Uprade from MS365 standard to MS365 premium

Ulises Vazquez 0 Reputation points
2026-06-25T00:27:43.8933333+00:00

Hello

ive purchased some licenses in may from a reseller, now i realized that i need to upgrade to premium. i ve requested to do this to the reseller but it seems is a little bit different of this answer : https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5836629/upgrade-business-standard-to-business-premium-lice

reseller told me that we can purchase the upgrade and is really similar price than a new premium account, when the upgrade is complete we will have a refund few days after that for the standards account not used. that is quite different to the answer in the link. do you know why or if its different because im using a reseller?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Install, redeem, activate | For business | Other
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  1. Vincent Choy 10,970 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2026-06-25T03:14:41.18+00:00

    Microsoft365 has a number of licensing options. This includes buying direct online from Microsoft and purchasing it through a reseller (via the CSP program), each governed by different rules.

    If your licensing type is CSP, advice from Sophie applies.

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  2. Sophie N 16,990 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-06-25T01:09:05.2133333+00:00

    Dear @Ulises Vazquez,

    The reason your experience differs from the forum link you shared is exactly as you suspected: the upgrade process is different because you purchased your licenses through a reseller rather than directly from Microsoft.

    The link you found describes the upgrade path for direct-billing customers. For licenses purchased via a reseller (known as a Cloud Solution Provider or CSP), the standard Microsoft Admin Center upgrade wizard is not available. Instead, the process relies on your reseller's portal and Microsoft's partner billing rules.

    Your reseller is providing you with the correct instructions for a CSP environment:

    1. Purchase & Provision: You must first purchase the Microsoft 365 Business Premium licenses through your reseller.
    2. Reassign: You (or your reseller) will reassign the new Premium licenses to your users. No data, emails, or settings will be lost during this license switch.
    3. Cancellation & Refund: Once the Premium licenses are active, your reseller will cancel the remaining Business Standard licenses. Under Microsoft's current partner policies, your reseller will then issue a prorated credit or refund for the unused portion of those Standard licenses.

    I recommend moving forward with your reseller to complete this change, as they have direct control over your subscription billing and tenant licensing.

    Please let me know if you have any further questions.

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".   

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