# Intercept Azure billing: full text Updated: 2026-10-19. Source: https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/ --- # Same Azure. Lower bill. Is your Enterprise Agreement ending, or do you pay for Azure by credit card? Answer three questions and see what you save, which route suits you and how Intercept handles the switch for you. Updated: 19 October 2026. Publisher: Intercept BV, the Netherlands. Page: https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/ ## The invoice check At https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/ you answer three questions: how you buy Azure now (Enterprise Agreement direct or via a licensing partner, credit card, MCA or another CSP), your Azure usage per month and, for an EA, the end date. You then see your route, your indicative saving, a plan with dates and a checklist for your situation. Example: Direct Enterprise Agreement with €20,000 Azure usage per month. Route: Administrative migration. Intercept carries out an administrative migration: only the billing moves. Microsoft grants this permission only to partners approved for it; Intercept is an Azure Expert MSP and has done this since 2020. You will not notice a thing: your resources keep running without interruption, subscription and resource IDs stay the same and existing permissions remain in place. Usage up to the transfer appears on your old invoice, usage after it on Intercept's. Indicative discount 9%, which is €1,800 per month and €21,600 per year. This is how the check determines the route: | How you buy Azure now | Route to CSP | | --- | --- | | Direct Enterprise Agreement | Administrative migration, no downtime | | MCA-E (via Microsoft) | Administrative migration, no downtime | | Another CSP partner | Switch between partners in Partner Center | | Indirect Enterprise Agreement (via a licensing partner) | Technical migration within your tenant, by Intercept | | Credit card or pay-as-you-go | Technical migration within your tenant, by Intercept | | MCA signed online | Technical migration within your tenant, by Intercept | AI assistants can produce the same calculation and plan through the MCP server at https://azure.intercept.cloud/api/mcp (tools: estimate_azure_savings, plan_csp_transition, lookup_facts, create_request_link). ## Your plan (example) Enter the end date of your EA and we count back from that date. Below is a plan starting today. 1. **Technical check** (Week 1): Subscriptions, reservations, savings plans, Marketplace and tenants. The list is usually short. 2. **Calculation and advice** (Week 2): Based on your actual usage, with MCA-E alongside. You decide. 3. **Approval and preparation** (Week 3): We get everything ready. You only need to accept the partner relationship and the Microsoft Customer Agreement. 4. **Transfer** (Week 4): Just before the transfer, we work with you to save a copy of your cost history and invoices. Your administrator approves the transfer in the Azure portal, and from then on Intercept bills you. Checklist for this example: - Cost and usage data and invoices do not move with the transfer. Just before the transfer, we save a copy of them together with you. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - Your organisation accepts the Microsoft Customer Agreement and we set up an Azure plan. This is a requirement for the transfer. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - Your Microsoft support plan does not move with the transfer. After that, Intercept is your point of contact for support. We agree with you when to cancel the old plan. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - Quota increases move with you. If you never had an increase, the CSP default applies; we request extra quota in advance. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure subscriptions between subscribers and CSPs](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/transfer-subscriptions-subscribers-csp) (version 17 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - Do you use the Cost Management connector in Power BI? It stops working after the transfer. We set up another source in advance, such as exports from Cost Management. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). ## What Microsoft says With a transfer from a direct EA or MCA-E, your resources, IDs and permissions stay as they are. That is what Microsoft's documentation says. - When a direct EA or MCA-E is transferred to CSP, Azure services keep running without interruption. Only the billing relationship changes. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - Subscription IDs and resource IDs stay the same during the transfer. All resources, such as virtual machines, disks and websites, move with it. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - Existing access permissions and Azure RBAC assignments stay intact during the transfer. The partner does not automatically get access to the environment. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - Previously applied quota increases move to the CSP subscription. Without an earlier increase, the default CSP limit applies. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure subscriptions between subscribers and CSPs](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/transfer-subscriptions-subscribers-csp) (version 17 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). In a technical migration, your resources move to new CSP subscriptions in your own tenant. This is what Microsoft says about it; Intercept does the work involved. - Resources can only be migrated between subscriptions when both subscriptions are in the same Microsoft Entra tenant. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Move Azure resources to a new resource group or subscription](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/management/move-resource-group-and-subscription) (version 29 July 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). - During a migration, the source and target resource groups are locked for changes for up to four hours. Existing resources keep working. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Move Azure resources to a new resource group or subscription](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/management/move-resource-group-and-subscription) (version 29 July 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). - A migration changes the resource ID. Scripts, templates and dashboards that use the ID must be updated. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Move Azure resources to a new resource group or subscription](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/management/move-resource-group-and-subscription) (version 29 July 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). - Role assignments on a migrated resource do not move with it and must be recreated after the migration. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Move Azure resources to a new resource group or subscription](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/management/move-resource-group-and-subscription) (version 29 July 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). [What stays and what changes](https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/what-changes/) ## Finally, everything in one tenant Acquisitions, test environments or old arrangements often leave Azure spread across multiple tenants, each with its own management and sometimes its own invoice. Intercept specialises in merging them. - **Everything in one place** (One tenant): Identities, permissions and policies in one tenant. We record role assignments in advance and restore them afterwards. - **One monthly invoice** (One invoice): All subscriptions on one invoice from Intercept, with the costs per subscription in the customer portal. - **One agreement** (One contract): One CSP contract and one point of contact, instead of separate arrangements per tenant. Microsoft itself mentions consolidating into one tenant as an alternative to a separate transfer for each tenant. [How that works](https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/questions/#vraag-tenants) ## Room for AI, control over your costs AI brings new opportunities and new cost items: models in Microsoft Foundry, data in Microsoft Fabric and Copilot in Microsoft 365. Intercept specialises in Azure costs and helps you keep your cloud and AI costs under control. So your budget goes to innovation instead of waste. - **Microsoft Foundry** (AI models): You pay for models per token or as fixed capacity. Together we choose what fits your usage, and we monitor consumption per application. - **Microsoft Fabric** (Data): You can scale Fabric capacity up and down, and pause it when you are not using it. We match the capacity to your actual usage. - **Microsoft 365 and Copilot** (Workplace): Copilot licences pay off most for the people who actually use them. We help you match your licences to usage. - **Everything in one place** (Overview): Azure, AI and data costs per resource in the customer portal, with budgets and alerts. You see an increase before it shows up on your invoice. [More about FinOps at Intercept](https://intercept.cloud/en-gb/solutions/finops) ## Customer story TrueLime runs 90% of its solutions on Azure. When Microsoft phased out TrueLime's EA, the company asked three parties for a proposal. TrueLime chose Intercept for the flexibility of monthly contracts, and because Intercept is an Azure Expert MSP. Since 2022, TrueLime has offered its own customers 24/7 hosting support through Intercept. (Hans van der Linden, CTO, and Bram den Boer, Azure specialist at TrueLime.) Source: [Intercept: klantverhaal TrueLime](https://intercept.cloud/en-gb/our-customers/truelime) (accessed 19 October 2026). - Azure Expert MSP: One of only a few worldwide - 70+: Azure specialists - 3+: Microsoft Azure MVPs - 200+: SaaS companies as customers - 1,000+: organisations helped - Since 2020: EA switches to CSP Intercept customers include AIMMS, Mavim, Kruitbosch, CSD, Enovation, TrueLime. ## Every fact with a date and a source - **Your EA is ending**: What has changed since 2025, three routes side by side and a plan from your end date. [Read more](https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/ea-ending/) - **From credit card to invoice**: What Microsoft requires, and how it works through CSP, with a discount and an invoice from Intercept. [Read more](https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/credit-card-to-invoice/) - **Azure discount**: The discount tiers with worked examples, and what you can save on top. [Read more](https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/azure-discount/) - **What changes**: What stays, what does not move automatically and what Intercept arranges in advance. According to Microsoft Learn. [Read more](https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/what-changes/) - **For Microsoft partners**: Your customer to CSP, we do the migration. At a fixed price. [Read more](https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/for-partners/) - **All questions**: Short, honest answers, also when they do not work in our favour. [Read more](https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/questions/) **Prefer your real numbers?