Duplicate subscriptions

Question

I am paying for Microsoft’s family but have also been paying for a microsoft basic account for a number of years. I have 3 email addresses that I map through to one main email. How do I ensure that I don’t disrupt my service if I cancel my basic account? How can I get a refund for the duplicate services I have been paying for, over a long period and why was this not picked up by Microsoft?

Answer 1

Microsoft 365 Family and Microsoft 365 Basic are separate consumer subscriptions, so one does not automatically replace or cancel the other. That is why both can continue billing unless one is manually cancelled.

To avoid disrupting service before cancelling Microsoft 365 Basic:

1. Sign in to Services & subscriptions with the Microsoft account that receives the renewal notices and confirm which account holds Microsoft 365 Family and which holds Microsoft 365 Basic.
2. Check whether the Basic subscription is actually tied to the same Microsoft account or to one of the other Microsoft accounts associated with the other email addresses. If a subscription is missing, it may be under a different Microsoft account or purchased through Apple, Google Play, or another retailer.
3. Review what happens when Microsoft 365 is cancelled:
   • If Microsoft 365 Family is cancelled, storage drops to 5 GB of cloud storage and 15 GB of Outlook.com storage.
   • If usage is above the free allowance, that can affect OneDrive uploads and Outlook.com sending/receiving.
4. Since Microsoft 365 Family already includes the larger Microsoft 365 benefits, cancelling Basic is typically the cleaner option, but first verify current storage usage and confirm that the Family subscription is active on the account that needs those benefits.
5. If Services & subscriptions shows Turn on recurring billing instead of Manage, that subscription is already set to expire and no further cancellation is needed.

To cancel and check refund eligibility:

1. Go to Services & subscriptions and sign in with the same Microsoft account used to purchase the Basic subscription.
2. Select the subscription, then Manage > Cancel.
3. During cancellation, refund eligibility is determined automatically.
4. Not all cancellations result in a refund.
5. If no refund is issued, access usually continues until the end of the current billing period.

Refund policy points that apply:

• In most cases, a refund may be available within 30 days of the initial purchase or before the first recurring billing date, whichever is sooner, by cancelling through the refund flow.
• There is also a one-time right, per Microsoft account and per subscription product, to a refund of the most recent recurring billing charge if cancellation happens within 30 days after payment.
• In some countries or regions, prorated refunds are available; in others they are not.
• If the subscription was bought through Apple App Store, Google Play, or a third-party retailer, cancellation and refunds must be handled with that provider.

For charges over a long period, the supported path is to cancel first and let the system determine whether that charge qualifies for a refund. If the charge is unfamiliar or the wrong account may have been used, use Manage your payments to investigate the billing charge.

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References:

• Microsoft subscription refund policy
• How to get a refund on a Microsoft subscription
• Unable to cancel your Microsoft subscription
• Cancel a Microsoft 365 subscription

Answer 2

Hello,

You may be eligible for a refund only if you cancel the subscription within 30 days of the purchase date.

If recurring billing is enabled for your Microsoft 365 Basic subscription, you can cancel it by signing in with the Microsoft account associated with the subscription.

https://account.microsoft.com/services

• Use the link above to sign in to your Microsoft account, then locate your Microsoft 365 Basic subscription.
• Select “Manage,” then choose the option to cancel the subscription.

Reference: Step-by-step instructions on how to cancel a Microsoft subscription

Because an Office 365 Family subscription is already linked to this account, the files stored in your OneDrive cloud storage will not be affected.