Microsoft plans to let customers buy Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot Business without a qualifying Microsoft 365 base subscription starting December 1, 2026. The announced change affects how customers buy the licenses; Microsoft says it will not change Copilot’s underlying capabilities.
What the new offers cover
The December 1 change applies to both Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot Business. Microsoft says the offers will be available through all sales channels, including Cloud Solution Providers (CSP), and are intended for commercial, education, government, and nonprofit customers. Microsoft also says the new offers will keep the current offers’ pricing and capabilities.
| Change | Products covered | Sales channel | What changes | Scheduled date |
| Purchase without a base subscription | Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot Business | All sales channels, including CSP | A qualifying Microsoft 365 base subscription will no longer be required to buy these offers | December 1, 2026 |
| Usage-based billing (UBB) | Copilot Business B-SKUs | CSP | Eligible new purchases use a separate, adjustable spending limit, with charges based on actual usage | December 1, 2026 |
Usage-based billing is a separate CSP policy
The purchase change covers both Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot Business. The separate UBB policy is narrower: Microsoft’s Partner Center documentation limits it to Copilot Business B-SKUs and excludes Microsoft 365 Copilot Enterprise.
For eligible new Copilot Business CSP purchases, the default UBB limit is 4,000 Copilot Credits per user per month. Administrators can adjust the limit, and charges depend on actual usage. The credit figure is a spending limit, not a fixed monthly fee. NeoTeo previously covered the separate change to CSP usage-based billing.
The Copilot app does not provide the full commercial license
Downloading the Microsoft Copilot app gives users an access point; it does not by itself grant the full Microsoft 365 Copilot license. Microsoft distinguishes Basic experiences, which have more limited access and requirements, from Microsoft 365 Copilot (Premium). Premium includes priority access and automatic grounding in organizational data through Microsoft Graph and Work IQ.
Existing add-on customers can renew
Microsoft says existing customers can renew their add-on offers and adjust seat quantities without migrating or reassigning licenses. CSP sales of the current add-on offers are scheduled to end on December 1, 2026.
