How to Upgrade Microsoft NCE Subscriptions?

Introduction

The article provides a guide on upgrading or downgrading subscriptions, covering selection, scheduling, monitoring, limitations, and pricing details.

In this article:

• Subscription Upgrade
• Completed Order Status
• Destination Subscription Functionality
• Rename on Upgrade
• Customer Invoice

Subscription Upgrade

1. Click on the Subscriptions tab and select Subscription you would like to upgrade.

2. If upgrades for the particular Subscription are eligible they will be presented at the bottom of the page:

3. Click Upgrade on one of available options.

4. The pop-up window will be presented asking to apply changes as shown:

Now – The change order is created and processed immediately.

On Renewal – this option allows changes to apply on renewal. This option may not be available for some subscriptions.

Custom date – this option allows you to select any future date. On the selected date, the order will be sent to the vendor, and changes will apply upon successful provisioning.
For more details check the following article: Scheduled Orders.

Subscription page only shows the upgrades that the customer is eligible to, based on their country and industry.

Microsoft Configuration Support

The platform integrates with Microsoft systems to provide accurate upgrade and downgrade options based on your specific scenarios:

• Mid-term changes versus scheduled renewals – Different offers may be available depending on whether you're making changes during your subscription term or at renewal time.
• Restricted purchase offers – Some offers cannot be purchased directly but remain accessible as upgrade options for existing subscriptions.

Through this integration, the platform automatically displays only the upgrade and downgrade offers available to you, along with applicable timing options for implementing these changes. For additional information, please refer to this documentation.

5. Once the desired option is selected, the following form will appear:

6. After changes are applied and Save button is selected, the following message will appear: 

7. Changes will be saved immediately, and the order will be placed.

Completed Order Status

By selecting View order, you can follow the status of its completion.

Upgrading a subscription is the same as placing the order, and the process has been described here: How to place an Order?

Partial Upgrades

Partial upgrades allow partners to upgrade a portion of licenses from one offer to another, rather than the entire subscription. A partial upgrade is defined as any upgrade where the number of licenses being upgraded is fewer than the total number of licenses in the original (basic) subscription.

Destination Subscription Functionality

The Destination Subscription field aligns the AppXite platform with Microsoft Partner Center’s subscription upgrade logic. This functionality enables users to select an existing, previously upgraded subscription as the destination for newly upgraded licenses. By doing so, it prevents the creation of additional subscriptions and helps maintain clean and consolidated records.

This field becomes visible after selecting an available upgrade option under the basic subscription:

The outcome of a subscription upgrade may vary depending on how the Destination Subscription field is used. The following scenarios illustrate the different possible outcomes:

1. Full Subscription Upgrade without a Destination Subscription Selected

When all licenses from the basic subscription are upgraded and no destination subscription is selected, a new subscription will be created. This new subscription appears under the Subscriptions section. The process follows the standard upgrade flow as outlined in the Subscription Upgrade part of this article.

2. Full Subscription Upgrade with a Destination Subscription Selected

If all licenses are upgraded and an existing Destination Subscription is selected, no new subscription will be created. Instead, all licenses will be transferred from the basic subscription to the selected destination subscription.

3. Partial Upgrade without a Destination Subscription Selected

In the case of a partial upgrade with no destination subscription selected:

• Two subscriptions will exist post-upgrade:

  1. The original (basic) subscription, now with a reduced license count.

  2. A new subscription created specifically for the upgraded licenses:
     

• The original subscription retains its original term end date.

• The new (upgraded) subscription will reflect the parameters (such as billing cycle and term) chosen during the upgrade process.

4. Partial Upgrade with a Destination Subscription Selected

When only a portion of licenses are upgraded and an existing destination subscription is selected:

• No new subscription is created.

• The specified number of licenses is transferred from the basic subscription to the selected destination subscription.

NOTE! To successfully use the Destination Subscription field during an upgrade, the term and billing cycle of both the source and destination subscriptions must match. If these parameters are not aligned, the system will generate an error and the upgrade will not be completed.

Rename on Upgrade

After upgrading subscription to another offer, the name of the subscription is updated automatically to match the new offer. This should emphasize successful renewal on the UI and in the reports, as well as recognize corresponding invoice lines with the now-matching name from the vendor.

Customer Invoice

When a Subscription undergoes an upgrade, the Invoice presentation in detailed view is designed to provide clear visibility into both the previous and current Subscription states. The Invoice displays multiple distinct line items to reflect the upgrade transaction:

1. Credit line item for the previous Subscription – This line shows the prorated refund for the unused portion of the previous Subscription:
   • Subscription Name column – Displays the name of the existing Offer folowed by the name of the previous offer in the brackets
   • Offer Name column - Displays the name of the existing Offer
   • Customer Unit Price column – Shows a negative value representing the prorated credit amount (e.g., -123.025)
   • Charge Type column – Displays "convert"
2. Charge line item for the upgraded Subscription – This line shows the prorated charge for the new Subscription for the remaining Billing Period:
   • Subscription Name column – Displays the name of the new Offer (e.g., "Microsoft 365 Business Standard")
   • Offer Name column - Displays the name of the existing Offer
   • Customer Unit Price column – Shows the prorated charge amount for the upgraded Subscription (e.g., 256.5)
   • Charge Type column – Displays "convert"
3. Renewal line item for the full Subscription – This line shows the standard recurring charge for the next full Billing Period:
   • Subscription Name column – Displays the name of the new Offer (e.g., "Microsoft 365 Business Standard")
   • Offer Name column - Displays the name of the existing Offer
   • Customer Unit Price column – Shows the standard price for the full Billing Period (e.g., 285)
   • Charge Type column – Displays "renew"

This presentation format ensures transparency in your billing and makes it easier to reconcile charges and credits when Subscription changes occur mid-Term.

Example: If you upgraded from "Microsoft 365 Business Basic" to "Microsoft 365 Business Standard" on 2024/05/02, your Invoice would show:

• A credit line for "Microsoft 365 Business Basic" with a value of -123.025 ZAR (prorated refund for unused days). Subscription name will appear as “Microsoft 365 Business Standard (Microsoft 365 Business Basic)”. 

  NOTE! Described naming convention applies only to newly loaded and parsed Invoices starting from November 2025. Past Invoices generated before this date will not display the enhanced naming format and will continue to show the previous column structure.
• A charge line for "Microsoft 365 Business Standard" with a value of 256.5 ZAR (prorated charge for the remaining days until 2024/09/29)
• A renewal line for "Microsoft 365 Business Standard" with a value of 285 ZAR (full charge for the next Billing Period starting 2024/05/29)

Limitations

Summary
 

Familiar tools and solutions might become absolute and not serving the purpose anymore. When this happens, it is a sign for upgrade or downgrade in some special cases. Upgrade/downgrade rules differ from vendor to vendor and from program to program. For every partner or customer looking to improve their records it is important to look what are the prerequisites to upgrade or downgrade. Appxite platform supports partial upgrades and full upgrades/downgrades if they were made available by the vendor to their consumers. 

Related Content

• Scheduled Orders
• How to place an Order?
• Order Placed / Canceled Notification
• Provisioning Success Notification