automatic basic subscription renewal email has stopped me using excel on my desktop

IAN ANDREWS 0 Reputation points
2026-11-15T11:18:40.4+00:00

I received an automated email saying my microsoft basic 365 subscription was ending (see below)

important update about your Microsoft 365 Basic subscription

We received your last payment of GBP 84.99 on Friday, November 14, 2025 for your Microsoft 365 Basic subscription. Thank you for your payment.

**We want to let you know about a change to the amount of your next payment. Unless you cancel two days before Saturday, November 14, 2026, we’ll charge GBP 19.99 including taxes every year to your MasterCard 2285.

I now cannot access excel of word on my laptop and have had to upgrade to Microsoft Personal. why did i get an email saying subscription stays at basic and not that it wont allow me to use excel etc??? Also as i have now got 2 subscriptions running together, please cancel the basic subscription and refund me the money taken £19.99

thankyou

Microsoft 365 and Office | Subscription, account, billing | For home | Windows
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  1. DaveM121 949.3K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-11-15T11:53:20.3366667+00:00

    Hi Ian,

    Log into any Microsoft account you may have on this link.

    https://account.microsoft.com/services/

    Do you find two separate subscriptions linked to your accounts there, and if so, is one of the subscriptions a Microsoft 365 Basic subscription and is the other a Personal or Family subscription?

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  2. AI answer

    2026-11-15T11:18:58.08+00:00

    Microsoft 365 Basic does not include the desktop Excel and Word apps. It provides 100 GB of cloud storage, ad-free Outlook, and support benefits. Desktop Office apps are included with Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, or Premium. That is why a Basic subscription email could still be correct while Excel and Word on the laptop stopped working.

    Microsoft 365 Basic and Microsoft 365 Personal are separate consumer subscriptions, so they can exist at the same time. They are not automatically merged.

    To check and manage the overlap:

    1. Go to the Services & subscriptions page and sign in with the Microsoft account that received the renewal email.
    2. Check whether both Microsoft 365 Basic and Microsoft 365 Personal are listed.
    3. For the Basic subscription, select Manage.
    4. If Cancel is available, use it and follow the prompts.
    5. If Turn on recurring billing is shown instead, recurring billing is already off and the subscription is set to expire on the shown date.

    For a refund of the £19.99 Basic charge:

    1. Start from the Microsoft 365 cancellation flow.
    2. Cancel the Basic subscription first.
    3. During cancellation, Microsoft shows whether that charge is eligible for a refund.
    4. If the Basic subscription was bought through Apple, Google Play, or another retailer, cancellation and refund must be handled with that provider, not Microsoft.

    To confirm where the subscription is managed:

    1. Sign in to account.microsoft.com/services.
    2. If options such as Manage, Cancel, or Change payment appear, it is billed by Microsoft.
    3. If those options are limited or missing, it is likely managed by a third party.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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