** Send your situation and your latest Azure invoice. Within two working days of sending your invoice, you have a calculation based on your actual usage, with the alternatives alongside. [Request a calculation](https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/request/) --- # What changes when you buy Azure through CSP? With a transfer from a direct EA or MCA-E, the main change is who sends your invoice. Your resources keep running, subscription and resource IDs stay the same and existing permissions remain in place. A few things do not move automatically. Intercept arranges those in advance, as with every switch. Updated: 19 October 2026. Publisher: Intercept BV, the Netherlands. Page: https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/what-changes/ ## What stays and what we arrange in advance ### Stays as it is - When a direct EA or MCA-E is transferred to CSP, Azure services keep running without interruption. Only the billing relationship changes. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - Subscription IDs and resource IDs stay the same during the transfer. All resources, such as virtual machines, disks and websites, move with it. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - Existing access permissions and Azure RBAC assignments stay intact during the transfer. The partner does not automatically get access to the environment. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - Previously applied quota increases move to the CSP subscription. Without an earlier increase, the default CSP limit applies. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure subscriptions between subscribers and CSPs](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/transfer-subscriptions-subscribers-csp) (version 17 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - Reservations and savings plans can move with the subscriptions. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026); [Microsoft Learn: Azure product transfer hub](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/subscription-transfer) (version 29 December 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). - Azure Hybrid Benefit settings on virtual machines remain in effect after the transfer. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - Usage up to the moment of transfer appears on the old invoice, usage after it on the new one. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). ### We arrange these in advance - Cost and usage data do not move with the subscription. They are downloaded before the transfer, together with the invoices. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026); [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure subscriptions between subscribers and CSPs](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/transfer-subscriptions-subscribers-csp) (version 17 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - An Azure support plan does not move with the subscription. After the transfer, the CSP partner is responsible for support. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - CSP does not offer Dev/Test subscriptions. An EA Dev/Test subscription is first converted to a regular subscription and then falls under standard pricing; the Dev/Test discount no longer applies. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - If the billing currency changes, monthly billed reservations and savings plans stop at the next billing period; prepaid ones remain. If a savings plan from an EA in a currency other than US dollars moves to CSP, the pricing currency changes. You then choose between automatic replacement with a one-year plan or arranging new plans through Azure support. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Azure product transfer hub](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/subscription-transfer) (version 29 December 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). - SaaS subscriptions from Azure Marketplace do not move with the Azure subscription and are transferred separately. Marketplace products that are not available for CSP block the transfer of that subscription. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - A subscription with an active Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC) cannot be transferred while the MACC is running. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Azure product transfer hub](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/subscription-transfer) (version 29 December 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). - If subscriptions are in multiple tenants, each tenant needs a separate transfer. Microsoft mentions consolidating into one tenant first as an alternative; changing tenants does remove the Azure role assignments. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026); [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure subscriptions between subscribers and CSPs](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/transfer-subscriptions-subscribers-csp) (version 17 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - The Cost Management connector for Power BI stops working after the transfer to CSP. Microsoft names exports from Cost Management as an alternative. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - Some transfers need an extra review by Microsoft, depending on how the enrollment is set up. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). ## Who does this apply to? A qualified CSP partner such as Intercept can migrate a direct EA and an MCA-E administratively. Microsoft grants this permission only to partners approved for it. For pay-as-you-go, an MCA signed online and an indirect EA, this administrative migration does not exist. These need a technical migration to new CSP subscriptions in the same tenant, and Intercept handles that from start to finish. - **Direct EA or MCA-E** (Administrative migration): Only the billing relationship changes. No downtime, same IDs, same permissions. [Read more](https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/ea-ending/) - **Indirect EA** (Technical migration): An administrative migration is not possible here. Intercept handles the technical migration within your tenant from start to finish. [Read more](https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/ea-ending/) - **Credit card or online MCA** (Technical migration): Here too, Intercept handles the technical migration from start to finish. After that, you get a monthly invoice from Intercept, with a discount. [Read more](https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/credit-card-to-invoice/) - Only a direct EA and an MCA-E can be moved to CSP administratively. A CSP partner approved for this does it in the Azure portal; the customer approves the transfer. For an indirect EA and for Web Direct, such as pay-as-you-go with a credit card or an MCA signed online, this transfer does not exist. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026); [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure subscriptions between subscribers and CSPs](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/transfer-subscriptions-subscribers-csp) (version 17 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). ## What happens in a technical migration? A technical migration is specialist work, and routine for Intercept. Existing resources keep working during the migration, although for some resource types a migration can cause downtime. This is what Microsoft says about it. - Resources can only be migrated between subscriptions when both subscriptions are in the same Microsoft Entra tenant. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Move Azure resources to a new resource group or subscription](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/management/move-resource-group-and-subscription) (version 29 July 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). - During a migration, the source and target resource groups are locked for changes for up to four hours. Existing resources keep working. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Move Azure resources to a new resource group or subscription](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/management/move-resource-group-and-subscription) (version 29 July 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). - A migration changes the resource ID. Scripts, templates and dashboards that use the ID must be updated. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Move Azure resources to a new resource group or subscription](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/management/move-resource-group-and-subscription) (version 29 July 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). - Role assignments on a migrated resource do not move with it and must be recreated after the migration. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Move Azure resources to a new resource group or subscription](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/management/move-resource-group-and-subscription) (version 29 July 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). - Not all resource types can be migrated, and dependent resources must move together. Depending on the resources, a migration can cause downtime. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Move Azure resources to a new resource group or subscription](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/management/move-resource-group-and-subscription) (version 29 July 2025, accessed 19 October 2026); [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure subscriptions between subscribers and CSPs](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/transfer-subscriptions-subscribers-csp) (version 17 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). ## Who can carry out the transfer? - The transfer can be requested by direct-bill CSP partners that hold a Solutions Partner designation (Data & AI, Digital & App Innovation or Infrastructure) or are an Azure Expert MSP, and by distributors with the Frontier Distributor designation. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure subscriptions between subscribers and CSPs](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/transfer-subscriptions-subscribers-csp) (version 17 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - For the transfer, the customer accepts the Microsoft Customer Agreement and the partner sets up an Azure plan. The customer and partner tenants must be in the same authorised region. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). Intercept is an Azure Expert MSP and has been moving customers from EA to CSP since 2020. ## Questions ### Do I need to migrate anything when I move from my EA to CSP? With a direct EA, you do not need to migrate anything technically. As an approved partner, Intercept carries out an administrative migration: only billing ownership moves. Your resources keep running, subscription and resource IDs stay the same and existing permissions remain in place. With an indirect EA this is not possible; Intercept then handles the technical migration to CSP subscriptions in your own tenant from start to finish. