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Written by SoonLeeNZ on 2025-01-09 at 00:50

This is useful information for Microsoft 365 subscribers. The notification I got about the price rise said nothing about them bundling AI into the new price. And certainly nothing about the option of sticking with the old plan & price, without AI.

https://www.consumer.org.nz/articles/you-don-t-have-to-pay-the-microsoft-365-price-increase

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Descendants

Written by ghost_shit 🪣 won't comply on 2025-01-09 at 03:11

@soonleenz The email they sent me this morning hints at cancellation, but doesn't mention "Classic" mode:

'Starting on 08/06/2025, the price for your Microsoft 365 Personal subscription will change from AUD 109.00/year to AUD 159.00/year. You will be charged the new price unless you cancel or turn off recurring billing at least two days before your next billing date by visiting your Microsoft account. By continuing your subscription, you’ll maintain access to your secure cloud storage, advanced security for your data and devices, AI-powered features, along with all your other subscription benefits.'

EDIT: I just tried the method outlined in the article, but I was never offered anything that looked like "Classic", only '$16/month' or '$159/year'. When I clicked 'I don't want my subscription', MS cheerfully informed me that I can use my account until 07/06/2025 OR I could turn on recurring billing and pay the premium price...

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Written by SoonLeeNZ on 2025-01-09 at 03:36

@ghost_shit Have they closed off that option? Can you search for "Microsoft 365 Personal Classic"?

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Written by ghost_shit 🪣 won't comply on 2025-01-09 at 03:47

@soonleenz I just searched for that, but all I got was hits mentioning "Basic". When I looked into pricing, I was directed here:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-au/microsoft-365/onedrive/compare-onedrive-plans?ocid=cmm5wnrkeaw

I'm not sure if I'm reading this correctly, but it appears I could downgrade to $29.99/year and still have access to "Web and mobile versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, OneDrive, and other apps". I'm confused.

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Written by Jake on 2025-01-09 at 09:10

@ghost_shit @soonleenz I also tried and didn't get the classic option (AU account - maybe different?).

I went through MS support live-chat and they told me the workaround, and didn't believe me when I said it wasn't available to me. They used QuickAssist to go through the motions on my account, and when saw I was right, suggested I contact MS Support to request Classic pricing without AI instead.

Contacting support is impossible, with live chat the only option. So I can submitted feedback, requested a call for technical support and crossing my fingers...

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Written by Yours Truly! Unruly on 2025-01-09 at 03:33

@soonleenz

Thanks for sharing. I'll be giving up computing before I give into AI. Glad there is an option.

:mastodon:

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Written by Izzie🌴 on 2025-01-09 at 04:16

@soonleenz

Open office? I switched several years ago.

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Written by Eric S. Smith on 2025-01-09 at 13:32

@izstranger Is it available as a cloud service?

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Written by Izzie🌴 on 2025-01-09 at 15:38

@smiteri

Yes. How you set that up will vary with how much you trust the big cloud providers though.

Libre office i think actually it's what has that.

But i don't use cloud services with my docs, unless i email them to myself or something.

Or take a look at this: https://nextcloud.com/office/

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Written by Jim on 2025-01-09 at 04:54

@soonleenz In your Microsoft 365 account, click on the option to “turn off recurring billing”. You will go to a page that offers a payment plan to pay monthly (more expensive). Scroll down to locate the Microsoft Classic option at the same price as your original plan. As the article says, Microsoft is upselling. I don’t want anything to do with the environmental impacts AI is having and I refuse to pay for a 40% price increase for something I will not use.

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Written by Grant on 2025-01-09 at 05:27

@soonleenz I didn't learn about this option until after I cancelled my subscription. But I'm not mad. It was the push I finally needed to go Linux only at home and it's been an absolute joy.

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Written by Chery (Great Australian Pods) on 2025-01-09 at 09:30

@soonleenz and that's why I own Office 2019. I bought it a year into my degree to update my 2013 edition (ANU only offered the online version). It was such a good deal that it was cheaper to buy the bloody thing than to fork out for a single year's subscription. 😁

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Written by David Chisnall (Now with 50% more sarcasm!) on 2025-01-09 at 14:43

@cheryanne @soonleenz Unless you got the most expensive version, you should be careful because, after activation, it's locked to a single machine. If your computer breaks, the activation won't work on a new machine and you have to buy it again.

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Written by Chery (Great Australian Pods) on 2025-01-09 at 19:09

@david_chisnall not really in my case. I just built a new machine (new motherboard etc.) and because it's registered to my Microsoft account it activated straight away. It's student & home version.

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Written by Nigel Metheringham on 2025-01-09 at 12:42

@soonleenz I’ve never allowed them to get me into recurring billing - instead I keep an eye on Amazon around prime day (or similar discount periods) and grab a MS365 Family pack when cheap (typically £50) and apply that license code to my account.

That’s saved me hundreds of pounds over several years - it’s the equivalent to always being on an intro offer.

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Written by David Chisnall (Now with 50% more sarcasm!) on 2025-01-09 at 14:46

@nmeth @soonleenz If you know anyone at MS, they have a few friends and family passes for the company store. The M365 family pack is around £20 there. One of the last things I did before I quit was get six years worth of vouchers (you can apply up to six years in advance, I applied five immediately and then the sixth the day after the subscription rolled over to the next year). £20/year is worth it for my mother not to have to deal with people sending her MS Office documents that LibreOffice mangles.

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