Microsoft hasn't said for how long this "limited time" offer will last, but presumably it will only last for a year or two to help ease the transition between the old pricing and the new pricing. New subscribers won't be offered the option to pay for the Classic plans.

Microsoft has been testing adding AI-powered Office apps, the most important feature of Copilot Pro, into the Microsoft 365 subscriptions in recent months. What was previously only available in Australia, New Zealand, and a number of countries across Asia is now expanding to most markets worldwide.

Microsoft Corp. is raising the price of its package of Office apps for consumers, a bet that subscribers will be willing to cough up more for access to new artificial intelligence tools.