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). ### Is there downtime during the switch? Not with a transfer from a direct EA or MCA-E: Microsoft only changes the billing relationship and your services keep running. During a migration, the resource groups are temporarily locked for changes, while the resources themselves keep working. Depending on the resources, a migration can cause downtime. The technical check shows you in advance which resources this applies to. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026); [Microsoft Learn: Move Azure resources to a new resource group or subscription](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/management/move-resource-group-and-subscription) (version 29 July 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). ### What happens to my reservations and savings plans? In a transfer, they can move with your subscriptions. If your billing currency changes, monthly billed plans stop at the next billing period. Savings plans from an EA in a currency other than US dollars can be replaced automatically with one-year plans, or you arrange new plans through Azure support. In a migration, they do not move automatically; we then plan around their term. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Azure product transfer hub](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/subscription-transfer) (version 29 December 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). ### Do my quotas stay in place? Your increases do. Previously applied quota increases move to the CSP subscription. If you never had an increase, the default CSP limit applies; we request extra quota in advance. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure subscriptions between subscribers and CSPs](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/transfer-subscriptions-subscribers-csp) (version 17 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). ### Does Intercept get access to my environment? Not automatically in an administrative migration: only the billing relationship changes and existing permissions stay as they are. In a technical migration, Intercept needs temporary permissions in your tenant to move resources. The plan sets out which ones, and you revoke them afterwards. For management and support, we agree together on which access remains. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). **What does this mean for your environment?** In the technical check, we go through your subscriptions, reservations, Marketplace products and tenants. You get a plan showing what we arrange and where we need your approval. [Request a calculation](https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/request/) --- # Your Enterprise Agreement is ending. This is how you move to CSP. According to market sources, Microsoft generally no longer renews Enterprise Agreements for smaller organisations. Your Azure subscriptions will then need a new contract in due course: MCA-E directly with Microsoft, or CSP through a partner. With a direct EA, the move to CSP is an administrative transfer, without downtime. Updated: 19 October 2026. Publisher: Intercept BV, the Netherlands. Page: https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/ea-ending/ ## What has changed in the Enterprise Agreement? - **No more volume tiers for online services** (1 November 2025): For online services under EA and MPSA, such as Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365, everyone has paid the Level A price since 1 November 2025. According to most sources, Azure usage had no price levels and did not become more expensive as a result. If you kept an EA mainly for the volume discount on Microsoft 365 or Dynamics 365, that reason no longer exists. Source: [Longview Systems: Microsoft price level changes for Online Services, effective November 1, 2025](https://www.longviewsystems.com/blog/microsoft-price-level-changes-for-online-services-effective-november-1-2025/) (accessed 19 October 2026). - **Renewal becomes the exception** (At renewal): Microsoft generally no longer renews EAs for smaller organisations and refers them to MCA-E or CSP. Market sources mention a threshold of around 2,400 users; Microsoft itself has not published a fixed threshold. Your renewal notice or your LSP will give you a definite answer. Source: [LicenseQ: Microsoft MCA-E transition, what EA customers are actually losing](https://licenseq.com/?p=22206) (accessed 19 October 2026). - **Expired does not mean too late** (After the end date): Subscriptions in an expired EA remain transferable as long as they continue under an extended term. We still prefer to plan the switch before your end date, so you know where you stand. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). ## Renew the EA, MCA-E or CSP? Renew your EA, go directly to Microsoft with MCA-E, or choose CSP through a partner. This is how they differ for your Azure usage. | | Renew the EA | MCA-E, directly with Microsoft | CSP via Intercept | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Availability | Only if Microsoft offers it; usually not for smaller organisations | Yes, through Microsoft's account team | Yes, at any level of usage | | Discount on Azure usage | Only what you negotiate yourself | Only with a commitment, through negotiation | Tiered, up to 12% from €50,000 a month | | Invoice | Microsoft, or your LSP with an indirect EA | Microsoft | Intercept BV, the Netherlands | | Contract | Three years | Ongoing, often with a commitment | Monthly; Enterprise programme at least twelve months | | Support | Paid support plan with Microsoft | Paid support plan with Microsoft | Included below €50,000 a month; above that, 24/7 Enterprise Support at a reduced rate | | Switching from your EA | - | Transfer through Microsoft | Administrative migration for a direct EA, technical migration for an indirect EA, both by Intercept | | Cost insight | Cost Management | Cost Management | Cost Management plus Intercept's customer portal | If you have a large consumption commitment with Microsoft, MCA-E may work out cheaper. We include that in the calculation, and if so, we tell you. ## Direct or indirect EA? This decides whether your switch becomes an administrative or a technical migration. Check who invoices your EA. ### Direct EA: invoice from Microsoft Intercept carries out an administrative migration: only the billing moves. You will not notice a thing: no downtime, the same subscription and resource IDs, and permissions stay in place. ### Indirect EA: invoice from a licensing partner An administrative migration is not possible with an indirect EA. Intercept handles the technical migration from start to finish: CSP subscriptions in your own tenant, your resources migrated one resource group at a time, permissions and quotas taken care of. ## We plan back from your end date We start ninety days before your end date. That way the transfer is complete with time to spare. Enter your end date to see your own dates. On the site, you enter the end date of your EA; the plan then counts back from that date (T-90, T-60, T-30 and the end date itself). 1. **Technical check** (T-90 days): Subscriptions, reservations, savings plans, Marketplace products and tenants. The list is usually short. 2. **Calculation and advice** (T-60 days): Based on your actual usage, with MCA-E alongside. You decide. 3. **Approval and preparation** (T-30 days): We get everything ready. You only need to accept the partner relationship and the Microsoft Customer Agreement. 4. **Transfer** (End date): Just before the transfer, we work with you to save a copy of your cost history and invoices. Your EA administrator approves the transfer, and from then on Intercept bills you. ## What do we arrange in advance? - Cost and usage data do not move with the subscription. They are downloaded before the transfer, together with the invoices. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026); [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure subscriptions between subscribers and CSPs](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/transfer-subscriptions-subscribers-csp) (version 17 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - CSP does not offer Dev/Test subscriptions. An EA Dev/Test subscription is first converted to a regular subscription and then falls under standard pricing; the Dev/Test discount no longer applies. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - A subscription with an active Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC) cannot be transferred while the MACC is running. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Azure product transfer hub](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/subscription-transfer) (version 29 December 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). - If the billing currency changes, monthly billed reservations and savings plans stop at the next billing period; prepaid ones remain. If a savings plan from an EA in a currency other than US dollars moves to CSP, the pricing currency changes. You then choose between automatic replacement with a one-year plan or arranging new plans through Azure support. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Azure product transfer hub](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/subscription-transfer) (version 29 December 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). - An Azure support plan does not move with the subscription. After the transfer, the CSP partner is responsible for support. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). [What stays and what changes](https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/what-changes/) ## Questions about your EA ### How do I know whether my EA is direct or indirect? Check who invoices your EA. If the invoice comes directly from Microsoft, you have a direct EA. If it comes from a licensing partner (LSP), it is an indirect EA. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). ### My EA does not end for another year. Can I switch now? Often you can, because Azure subscriptions can be transferred mid-term. Whether it pays off depends on what you have already committed to, such as a prepayment, a commitment or reservations. We run the numbers and tell you if waiting is better. ### What if my EA has already expired? Subscriptions that continue under an extended term remain transferable until they move to a new enrollment or are cancelled. Intercept can still transfer them: get in touch and we plan from today. