Examined Sep 25, 2026 Renews at $99.99 to $199.99 a year One refund per account per product Microsoft 365 gives a new customer one free month, then charges the full yearly price unless you cancel within 30 days, and after a charge it allows one refund per account, ever, per product.
The Family trial page says it in one line: “1-month free trial, then $129.99/year”. The comparison page lists all three plans, each with a “Try free for 1 month” link, and under all of them: “Subscription automatically renews at the regular price and selected term, unless cancelled in Microsoft account.” The trial is real, and it ends in a yearly charge unless you turn it off.
What pays what
| Microsoft 365 Personal: 1 person, 5 devices at once, 1 TB of storage | $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year |
|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 Family: up to 6 people, 1 TB each; AI features for the owner only | $12.99 a month or $129.99 a year |
| Microsoft 365 Premium: everything in Family, with extensive AI usage | $19.99 a month or $199.99 a year |
| The first month on any of the three | Free, if you cancel within 30 days |
| A new customer's sign-up bonus or referral reward | None found |
| Cancelling a paid year after the 30-day refund window | No refund; no prorating in the US |
Microsoft's yearly discount checks out: twelve months of Personal at $9.99 is $119.88, so $99.99 a year saves $19.89, which is what the comparison page says with “Save $19.89 with a yearly plan”. The trial page adds: “AI features only available to subscription owner and cannot be shared; usage limits apply.”
Do this, in this order
- Sign in with a Microsoft account, and expect to stay signed in. The trial page says you will be prompted to sign in as part of signing up, and must be signed in with that account to install and manage the subscription or use cloud storage.
- Write down the date 30 days from sign-up. The Services Agreement says of trials: “For certain trial-period offers, we may require auto-renewal to be turned on”, and of every subscription: “You must cancel your Services before the next billing date to stop being charged to continue your Services.”
- Stay online at least every 31 days. The trial page warns: “If you do not connect to the internet at least every 31 days, your apps will go into reduced functionality mode, which means that you can view or print your documents but cannot edit the documents or create new ones.” Reconnecting reactivates them.
- To stop, cancel from account.microsoft.com/services before day 30. Under the subscription, select Cancel. If there is no Cancel link and you see Turn on recurring billing, billing is already off; the page says “You don't need to cancel because no future payments will be made.” After the trial ends: “Eventually, Office will run in View Only mode and will show Unlicensed Product notifications.”
- If you were charged, cancel again inside 30 days of the charge and take the refund. The refund policy says “Not all cancellations result in a refund. Eligibility is determined automatically during the cancellation process.” For Personal and Family in the United States, “Prorated refunds are not available”; for Premium, “To receive a prorated refund, cancel within 14 days of initial purchase.”
You can cancel your Microsoft 365 trial within 30 days of signing up, and you won't be charged.
What Microsoft does not publish, and what it keeps for itself
A referral or affiliate reward for a consumer plan. We found none on the trial page, the comparison page, the cancel and refund pages, the Services Agreement or the trademark pages, and signing up needs no code. We do not say Microsoft rules one out; it says nothing either way. The one Microsoft page that surfaces when you search is a FAQ about free offers from Microsoft partners, which describes third-party perks for existing subscribers and says “Partner offers are coming to an end on June 30, 2023.” It is still live, and it is not about referrals.
Price rises on 15 days' notice. “We may change the price of the Services at any time and if you have a recurring purchase, we will notify you by email, or other reasonable manner, at least 15 days before the price change.” If you do not agree, you must cancel and stop using the Services before the change takes effect. A fixed-term price holds for its term.
Where a dispute goes. The Services Agreement opens with a summary: “The Microsoft Services Agreement contains binding arbitration and class action waiver terms that apply to U.S. residents. You and we agree to submit disputes to a neutral arbitrator and not to sue in court in front of a judge or jury, except in small claims court.” Section 15 sets out a 60-day informal period first.
Is it worth your time?
If you need the desktop apps and 1 TB of OneDrive, the month is free and the yearly price is plainly stated, so take the trial and let it run if you like it. Family at $129.99 shared six ways is the cheapest seat, though the AI features stay with the owner. The free web apps at Office.com cover light use without a subscription at all.
Think harder if you tend to forget trials. A forgotten Premium trial becomes $199.99, the refund that fixes it can be used once per product for the life of your account, and any later dispute goes to an arbitrator rather than a court. Set the date the day you sign up, and cancel from the account page, not by deleting the apps.
