What changes
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.
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, 21 August 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, 21 August 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, 21 August 2026
Previously applied quota increases move to the CSP subscription. Without an earlier increase, the default CSP limit applies.
Source: Microsoft, 17 August 2026
Reservations and savings plans can move with the subscriptions.
Source: Microsoft, 21 August 2026, Microsoft, 29 December 2025
Azure Hybrid Benefit settings on virtual machines remain in effect after the transfer.
Source: Microsoft, 21 August 2026
Usage up to the moment of transfer appears on the old invoice, usage after it on the new one.
Source: Microsoft, 21 August 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, 21 August 2026, Microsoft, 17 August 2026
An Azure support plan does not move with the subscription. After the transfer, the CSP partner is responsible for support.
Source: Microsoft, 21 August 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, 21 August 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, 29 December 2025
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, 21 August 2026
A subscription with an active Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC) cannot be transferred while the MACC is running.
Source: Microsoft, 29 December 2025
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, 21 August 2026, Microsoft, 17 August 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, 21 August 2026
Some transfers need an extra review by Microsoft, depending on how the enrollment is set up.
Source: Microsoft, 21 August 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
Only the billing relationship changes. No downtime, same IDs, same permissions.
Read moreIndirect EA
An administrative migration is not possible here. Intercept handles the technical migration within your tenant from start to finish.
Read moreCredit card or online MCA
Here too, Intercept handles the technical migration from start to finish. After that, you get a monthly invoice from Intercept, with a discount.
Read moreOnly 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, 21 August 2026, Microsoft, 17 August 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, 29 July 2025
During a migration, the source and target resource groups are locked for changes for up to four hours. Existing resources keep working.
Source: Microsoft, 29 July 2025
A migration changes the resource ID. Scripts, templates and dashboards that use the ID must be updated.
Source: Microsoft, 29 July 2025
Role assignments on a migrated resource do not move with it and must be recreated after the migration.
Source: Microsoft, 29 July 2025
Not all resource types can be migrated, and dependent resources must move together. Depending on the resources, a migration can cause downtime.
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, 17 August 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, 21 August 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, 21 August 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.
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, 29 December 2025
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, 17 August 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, 21 August 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.