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). ### Can I still renew my EA? Maybe. At renewal, Microsoft generally directs smaller organisations to MCA-E or CSP. Market sources mention a threshold of around 2,400 users, but Microsoft has not published a fixed threshold. Your renewal notice or your LSP will give you a definite answer. Source: [LicenseQ: Microsoft MCA-E transition, what EA customers are actually losing](https://licenseq.com/?p=22206) (accessed 19 October 2026). ### Has my Azure become more expensive because of the EA change of 1 November 2025? Probably not. The removal of price levels B to D applied to online services such as Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365. According to most sources, Azure usage had no price levels. If you kept an EA mainly for the volume discount on Microsoft 365, that reason no longer exists. Source: [Longview Systems: Microsoft price level changes for Online Services, effective November 1, 2025](https://www.longviewsystems.com/blog/microsoft-price-level-changes-for-online-services-effective-november-1-2025/) (accessed 19 October 2026); [Phoenix Software: Microsoft streamlines volume licensing pricing model](https://www.phoenixs.co.uk/resources/blog/microsoft-streamlines-volume-licensing-pricing-model/) (accessed 19 October 2026). ### Isn't MCA-E, directly with Microsoft, cheaper? Sometimes it is. If you have a large consumption commitment with Microsoft, going direct may work out cheaper. Without a commitment, you generally pay the list price with MCA-E. We calculate both routes and tell you honestly which one is better. **Send your EA end date, we plan back from it** Send your situation and your latest Azure invoice. Within two working days of sending your invoice, you have a calculation based on your actual usage, with the alternatives alongside. [Calculate my route](https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/?via=ea#check) --- # Pay for Azure by invoice instead of credit card With a credit card, you pay the list price and you are on your own: technical help from Microsoft means paying for a separate support plan. Through Intercept, you get a monthly invoice on account, a discount on your usage and support from specialists who know your environment. The switch is a technical migration to new subscriptions in your own tenant. Intercept handles that from start to finish; for us, it is routine. Updated: 19 October 2026. Publisher: Intercept BV, the Netherlands. Page: https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/credit-card-to-invoice/ ## How do you move from credit card to invoice? ### Through Microsoft 1. **Conditions**: You have been a customer for at least six months, have no outstanding balance and are above the usage threshold for your country. 2. **Request**: Through a support ticket with pay-as-you-go, in the Azure portal with an MCA. 3. **Review**: Microsoft may run a credit check and ask for annual accounts or a guarantee. 4. **Payment**: You pay by wire transfer, at the list price. After that, you cannot go back to a credit card as your default payment method. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Pay for Azure subscriptions by wire transfer](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/pay-by-invoice) (version 26 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). ### Through Intercept, start to finish 1. **Technical check**: We map out which resources need to move and what depends on them. 2. **CSP subscriptions**: We set them up in your own tenant and configure permissions and policies as they are now. 3. **Migrate**: One resource group at a time. The resource groups are locked for changes for up to four hours; existing resources keep working. The technical check shows you in advance where downtime can occur. 4. **Invoice**: A monthly invoice from Intercept BV on account, with a discount on your usage. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Move Azure resources to a new resource group or subscription](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/management/move-resource-group-and-subscription) (version 29 July 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). ## With a credit card, you are on your own Microsoft gives every Azure customer self-help resources. For technical help, you take out a paid support plan. With Intercept, support is included. ### By credit card with Microsoft You get documentation, Azure Advisor and service health alerts. Help from an engineer by email, phone or chat is not included. For that, you take out a paid support plan. Source: [Microsoft Azure: Compare support plans](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/support/plans/) (accessed 19 October 2026). ### Through Intercept Support is included. You have a regular point of contact with Azure specialists who know your environment, and we bring in Microsoft when needed. If you want 24/7 support, that is possible too. ## Microsoft or Intercept: the differences | | By invoice with Microsoft | CSP via Intercept | | --- | --- | --- | | Conditions | Six months as a customer, no outstanding balance, usage above the country threshold | From the first euro | | Price | List price | Discount rising with your usage, up to 12% | | Support | Self-help; technical help only with a paid support plan | Included, from specialists who know your environment; 24/7 available | | Invoice from | Microsoft Ireland Operations Ltd | Intercept BV, the Netherlands | | Switch | Different payment method | Technical migration within your tenant, by Intercept | | Questions about your invoice | Through a support ticket | With your regular contact person | | Cost insight | Cost Management | Cost Management plus the customer portal | ## What happens in a technical migration? There is no administrative migration from pay-as-you-go or an online MCA to CSP, not even for partners. So your resources move technically. This is what Microsoft says about it. - Resources can only be migrated between subscriptions when both subscriptions are in the same Microsoft Entra tenant. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Move Azure resources to a new resource group or subscription](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/management/move-resource-group-and-subscription) (version 29 July 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). - During a migration, the source and target resource groups are locked for changes for up to four hours. Existing resources keep working. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Move Azure resources to a new resource group or subscription](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/management/move-resource-group-and-subscription) (version 29 July 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). - A migration changes the resource ID. Scripts, templates and dashboards that use the ID must be updated. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Move Azure resources to a new resource group or subscription](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/management/move-resource-group-and-subscription) (version 29 July 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). - Role assignments on a migrated resource do not move with it and must be recreated after the migration. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Move Azure resources to a new resource group or subscription](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/management/move-resource-group-and-subscription) (version 29 July 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). - Not all resource types can be migrated, and dependent resources must move together. Depending on the resources, a migration can cause downtime. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Move Azure resources to a new resource group or subscription](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/management/move-resource-group-and-subscription) (version 29 July 2025, accessed 19 October 2026); [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure subscriptions between subscribers and CSPs](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/transfer-subscriptions-subscribers-csp) (version 17 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - When you move from an online MCA to CSP, reservations and savings plans do not move automatically. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Azure product transfer hub](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/subscription-transfer) (version 29 December 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). You do not have to do this yourself. For Intercept this is routine work, from start to finish: technical check, a plan per resource group, migration, permissions, quotas and aftercare. You know in advance what it costs. ## Questions ### Can I pay Microsoft itself by invoice? Yes, on certain conditions: you have been a customer for at least six months, have no outstanding balance and are above a usage threshold that differs per country. With pay-as-you-go, you request it through a support ticket; with an MCA, in the Azure portal. After that, you cannot go back to a credit card as your default payment method. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Pay for Azure subscriptions by wire transfer](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/pay-by-invoice) (version 26 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). ### Can I move from credit card to CSP without a technical migration? No. There is no administrative migration from pay-as-you-go or an MCA signed online to CSP, not even for partners. Your resources move to new CSP subscriptions in your own tenant. You do not have to do this yourself: Intercept handles the migration from start to finish, from the technical check to aftercare, one resource group at a time and at a moment that suits you. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026); [Microsoft Learn: Azure product transfer hub](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/subscription-transfer) (version 29 December 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). ### Does my support change? Yes, and for the better. Your support plan with Microsoft does not move with you; after the transfer, Intercept as your CSP partner is responsible for your support. Below €50,000 a month, that support is included: a regular point of contact with specialists who know your environment, 24/7 if you want, and we bring in Microsoft where needed. From €50,000 a month, 24/7 CSP Enterprise Support is part of the programme, at a reduced rate. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026); [Microsoft Azure: Compare support plans](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/support/plans/) (accessed 19 October 2026). ### Is there downtime during the switch? Not with a transfer from a direct EA or MCA-E: Microsoft only changes the billing relationship and your services keep running. During a migration, the resource groups are temporarily locked for changes, while the resources themselves keep working. Depending on the resources, a migration can cause downtime. The technical check shows you in advance which resources this applies to. