Difference in Microsoft 365 charge

Question

My credit card was charged $138.11 for Microsoft 365 , Microsoft 365 is $99 whats th difference

Answer 1

Hi, I'm John! I will help you with this.

The $99 price is typically the base annual price for Microsoft 365 Personal. Additional charges can sometimes be due to taxes, a different Microsoft 365 plan, or another Microsoft subscription being billed at the same time.

Could you check the billing details and let us know:

1. Is the charge showing directly from Microsoft?
2. What is the exact description of the charge on your credit card statement?
3. Which country or region is your Microsoft account set to?
4. Do you see the same $138.11 charge under your Microsoft account's Order History?

Answer 2

A Microsoft 365 charge higher than the expected $99 usually means one of the following:

1. The charge is for a different plan or term
   The $99 amount commonly corresponds to a specific annual plan (for example, a particular Family/Personal subscription). The $138.11 charge may be for:
   • A different Microsoft 365 plan (for example, a business, premium, or higher-tier plan).
   • A different billing period (for example, annual vs. monthly aggregated, or a one-time Office purchase such as Office Home & Business 2021 instead of a subscription).
2. The charge is from a different Microsoft account
   It is common to have more than one Microsoft account and accidentally subscribe under another account. This can result in an unexpected second or higher-priced subscription being billed to the same card.
3. Taxes or regional pricing
   Local taxes or regional pricing differences can cause the final amount to be higher than the base $99 price shown for a plan.

To see exactly what the $138.11 charge is for and how it differs from the $99 subscription:

1. Use Microsoft’s billing investigation tool to identify the charge:
   Go to “How to investigate a billing charge from Microsoft” and follow the steps to match the transaction on the credit card to a specific Microsoft order or subscription:
   https://support.microsoft.com/account-billing/how-to-investigate-a-billing-charge-from-microsoft-398c5328-364c-d5e4-ea8f-f5ad60562a93
2. Once the charge is identified, check whether it is:
   • A different Microsoft 365 plan (for example, business, nonprofit, or premium) as listed under the various subscription options.
   • A one-time Office 2021 product (such as Office Home & Student 2021, Office Home & Business 2021, or Office Professional 2021).
     The comparison and pricing overview for subscriptions and one-time purchases is described under “What’s the cost?” in the Microsoft 365 pricing article.
3. If the charge turns out to be a duplicate, unwanted, or mistaken subscription, check refund eligibility:
   Use the official refund guidance in “How to get a refund on a Microsoft subscription” (linked from the Q&A answers in context) and, if needed, contact Microsoft Support via the Contact Microsoft Support page to have an agent review the charge and subscription status.
4. If the charge cannot be matched to any Microsoft account or order after following the investigation steps, contact the bank or card issuer to dispute the transaction as potentially fraudulent.

For future clarity, ensure only one active Microsoft 365 subscription is associated with the intended Microsoft account and verify the plan type (Personal, Family, business, or one-time Office purchase) and billing frequency in the Services & subscriptions section of the Microsoft account.

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References:

• What is Microsoft 365?
• What's the difference between a Microsoft 365 subscription and free web apps
• What's the difference between a paid Microsoft 365 subscription and the free web apps?
• Microsoft 365
• Double Billing for Microsoft Services - Microsoft Q&A
• investigate a billing charge - Microsoft Q&A
• Cancel a monthly charge on my visa credit card - Microsoft Q&A
• Can I speak to someone? -- Billing issues - Microsoft Q&A