthly billing plans for annual subscriptions will be priced at 5% over annual billing options. This applies to new and renewed subscriptions in CSP, MCA-E, and Buy Online.
What does this mean for you?
Customers can switch from monthly to annual billing at renewal to save costs. Trials will continue to renew by default to annual subscriptions with monthly billing, but from April 2025, partners can adjust settings such as licence numbers, duration, and billing frequency.
2. Price increase for Teams Phone and Power BI
Microsoft raises prices of Teams Phone and Power BI products, first time since launch:
- Teams Phone Standard: $10 per user/month
- Power BI Pro: $14 per user/month
- Power BI Premium Per User: $24 per user/month
These prices are for annual billing plans. Monthly billing is 5% more expensive. No price changes for these products in E5 suites.
Why these changes?
Microsoft wants to provide more transparency and consistency in billing while maintaining the value of their services.
Take action?
Consider renewal billing options and inform yourself about the changes through Microsoft documentation or a training session, such as the CSP Technical Training Call on 20 November.
PREVIOUS UPDATES from 1 October 2025
3. Price change Business Central licences
After years of price stability, Microsoft is raising Dynamics 365 Business Central prices from 1 October 2025. You do get extra storage capacity per user and new Copilot functionalities remain included in the licence price.
| Product | Current prize | New price | Storage change |
| Business Central Essentials | $70/month - 2GB storage | $80/month - 3GB storage | +1GB |
| Business Central Premium | $100/month - 3GB storage | $110/month - 5GB storage | +2GB |
| Business Central Device | $40/month - 1GB storage | $45/month - 1.5GB storage | +0.5GB |
Do you have questions about this change or want to know what it means for your organisation?
Contact our licensing team via licenties@vanroey.be
Also be sure to take a look at our license page on which you can view our licensing portal, among other things.
More tips & tricks?
Would you like to explore extensively using sample scenarios What savings or upgrades your organisation can achieve? Then be sure to watch Ines' video. In 15 minutes, she explains all the options available:
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