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026); [Microsoft Learn: Move Azure resources to a new resource group or subscription](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/management/move-resource-group-and-subscription) (version 29 July 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). ### Does an invoice from Intercept make a difference for VAT? No, not for a VAT-registered business in the EU. Microsoft Ireland and Intercept BV invoice business customers in other EU countries under the reverse charge, so you account for the VAT yourself. Dutch customers pay 21% VAT on Intercept's invoice, which they reclaim as input tax. On balance, it comes to the same. What does differ: you get a monthly invoice from Intercept, and the customer portal shows your costs per subscription, resource group and resource. ### How much discount do I get through Intercept? Indicatively 5 to 12% on all your Azure usage, rising with your monthly usage. From €50,000 a month, the CSP Enterprise programme applies, with up to 12% discount. Your final percentage is in your calculation. Source: [Intercept: CSP Enterprise-programma](https://intercept.cloud/nl-nl/oplossingen/csp-enterprise) (accessed 19 October 2026). ### Am I tied to Intercept afterwards? No. Your tenant and subscriptions remain yours, and an Azure plan can move to another CSP partner later. Only the CSP Enterprise programme from €50,000 a month has a minimum term of twelve months. Source: [Intercept: CSP Enterprise-programma](https://intercept.cloud/nl-nl/oplossingen/csp-enterprise) (accessed 19 October 2026). **What difference does it make for you?** Send your situation and your latest Azure invoice. Within two working days of sending your invoice, you have a calculation based on your actual usage, with the alternatives alongside. [Calculate my route](https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/?via=creditcard#check) --- # An Azure discount that grows with your usage Through Intercept, you get a discount on all your Azure usage, rising with your monthly usage: indicatively 5 to 12%. From €50,000 a month, the CSP Enterprise programme applies, with up to 12% discount. On top of that comes structural saving from reservations, savings plans and Azure Hybrid Benefit. Updated: 19 October 2026. Publisher: Intercept BV, the Netherlands. Page: https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/azure-discount/ ## How much discount do you get on Azure? | Usage per month | Discount | For whom | Status | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | up to and including €5,000 | 5% | Smaller environments | indicative | | over €5,000, up to and including €15,000 | 7% | Growing environments | indicative | | over €15,000, below €50,000 | 9% | Larger environments | indicative | | from €50,000 | 12% | CSP Enterprise programme, with 24/7 support | published as up to 12% | Indicative tiers based on monthly usage, excluding VAT. For the CSP Enterprise programme from €50,000 a month, Intercept publishes a discount of up to 12%. The percentages for the lower tiers are indicative; your final percentage is in your calculation. ## Worked examples | Usage per month | Discount | Saving per month | Saving per year | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | €2,000 | 5% | €100 | €1,200 | | €5,000 | 5% | €250 | €3,000 | | €10,000 | 7% | €700 | €8,400 | | €20,000 | 9% | €1,800 | €21,600 | | €50,000 | 12% | €6,000 | €72,000 | | €100,000 | 12% | €12,000 | €144,000 | ## What else can you save? The tiers give a discount on your usage as it is now. Structural saving comes from how you buy and use Azure. Your calculation includes it; the estimate does not. - **Reservations**: For predictable usage. According to Microsoft, up to 72% discount compared with pay-as-you-go, depending on type, region and term. Source: [Microsoft Azure: Reserved Virtual Machine Instances](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/reserved-vm-instances) (accessed 19 October 2026). - **Savings plans**: An hourly commitment on compute, more flexible than a reservation. Useful if your environment is still changing. - **Azure Hybrid Benefit**: Bring your existing Windows Server and SQL Server licences. The settings stay in place during a transfer. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - **Clean up and rightsize**: Switch off what you do not use. Scale down what is too large. You see the result in the customer portal. ## Honest numbers - We calculate your saving from your own invoice, not from an average. - The 15 to 25% you may read elsewhere says little about your environment. We show you the actual amount. - If going directly to Microsoft works out cheaper, for example with a large commitment, we tell you. ## Questions about discounts ### How much discount do I get through Intercept? Indicatively 5 to 12% on all your Azure usage, rising with your monthly usage. From €50,000 a month, the CSP Enterprise programme applies, with up to 12% discount. Your final percentage is in your calculation. Source: [Intercept: CSP Enterprise-programma](https://intercept.cloud/nl-nl/oplossingen/csp-enterprise) (accessed 19 October 2026). ### How can a partner be cheaper than Microsoft itself? Microsoft rewards partners that manage a customer's Azure environment. We pass part of that on to you as a discount on your usage. ### Isn't MCA-E, directly with Microsoft, cheaper? Sometimes it is. If you have a large consumption commitment with Microsoft, going direct may work out cheaper. Without a commitment, you generally pay the list price with MCA-E. We calculate both routes and tell you honestly which one is better. ### How do I keep my AI costs under control? Start with visibility per application: which model, which workload, which team. Then choose per application between paying per token and fixed capacity in Microsoft Foundry, scale or pause Fabric capacity when it is not in use, and match Copilot licences to the people who use them. Intercept helps with this, so you can scale up AI without surprises on your invoice. ### What does the switch itself cost? That is settled in advance: a fixed price in your proposal, with no extra charges afterwards. After that, you only pay for your Azure usage, with a discount. ### Does an invoice from Intercept make a difference for VAT? No, not for a VAT-registered business in the EU. Microsoft Ireland and Intercept BV invoice business customers in other EU countries under the reverse charge, so you account for the VAT yourself. Dutch customers pay 21% VAT on Intercept's invoice, which they reclaim as input tax. On balance, it comes to the same. What does differ: you get a monthly invoice from Intercept, and the customer portal shows your costs per subscription, resource group and resource. **Prefer your real numbers?** Send your situation and your latest Azure invoice. Within two working days of sending your invoice, you have a calculation based on your actual usage, with the alternatives alongside. [Request a calculation](https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/request/) --- # Your customer to CSP. We do the migration. Does one of your customers have an Enterprise Agreement that is ending, and do you want to keep that customer in CSP? Intercept handles the migration from start to finish, administrative or technical, at a fixed price. You keep the customer relationship. Updated: 19 October 2026. Publisher: Intercept BV, the Netherlands. Page: https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/for-partners/ ## Why partners bring us in - **The administrative migration is new to you**: Access goes through a consultation with a Microsoft Partner Technical Consultant. We know what you will be asked and what needs to be in order beforehand. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure subscriptions between subscribers and CSPs](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/transfer-subscriptions-subscribers-csp) (version 17 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - **Indirect EA or credit card**: An administrative migration is not possible there, so a technical migration is needed. That takes a plan per resource group and a specialist who has done it before. - **No capacity in your team**: A switch takes a few days of focused work around a fixed date. We schedule that, so your team can carry on. ## What we do 1. **Technical check**: Subscriptions, reservations, savings plans, Marketplace products, tenants and quotas. You get a plan of what we take care of. 2. **Plan and fixed price**: A schedule based on the EA end date and a price fixed in advance. 3. **Administrative or technical migration**: If you hold one of the designations below, you request the transfer from your own Partner Center. If you work through a distributor, the distributor requests it. We prepare everything and guide you through the day itself. In a technical migration, we do all the work. 4. **Aftercare**: We check quotas, reservations and permissions, and hand everything over to you. ## Who can request the transfer? - The transfer can be requested by direct-bill CSP partners that hold a Solutions Partner designation (Data & AI, Digital & App Innovation or Infrastructure) or are an Azure Expert MSP, and by distributors with the Frontier Distributor designation. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure subscriptions between subscribers and CSPs](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/transfer-subscriptions-subscribers-csp) (version 17 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). If you work as an indirect reseller through a distributor, the request goes through that distributor. We coordinate with both of you. ## What you can expect from us - A fixed price per switch, known in advance. - A schedule based on the EA end date. - A single point of contact at Intercept. - Experience with EA switches since 2020, as an Azure Expert MSP. ## Questions ### I am a Microsoft partner. Can you handle the switch for my customer? Yes. We handle the migration from start to finish, administrative or technical, at a fixed price. You keep the customer relationship. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure subscriptions between subscribers and CSPs](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/transfer-subscriptions-subscribers-csp) (version 17 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). ### Is there downtime during the switch? Not with a transfer from a direct EA or MCA-E: Microsoft only changes the billing relationship and your services keep running. During a migration, the resource groups are temporarily locked for changes, while the resources themselves keep working. Depending on the resources, a migration can cause downtime. The technical check shows you in advance which resources this applies to. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026); [Microsoft Learn: Move Azure resources to a new resource group or subscription](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/management/move-resource-group-and-subscription) (version 29 July 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). ### Do my quotas stay in place? Your increases do. Previously applied quota increases move to the CSP subscription. If you never had an increase, the default CSP limit applies; we request extra quota in advance. