Microsoft Quietly Kills Surface Plus

In a surprise move, Microsoft has quietly stopped offering its Surface Plus financing program for consumers.

“Microsoft is ending new enrollment into the Surface Plus Program,” the Surface Plus website notes curtly. The decision came after “much thought and consideration,” the page later adds.

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This is disappointing.

As I wrote when Surface Plus debuted a year ago, this financing program made Microsoft’s PC much more accessible to a wider audience. It allowed customers to pay for a Surface PC over a two-year period with 0 percent interest. So instead of having to put $1299 on a credit card, to use the example I used a year ago, you could pay $54.13 a month for two years.

It’s also strange timing, given that Microsoft just started a similar financing program for Xbox One called Xbox All Access. It seemed like Microsoft had figured out the right formula for making its expensive hardware more approachable for those in the middle class: Xbox All Access is, in many ways, a game changer.

Both Surface Plus and Xbox All Access were/are financed by third parties. Perhaps that had something to do with it.

And if you’re already using Surface Plus, be sure to check out the FAQ: Nothing is changing and Microsoft will apparently still let you move forward with a new PC when the two-year payment plan expires. (You own the Surface PC you paid for.)

 

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Conversation 10 comments

  • JacobTheDev

    Premium Member
    04 September, 2018 - 11:57 am

    <p>Very disappointed to hear this, I was strongly considering using it for my next Surface ?</p>

    • PeterA

      Premium Member
      06 September, 2018 - 2:17 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#314186">In reply to Jacob-Bearce:</a></em></blockquote><p>As was I… </p>

  • ben55124

    Premium Member
    04 September, 2018 - 12:17 pm

    <p>Now for the Xbox All Access tier that includes a Surface Pro.</p>

  • jgraebner

    Premium Member
    04 September, 2018 - 1:12 pm

    <p>I purchased a Surface Book 2 at a local Microsoft Store in early August. I asked about Surface Plus, but was told that it was only available online and that the purchase had to be shipped rather than picked up in store. In store, they instead offered 18-month 0% financing through Dell Financial. Considering that the new Xbox financing plan is also through Dell, I suspect that they have switched financing partners and the contract with Klarma probably ended 9/1.</p>

  • neunmalelf

    04 September, 2018 - 1:59 pm

    <p>Just another step in the "not so constant" MS Strategy?</p>

    • cwfinn

      Premium Member
      05 September, 2018 - 1:04 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#314343"><em>In reply to neunmalelf:</em></a><em> Consistent and Microsoft should never appear in the same sentence.</em></blockquote><p><br></p>

  • Davor Radman

    05 September, 2018 - 12:11 am

    <p>Well who changes their PC every 18-24 months?</p>

  • roastedwookie

    05 September, 2018 - 3:52 am

    <p>:)))</p>

  • DocPaul

    05 September, 2018 - 10:03 am

    <p>Paying for stuff over time is stupid. You could argue that with 0% interest your last payment has had a couple years of inflation to make that payment slightly smaller than the first, but that hardly justifies it. It's a deception that tricks people into thinking they can afford to buy something they probably shouldn't.</p><p><br></p><p>I'm sure Microsoft killed this program for the only reason any company kills any program–it was losing money. In other words, too many people defaulting on their payments.</p><p><br></p><p>People will make darn sure their phone doesn't stop working. That's how Apple became what it is. They convinced the masses that they must have, and can afford an $800+ phone by paying over time. Unfortunately for Microsoft, Surfaces don't provide the same steady supply of dopamine hits.</p><p><br></p><p>(I'll be checking back periodically to see what kind of attention this comment gets–each positive acknowledgement gets me ever so slightly high.)</p>

  • smc540

    06 September, 2018 - 1:10 pm

    <p>Somehow I'm both surprised and not. </p><p><br></p><p>I jumped into the Surface Plus program on Day 1, and ordered my Surface Laptop. The experience with the program has been mixed, mostly on Microsoft's end. Early on, it was pretty well publicized that there were shipping delays and issues, again mostly on Microsoft's part. Klarna had record of my order immediately upon making the purchase, however Microsoft had no record of my order. I received a "We've shipped your product" email AFTER it arrived at my doorstep. To this day, logging into my Surface Plus account shows no devices for me under the program (as I type this on the Laptop I ordered). Klarna does, and has been painless. </p><p><br></p><p>I contacted Microsoft support regarding the fact that under the "My Devices" section I have no records of my Laptop, and they told me that it was a glitch in the system and that it would be corrected, but it hasn't (a year later). I called again curious if this would affect my eligibility to upgrade, since Microsoft seemingly has no record of my Laptop, and reps were not able to give me a clear answer. They admitted their system did not show my Laptop, but told me that if I go into a Microsoft Store and bring 18 months of Klarna statements with me, I should be able to upgrade after the 18 month term. </p><p><br></p><p>The idea behind this program was fantastic, and I love the product I have. However everything else around the experience has been so fragmented and incoherent that I'm not surprised they decided to end it. I just hope lessons learned carry over to the Xbox side of things. </p>

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