Microsoft 365 Personal price hike on renewal!

BFBW

QrizB said:

BFBW said:

As they say, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
...
Professional Plus is the better product for the OP in this case. Likely utilising a VL or MAK key and the Telephone activation method.

I guess the answer, then, is to buy one, see what you get, how it's licensed, and how long it lasts.

But don't try to convince people that it's legitimate; it's a breach of MS's licence terms, at the very least.

So? As I explained earlier, similarly OEM licences. No hardware was sold with them. Did you ever share music with your friends? Make copies of CDs? All technically against licence terms.
Much ado about nothing.
If you feel so strongly about it, ditch your copy of Office for Business and pay Microsoft full price.

sausage_time

My personal philosophy on this issue is:

If you really need the full Microsoft Office you should pay for a legitimate license.  This will most likely be to help ensure better file compatibility with your customers or others who are also using (and tied into) MS Office.

For my use cases, no-cost alternatives serve my purposes completely. 

• Libra Office.  All my old legacy MS Office files open and format correctly, and I even have a few VBA macros in Excel files that work.  I have some very complex linked spreadsheets to track my finances - all work just great.  Awesome.
• Google docs/sheets.  I have a few smaller standalone files that are useful to access on my phone.
• Free Office 365 on Web.  Also works on my Android mobile.

mksysb

flaneurs_lobster said:

Maybe it's time to get a ruling from MSE Management on whether the posting of links to sites offering what I would describe as pirated software should be made a breach of site rules?

The promotion of sites offering (say) stolen or counterfeit goods would not be tolerated, should not the same standards be applied to computer software?

Use of these "second-user" keys is theft. It may be theft from the second-largest corporate entity on the planet but it's still theft.

You're wrong, the court has ruled that there is nothing wrong with it

https://www.theregister.com/2025/11/14/valuelicensing_microsoft_judgment/

QrizB

mksysb said:

flaneurs_lobster said:

Maybe it's time to get a ruling from MSE Management on whether the posting of links to sites offering what I would describe as pirated software should be made a breach of site rules?

The promotion of sites offering (say) stolen or counterfeit goods would not be tolerated, should not the same standards be applied to computer software?

Use of these "second-user" keys is theft. It may be theft from the second-largest corporate entity on the planet but it's still theft.

You're wrong, the court has ruled that there is nothing wrong with it
https://www.theregister.com/2025/11/14/valuelicensing_microsoft_judgment/

I look forward to Martin Lewis having a spot on his TV show where he tells his many adoring viewers that, in light of this recent ruling, they can all get their MS Office for a one-off payment of £20 rather than having to pay MS's official retail prices.

That should shake things up nicely

bob2302

aries1 said:

It is also imperative that I do not lose these chapters by not renewing my current Microsoft 365.

If you back them up locally and/or to alternate online storage, there shouldn't be any question of losing them.