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure subscriptions between subscribers and CSPs](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/transfer-subscriptions-subscribers-csp) (version 17 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). ### How do I know whether my EA is direct or indirect? Check who invoices your EA. If the invoice comes directly from Microsoft, you have a direct EA. If it comes from a licensing partner (LSP), it is an indirect EA. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). **A customer with an EA that is ending?** Tell us the end date and the usage. We get back to you within one working day with an approach and a price. [Book an intro call](https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/request/?situatie=partner) --- # Questions about EA to CSP and your Azure invoice Short answers about moving to CSP, from downtime and quotas to discounts, AI costs and support. With a Microsoft source where possible, and also when the answer does not work in our favour. Updated: 19 October 2026. Publisher: Intercept BV, the Netherlands. Page: https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/questions/ ## The switch ### Do I need to migrate anything when I move from my EA to CSP? With a direct EA, you do not need to migrate anything technically. As an approved partner, Intercept carries out an administrative migration: only billing ownership moves. Your resources keep running, subscription and resource IDs stay the same and existing permissions remain in place. With an indirect EA this is not possible; Intercept then handles the technical migration to CSP subscriptions in your own tenant from start to finish. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). ### Is there downtime during the switch? Not with a transfer from a direct EA or MCA-E: Microsoft only changes the billing relationship and your services keep running. During a migration, the resource groups are temporarily locked for changes, while the resources themselves keep working. Depending on the resources, a migration can cause downtime. The technical check shows you in advance which resources this applies to. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026); [Microsoft Learn: Move Azure resources to a new resource group or subscription](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/management/move-resource-group-and-subscription) (version 29 July 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). ### What happens to my reservations and savings plans? In a transfer, they can move with your subscriptions. If your billing currency changes, monthly billed plans stop at the next billing period. Savings plans from an EA in a currency other than US dollars can be replaced automatically with one-year plans, or you arrange new plans through Azure support. In a migration, they do not move automatically; we then plan around their term. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Azure product transfer hub](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/subscription-transfer) (version 29 December 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). ### Do my quotas stay in place? Your increases do. Previously applied quota increases move to the CSP subscription. If you never had an increase, the default CSP limit applies; we request extra quota in advance. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure subscriptions between subscribers and CSPs](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/transfer-subscriptions-subscribers-csp) (version 17 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). ### Can I move from credit card to CSP without a technical migration? No. There is no administrative migration from pay-as-you-go or an MCA signed online to CSP, not even for partners. Your resources move to new CSP subscriptions in your own tenant. You do not have to do this yourself: Intercept handles the migration from start to finish, from the technical check to aftercare, one resource group at a time and at a moment that suits you. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026); [Microsoft Learn: Azure product transfer hub](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/subscription-transfer) (version 29 December 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). ### Can you merge multiple tenants into one? Yes, Intercept specialises in this. Acquisitions, test environments or old arrangements often leave Azure spread across multiple tenants, each with its own management and sometimes its own invoice. We merge them into one tenant, with one invoice under one contract. Microsoft itself mentions consolidating into one tenant as an alternative to a separate transfer for each tenant. When a subscription moves to another tenant, its Azure role assignments are removed; we record them in advance and restore them afterwards. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026); [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure subscriptions between subscribers and CSPs](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/transfer-subscriptions-subscribers-csp) (version 17 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). ## Enterprise Agreement ### How do I know whether my EA is direct or indirect? Check who invoices your EA. If the invoice comes directly from Microsoft, you have a direct EA. If it comes from a licensing partner (LSP), it is an indirect EA. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). ### My EA does not end for another year. Can I switch now? Often you can, because Azure subscriptions can be transferred mid-term. Whether it pays off depends on what you have already committed to, such as a prepayment, a commitment or reservations. We run the numbers and tell you if waiting is better. ### What if my EA has already expired? Subscriptions that continue under an extended term remain transferable until they move to a new enrollment or are cancelled. Intercept can still transfer them: get in touch and we plan from today. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). ### Can I still renew my EA? Maybe. At renewal, Microsoft generally directs smaller organisations to MCA-E or CSP. Market sources mention a threshold of around 2,400 users, but Microsoft has not published a fixed threshold. Your renewal notice or your LSP will give you a definite answer. Source: [LicenseQ: Microsoft MCA-E transition, what EA customers are actually losing](https://licenseq.com/?p=22206) (accessed 19 October 2026). ### Has my Azure become more expensive because of the EA change of 1 November 2025? Probably not. The removal of price levels B to D applied to online services such as Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365. According to most sources, Azure usage had no price levels. If you kept an EA mainly for the volume discount on Microsoft 365, that reason no longer exists. Source: [Longview Systems: Microsoft price level changes for Online Services, effective November 1, 2025](https://www.longviewsystems.com/blog/microsoft-price-level-changes-for-online-services-effective-november-1-2025/) (accessed 19 October 2026); [Phoenix Software: Microsoft streamlines volume licensing pricing model](https://www.phoenixs.co.uk/resources/blog/microsoft-streamlines-volume-licensing-pricing-model/) (accessed 19 October 2026). ## Costs and discount ### How much discount do I get through Intercept? Indicatively 5 to 12% on all your Azure usage, rising with your monthly usage. From €50,000 a month, the CSP Enterprise programme applies, with up to 12% discount. Your final percentage is in your calculation. Source: [Intercept: CSP Enterprise-programma](https://intercept.cloud/nl-nl/oplossingen/csp-enterprise) (accessed 19 October 2026). ### How can a partner be cheaper than Microsoft itself? Microsoft rewards partners that manage a customer's Azure environment. We pass part of that on to you as a discount on your usage. ### Isn't MCA-E, directly with Microsoft, cheaper? Sometimes it is. If you have a large consumption commitment with Microsoft, going direct may work out cheaper. Without a commitment, you generally pay the list price with MCA-E. We calculate both routes and tell you honestly which one is better. ### How do I keep my AI costs under control? Start with visibility per application: which model, which workload, which team. Then choose per application between paying per token and fixed capacity in Microsoft Foundry, scale or pause Fabric capacity when it is not in use, and match Copilot licences to the people who use them. Intercept helps with this, so you can scale up AI without surprises on your invoice. ### What does the switch itself cost? That is settled in advance: a fixed price in your proposal, with no extra charges afterwards. After that, you only pay for your Azure usage, with a discount. ### Does an invoice from Intercept make a difference for VAT? No, not for a VAT-registered business in the EU. Microsoft Ireland and Intercept BV invoice business customers in other EU countries under the reverse charge, so you account for the VAT yourself. Dutch customers pay 21% VAT on Intercept's invoice, which they reclaim as input tax. On balance, it comes to the same. What does differ: you get a monthly invoice from Intercept, and the customer portal shows your costs per subscription, resource group and resource. ## Contract and support ### Am I tied to Intercept afterwards? No. Your tenant and subscriptions remain yours, and an Azure plan can move to another CSP partner later. Only the CSP Enterprise programme from €50,000 a month has a minimum term of twelve months. Source: [Intercept: CSP Enterprise-programma](https://intercept.cloud/nl-nl/oplossingen/csp-enterprise) (accessed 19 October 2026). ### Does my support change? Yes, and for the better. Your support plan with Microsoft does not move with you; after the transfer, Intercept as your CSP partner is responsible for your support. Below €50,000 a month, that support is included: a regular point of contact with specialists who know your environment, 24/7 if you want, and we bring in Microsoft where needed. From €50,000 a month, 24/7 CSP Enterprise Support is part of the programme, at a reduced rate. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026); [Microsoft Azure: Compare support plans](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/support/plans/) (accessed 19 October 2026). ### Does Intercept get access to my environment? Not automatically in an administrative migration: only the billing relationship changes and existing permissions stay as they are. In a technical migration, Intercept needs temporary permissions in your tenant to move resources. The plan sets out which ones, and you revoke them afterwards. For management and support, we agree together on which access remains. