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Renew or Upgrade Your MSDN Subscription

Renewals

Retail

Retail MSDN subscriptions (purchased directly from Microsoft or from a retail reseller) are renewed annually. Renewal purchases can be made directly with Microsoft anytime during the subscription.

Active retail subscribers can renew using the link below:

Volume Licensing

MSDN subscriptions purchased under most Volume Licensing Programs are valid until the Volume License Agreement or Enrollment terminates, or for a maximum subscription term of 3 years. MSDN subscriptions are renewed by purchasing Software Assurance before the current subscription expires.

Subscription Level Qualifies for renewal pricing on:
Visual Studio Ultimate with MSDN
Visual Studio Premium with MSDN
Visual Studio Professional with MSDN
Visual Studio Test Professional with MSDN
MSDN Embedded
MSDN Operating Systems
Visual Studio Premium with MSDN
Visual Studio Professional with MSDN
MSDN Embedded
MSDN Operating Systems

Visual Studio Professional with MSDN
MSDN Embedded
MSDN Operating Systems
Visual Studio Test Professional with MSDN
MSDN Operating Systems
Visual Studio Professional with MSDN
MSDN Embedded
MSDN Operating Systems
MSDN Operating Systems
MSDN Essentials1  Visual Studio Professional with MSDN

Upgrades

Retail

Retail MSDN subscriptions can be upgraded by purchasing the higher-level MSDN subscription desired at its "new" price. It is also allowed to renew a subscription that was purchased in the retail channel onto a Volume Licensing agreement, then to upgrade to a higher subscription level by purchasing a Step-up License.

Volume Licensing

Step-up Licenses enable organizations to upgrade to higher level Visual Studio 2010 client edition products with MSDN. Step-up Licenses are available for products purchased through all channels except retail and Open License.

Step-up options include:

  • Upgrading from Visual Studio 2010 Professional with MSDN or MSDN Embedded to Visual Studio 2010 Premium with MSDN.
  • Upgrading from Visual Studio 2010 Premium with MSDN or Visual Studio Test Professional 2010 with MSDN to Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate with MSDN.

The cost of a Step-up License depends on when it is acquired. For example, a Step-up License that is acquired during the second year of a three-year agreement will cost more than a Step-up License that is acquired during the third year of the agreement.

A Step-up License can be acquired at any time; however, the price is the same for any point in time within a given year of an agreement. For example, a Step-up License that is acquired four months into the second year of a three-year agreement will cost the same as a Step-up License that is acquired at the beginning of the agreement's second year. This is a function of how Microsoft Volume Licensing works rather than anything specific to MSDN subscriptions.

Note: Open License customers who are not eligible for Step-Up Licenses within that program can still take advantage of Step-Up Licenses by renewing within Open Value and immediately buying Step-Up Licenses.

1 MSDN Essentials is offered only with retail purchases of Visual Studio 2010 Professional.