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Microsoft has done its best to make back to school season a terrible time to subscribe to Microsoft 365, but I still found these deals
By Sean Endicott,
6 days ago
Back-to-school season is here, sending students to school for another year of learning. Since Microsoft 365 is an incredibly popular productivity suite used by many students and educators, you would think that this time of year would be a great time to subscribe to Microsoft 365. Unfortunately, that doesn't appear to be the case.
Don't get me wrong, there are some deals on Microsoft 365, but they aren't through Microsoft. They also don't reduce the initial cost you have to pay to access the service. Instead, they get you a few extra months for free. That means anyone who wants the complete Microsoft 365 suite must get ready to pay $69.99 for Microsoft 365 Personal or $99.99 for Microsoft 365 Family.
Several big-name retailers lack deals on Microsoft 365, so Microsoft isn't alone. Right now, you have to pay full price for Microsoft 365 Personal or Microsoft 365 Family at Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and Target.
It's not like Microsoft 365 is stuck at its normal price all year. I maintain our guide on the best Microsoft 365 deals , which involves scouring the web for discounts and bundles for the service. While Microsoft doesn't normally discount Microsoft 365, you can get a 12-month subscription at a discount at various points throughout the year. But when I went to update the piece recently, I noticed that almost all of the deals and bundles have ended.
Finding a discount on Microsoft 365 is surprisingly difficult during back to school season. (Image credit: Jennifer Young - Windows Central)
Students can access several Office apps for free, but that isn't a blanket solution. If you are connected to an eligible institution, you can get Office 365 Education for free. That service provides access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Copilot, and additional classroom tools. But if you look at the details on Microsoft's website , you'll see that the free version gets you the web-based version of the apps. That's a generous offer from Microsoft, but it's not a replacement for the full version of Microsoft 365 that gets you the desktop apps and other perks.
Some paid versions of Office 365 Education come with desktop apps and other services, but again, those aren't a replacement for Microsoft 365. Some may not be able to take advantage of the offer due to eligibility limitations, and other students may have workflows that require items not included with Office 365 Education.
The issue here is not Office 365 Education or the offer for college students. Microsoft has an expansive set of plans and tiers that fill different gaps. The issue is that Microsoft 365 isn't really on sale for back-to-school season.
Microsoft 365 at a discount
Microsoft has not discounted Microsoft 365 through its website, but you can subscribe to the service at a discount, at least in a way. A small handful of deals right now get you 15 months of Microsoft 365 for the same price that would generally get you 12 months of access to the service. That means you can get 15 months of Microsoft 365 Personal for $69.99 or 15 months of Microsoft 365 Family for $99.99 .
While those are good deals, they aren't discounts on an annual subscription. Effectively getting three months of Microsoft 365 for free is nice for those who need to use the subscription for a long time, but it doesn't lower the entry cost of an annual subscription.
For the same price you usually have to pay for 12 months of Microsoft 365, you can get a 15-month subscription. That's three free months for anyone planning to get Microsoft 365 for a year.
This is an excellent deal if you know your family needs Microsoft 365 for a long time. Right now, you can get 15 months of Microsoft 365 Family for the same price that would normally get you 12 months ($69.99).
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