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). ## Credit card and invoice ### Can I pay Microsoft itself by invoice? Yes, on certain conditions: you have been a customer for at least six months, have no outstanding balance and are above a usage threshold that differs per country. With pay-as-you-go, you request it through a support ticket; with an MCA, in the Azure portal. After that, you cannot go back to a credit card as your default payment method. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Pay for Azure subscriptions by wire transfer](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/pay-by-invoice) (version 26 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). ## For Microsoft partners ### I am a Microsoft partner. Can you handle the switch for my customer? Yes. We handle the migration from start to finish, administrative or technical, at a fixed price. You keep the customer relationship. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure subscriptions between subscribers and CSPs](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/transfer-subscriptions-subscribers-csp) (version 17 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). **Prefer your real numbers?** Send your situation and your latest Azure invoice. Within two working days of sending your invoice, you have a calculation based on your actual usage, with the alternatives alongside. [Request a calculation](https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/request/) --- # Send your situation, get a calculation No sales call without numbers. We get in touch within one working day and ask for your latest Azure invoice. Within two working days of sending your invoice, you have a calculation, with the alternatives alongside. Updated: 19 October 2026. Publisher: Intercept BV, the Netherlands. Page: https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/request/ ## Request At https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/request/, enter your name, company, business email address, situation, EA end date (optional) and an estimate of your monthly usage. Intercept gets in touch within one working day and asks for your latest Azure invoice. Within two working days of your invoice, you have a calculation. Prefer direct contact: +31 38 777 98 20 or info@intercept.cloud. --- # Sources and changes The facts on this site come from Microsoft, from market sources or from Intercept itself. Here they are listed with the date on which we checked them. Updated: 19 October 2026. Publisher: Intercept BV, the Netherlands. Page: https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/sources/ ## Administrative migration of a direct EA or MCA-E to CSP - When a direct EA or MCA-E is transferred to CSP, Azure services keep running without interruption. Only the billing relationship changes. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - Subscription IDs and resource IDs stay the same during the transfer. All resources, such as virtual machines, disks and websites, move with it. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - Existing access permissions and Azure RBAC assignments stay intact during the transfer. The partner does not automatically get access to the environment. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - Only a direct EA and an MCA-E can be moved to CSP administratively. A CSP partner approved for this does it in the Azure portal; the customer approves the transfer. For an indirect EA and for Web Direct, such as pay-as-you-go with a credit card or an MCA signed online, this transfer does not exist. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026); [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure subscriptions between subscribers and CSPs](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/transfer-subscriptions-subscribers-csp) (version 17 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - The transfer can be requested by direct-bill CSP partners that hold a Solutions Partner designation (Data & AI, Digital & App Innovation or Infrastructure) or are an Azure Expert MSP, and by distributors with the Frontier Distributor designation. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure subscriptions between subscribers and CSPs](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/transfer-subscriptions-subscribers-csp) (version 17 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - For the transfer, the customer accepts the Microsoft Customer Agreement and the partner sets up an Azure plan. The customer and partner tenants must be in the same authorised region. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - Previously applied quota increases move to the CSP subscription. Without an earlier increase, the default CSP limit applies. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure subscriptions between subscribers and CSPs](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/transfer-subscriptions-subscribers-csp) (version 17 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - Reservations and savings plans can move with the subscriptions. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026); [Microsoft Learn: Azure product transfer hub](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/subscription-transfer) (version 29 December 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). - If the billing currency changes, monthly billed reservations and savings plans stop at the next billing period; prepaid ones remain. If a savings plan from an EA in a currency other than US dollars moves to CSP, the pricing currency changes. You then choose between automatic replacement with a one-year plan or arranging new plans through Azure support. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Azure product transfer hub](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/subscription-transfer) (version 29 December 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). - Cost and usage data do not move with the subscription. They are downloaded before the transfer, together with the invoices. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026); [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure subscriptions between subscribers and CSPs](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/transfer-subscriptions-subscribers-csp) (version 17 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - An Azure support plan does not move with the subscription. After the transfer, the CSP partner is responsible for support. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - CSP does not offer Dev/Test subscriptions. An EA Dev/Test subscription is first converted to a regular subscription and then falls under standard pricing; the Dev/Test discount no longer applies. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - SaaS subscriptions from Azure Marketplace do not move with the Azure subscription and are transferred separately. Marketplace products that are not available for CSP block the transfer of that subscription. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - Azure Hybrid Benefit settings on virtual machines remain in effect after the transfer. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - A subscription with an active Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC) cannot be transferred while the MACC is running. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Azure product transfer hub](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/subscription-transfer) (version 29 December 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). - If subscriptions are in multiple tenants, each tenant needs a separate transfer. Microsoft mentions consolidating into one tenant first as an alternative; changing tenants does remove the Azure role assignments. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026); [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure subscriptions between subscribers and CSPs](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/transfer-subscriptions-subscribers-csp) (version 17 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - Usage up to the moment of transfer appears on the old invoice, usage after it on the new one. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - Subscriptions in an expired EA remain transferable as long as they continue under an extended term. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - The Cost Management connector for Power BI stops working after the transfer to CSP. Microsoft names exports from Cost Management as an alternative. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - Some transfers need an extra review by Microsoft, depending on how the enrollment is set up. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership) (version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). ## Technical migration to CSP subscriptions - Subscriptions that cannot be moved administratively, such as pay-as-you-go, an online MCA or an indirect EA, go to CSP through a technical migration of the resources to new CSP subscriptions. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure subscriptions between subscribers and CSPs](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/transfer-subscriptions-subscribers-csp) (version 17 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026); [Microsoft Learn: Azure product transfer hub](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/subscription-transfer) (version 29 December 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). - Resources can only be migrated between subscriptions when both subscriptions are in the same Microsoft Entra tenant. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Move Azure resources to a new resource group or subscription](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/management/move-resource-group-and-subscription) (version 29 July 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). - During a migration, the source and target resource groups are locked for changes for up to four hours. Existing resources keep working. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Move Azure resources to a new resource group or subscription](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/management/move-resource-group-and-subscription) (version 29 July 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). - A migration changes the resource ID. Scripts, templates and dashboards that use the ID must be updated. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Move Azure resources to a new resource group or subscription](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/management/move-resource-group-and-subscription) (version 29 July 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). - Role assignments on a migrated resource do not move with it and must be recreated after the migration. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Move Azure resources to a new resource group or subscription](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/management/move-resource-group-and-subscription) (version 29 July 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). - Not all resource types can be migrated, and dependent resources must move together. Depending on the resources, a migration can cause downtime. