This article provides answers to frequently asked questions on procurement and custom solutions through the commercial marketplace. For troubleshooting scenarios and solutions on private offers, see Private offer troubleshooting.
Can I separate invoices for individual marketplace purchases when purchasing through an Enterprise Agreement (EA)?
Currently, separate invoices for individual marketplace purchases are not available for EA customers. The only supported format is the consolidated invoice.
How can I receive a private offer from my Independent Software Vendor (ISV) or Microsoft partner?
To receive a private offer from your ISV or partner (reseller), contact them directly and provide them with your billing account. The private offer applies to all the Azure subscriptions under the billing account you provide.
What happens if I change the plan or subscription during the resource creation step?
If you're purchasing a private offer from the private offers management blade, you can only change to plans, terms or subscriptions that are eligible for the specific private offer. Your purchase will still be under the custom price and terms.
Can I buy the product under a subscription that isn't eligible for a private offer?
Yes, you can purchase the product in Azure Marketplace, but you're billed at the full public price.
When purchasing a private offer, when do charges start?
Charges start with full product deployment and activation. Simply accepting the private offer won't start charges. To finalize a private offer deal, the offer must be accepted and then purchased or subscribed to. For SaaS (Software as a Service) offers, the account must be configured on the publisher’s website.
Do I need to accept and purchase a private offer?
Yes, a private offer involves two steps: acceptance and purchase. While the purchase can occur immediately after acceptance, it isn't mandatory, provided it happens between the private offer's start and end dates.
Are the terms of a private offer the same as the terms of a SaaS subscription?
The terms of a private offer (start/end dates) aren't identical to the term of the SaaS subscription.
A private offer might be active for a brief period to facilitate the SaaS purchase.
Once purchased, a seat-based SaaS subscription continues under the negotiated terms of the private offer until expiration.
A metered SaaS service is billed at a discounted price only during the private offer period. Hence, if you're negotiating for a metered SaaS, ensure the private offer term aligns with the SaaS subscription term.
As the SaaS subscription nears expiration, the ISV can issue a new private offer with different terms (again, it can be only for a brief window) to allow renewal under updated conditions. If the customer accepts the private offer and renews the SaaS subscription, the new price and terms are locked in for the entire duration of the SaaS subscription.
Are flexible (uneven) payments supported?
Yes, flexible payment plans are supported for some offer types: SaaS, professional services, and virtual machine software reservations. Ask your publisher for a private offer with a flexible billing option. You can set a custom billing schedule with specific payment amounts on specific dates.
Can I transfer a resource I purchased to a different subscription?
Customers can make a purchase under one Azure subscription and later transfer the resource to a different subscription. In this scenario, all future payments are attributed to the new subscription, while past payments are recorded under the original subscription. This means that you can't allocate 100% of the cost under the new subscription, as the purchase immediately impacts billing for the first installment.