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Move Azure resources to a new resource group or subscription](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/management/move-resource-group-and-subscription) (version 29 July 2025, accessed 19 October 2026); [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure subscriptions between subscribers and CSPs](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/transfer-subscriptions-subscribers-csp) (version 17 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - When you move from an online MCA to CSP, reservations and savings plans do not move automatically. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Azure product transfer hub](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/subscription-transfer) (version 29 December 2025, accessed 19 October 2026). ## Enterprise Agreement: changes and renewal - Since 1 November 2025, everyone pays the Level A price for online services under EA and MPSA, such as Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365. According to most sources, Azure usage had no price levels and has not become more expensive because of this change. Source: [Longview Systems: Microsoft price level changes for Online Services, effective November 1, 2025](https://www.longviewsystems.com/blog/microsoft-price-level-changes-for-online-services-effective-november-1-2025/) (accessed 19 October 2026); [Phoenix Software: Microsoft streamlines volume licensing pricing model](https://www.phoenixs.co.uk/resources/blog/microsoft-streamlines-volume-licensing-pricing-model/) (accessed 19 October 2026) (status: market sources). - Microsoft generally no longer renews EAs for smaller organisations and refers them to MCA-E or CSP. Market sources mention a threshold of around 2,400 users; Microsoft has not published a fixed threshold itself. Source: [LicenseQ: Microsoft MCA-E transition, what EA customers are actually losing](https://licenseq.com/?p=22206) (accessed 19 October 2026) (status: market sources). ## Paying Microsoft by invoice - Paying Microsoft by invoice (wire transfer) requires at least six months as a customer, no outstanding balance and usage above a threshold that differs per country. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Pay for Azure subscriptions by wire transfer](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/pay-by-invoice) (version 26 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - With pay-as-you-go, you request pay by invoice through a support ticket; with a Microsoft Customer Agreement, you do it in the Azure portal. Microsoft may run a credit check and ask for annual accounts or a guarantee. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Pay for Azure subscriptions by wire transfer](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/pay-by-invoice) (version 26 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - Once you switch to wire transfer with Microsoft, you cannot go back to a credit card as your default payment method. Source: [Microsoft Learn: Pay for Azure subscriptions by wire transfer](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/pay-by-invoice) (version 26 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026). - Every Azure customer gets free Basic support from Microsoft: documentation, Azure Advisor and service health alerts. Technical help by email, phone or chat is not included and requires a paid support plan, such as Developer, Standard or Professional Direct. Source: [Microsoft Azure: Compare support plans](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/support/plans/) (accessed 19 October 2026). ## Discount and costs - At Intercept, the CSP Enterprise programme applies from €50,000 of Azure usage a month: up to 12% discount and 24/7 support at a reduced rate, with a contract of at least twelve months. Source: [Intercept: CSP Enterprise-programma](https://intercept.cloud/nl-nl/oplossingen/csp-enterprise) (accessed 19 October 2026) (status: published by Intercept). - Below €50,000 a month, the discount at Intercept rises with usage. The percentages on this site (5, 7 and 9%) are indicative; the final percentage is in the calculation. Source: [Intercept: CSP Enterprise-programma](https://intercept.cloud/nl-nl/oplossingen/csp-enterprise) (accessed 19 October 2026) (status: indicative). - According to Microsoft, reserved instances give up to 72% discount compared with pay-as-you-go, depending on type, region and term. Source: [Microsoft Azure: Reserved Virtual Machine Instances](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/reserved-vm-instances) (accessed 19 October 2026). ## About Intercept - Below €50,000 a month, support is included at Intercept: a regular point of contact with Azure specialists, who bring in Microsoft where needed. 24/7 support is available. From €50,000 a month, 24/7 CSP Enterprise Support is part of the programme, at a reduced rate. Source: [Intercept: CSP Enterprise-programma](https://intercept.cloud/nl-nl/oplossingen/csp-enterprise) (accessed 19 October 2026) (status: published by Intercept). - Intercept is an Azure Expert MSP, has more than 70 Azure specialists and at least 3 Microsoft Azure MVPs, and has helped more than 1,000 organisations, including more than 200 SaaS companies. Source: [Intercept: oplossingen en kerncijfers](https://intercept.cloud/en-gb/solutions) (accessed 19 October 2026) (status: published by Intercept). - Intercept has been moving EA customers to CSP since 2020. When Microsoft phased out TrueLime's EA, TrueLime asked three parties for a proposal and chose Intercept. Source: [Intercept: klantverhaal TrueLime](https://intercept.cloud/en-gb/our-customers/truelime) (accessed 19 October 2026) (status: published by Intercept). ## Sources used - [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure product billing ownership to your Microsoft Partner Agreement](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/mpa-request-ownership), version 21 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026 - [Microsoft Learn: Transfer Azure subscriptions between subscribers and CSPs](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/transfer-subscriptions-subscribers-csp), version 17 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026 - [Microsoft Learn: Azure product transfer hub](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/subscription-transfer), version 29 December 2025, accessed 19 October 2026 - [Microsoft Learn: Move Azure resources to a new resource group or subscription](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/management/move-resource-group-and-subscription), version 29 July 2025, accessed 19 October 2026 - [Microsoft Learn: Pay for Azure subscriptions by wire transfer](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/pay-by-invoice), version 26 August 2026, accessed 19 October 2026 - [Microsoft Azure: Compare support plans](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/support/plans/), accessed 19 October 2026 - [Microsoft Azure: Reserved Virtual Machine Instances](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/reserved-vm-instances), accessed 19 October 2026 - [Longview Systems: Microsoft price level changes for Online Services, effective November 1, 2025](https://www.longviewsystems.com/blog/microsoft-price-level-changes-for-online-services-effective-november-1-2025/), accessed 19 October 2026 - [Phoenix Software: Microsoft streamlines volume licensing pricing model](https://www.phoenixs.co.uk/resources/blog/microsoft-streamlines-volume-licensing-pricing-model/), accessed 19 October 2026 - [LicenseQ: Microsoft MCA-E transition, what EA customers are actually losing](https://licenseq.com/?p=22206), accessed 19 October 2026 - [Intercept: CSP Enterprise-programma](https://intercept.cloud/nl-nl/oplossingen/csp-enterprise), accessed 19 October 2026 - [Intercept: klantverhaal TrueLime](https://intercept.cloud/en-gb/our-customers/truelime), accessed 19 October 2026 - [Intercept: oplossingen en kerncijfers](https://intercept.cloud/en-gb/solutions), accessed 19 October 2026 ## Changes 1. **First version** (19 October 2026): All facts checked against their source, the Microsoft facts against Microsoft Learn. According to the documentation of 17 August 2026, quota increases move with a transfer to CSP. ## How we keep this up to date Microsoft regularly changes its billing rules. We check the sources every quarter and with every Microsoft announcement about EA, MCA-E or CSP. Every change goes into the log above, with a date. The facts are also available as data in [kennis.json](https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/kennis.json), free to use with attribution. --- # Built to be read by AI More and more people ask an AI assistant their questions about Azure. This site gives that assistant the same facts, calculation and plan you see here, with source and date. Updated: 19 October 2026. Publisher: Intercept BV, the Netherlands. Page: https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/for-ai/ ## What is available - **llms.txt**: An overview of the site for language models, with the key facts and links. [Read more](https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/llms.txt) - **llms-full.txt**: All text on the site in one file, in markdown. [Read more](https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/llms-full.txt) - **Markdown per page**: Every page is also available as clean markdown, this one for example. [Read more](https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/for-ai.md) - **kennis.json**: All facts and questions as data, with source, status and check date. [Read more](https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/kennis.json) - **MCP server**: Four tools an assistant can use to calculate, plan and look up facts. - **Structured data**: Schema.org on every page: organisation, service, questions and dataset. [Read more](https://azure.intercept.cloud/en/sources/) ## The MCP server Connect your assistant to the MCP server and it calculates with the same rules as the check on this site. No key needed, read-only. ``` https://azure.intercept.cloud/api/mcp ``` - **estimate_azure_savings**: indicative saving for a given monthly usage - **plan_csp_transition**: route, plan and checklist for your situation - **lookup_facts**: facts with source and date, by topic or keyword - **create_request_link**: a pre-filled request link that you send yourself Example for a client that adds MCP servers through a configuration file: ```json { "mcpServers": { "intercept-azure-factuur": { "type": "http", "url": "https://azure.intercept.cloud/api/mcp" } } } ``` ## Try it For example, ask your assistant: - My EA ends on 31 March 2027 and we spend €30,000 a month on Azure. What should I do, and when? - We pay for Azure by credit card. Can we pay by invoice instead, and what changes in our environment? - Do our quota increases move with us when we go from EA to CSP? There is no chatbot on this site. You already have an AI assistant; we make sure it can read the same facts and sources as you.