MS Funding FA for Copilot - Another change to the process !
Hi all, it appears that Microsoft has introduced an additional approval step for the “Frontier for Copilot” funding. This change appears to be very recent. MS Support had no information about this change, the change was not mentioned during last week's Asia/ANZ Copilot partner meeting, and it is not documented in the incentives guide. Key points of this change Previously, we could start with our funded Copilot activities once customer consent was received. There is now an additional Microsoft approval step after consent. Microsoft will inform us partners if funding is approved or if it is declined. This review appears to take up to ~1 week. It is currently unclear what Microsoft is validating during this additional review. Impact A simple Partner Centre check (*) is no longer sufficient to assume funding has been approved. (*) Pages where we partners submit our customer claim/funding claim under Incentives. We must get customer consent, then WAIT ~1 week, and only then we can confirm to our customer that the selected Copilot engagement is funded by MS (or not). This delay does not appear to extend the 90-day delivery window, which still seems to start from customer consent. Could the MS Community moderators please share some additional insights into this? As mentioned above, this change appears to be done in a rush with a complete lack of communication to values partners! It impacts the conversation with customers - so I appreciate a clear response. Ralf
Purchase a membership
Hi everyone, I am trying to purchase a membership, but I am completely stuck and hoping someone in the community can help. Every time I try to complete the checkout process, I get the following error: Error ID: 2100037 We regret to inform you that your order cannot be processed at this moment. Please retry purchasing the membership from the membership offers page by clicking the 'Back to Membership' button after some time. If this issue persists, please contact the Support team. (CorrelationId: ce8bd334-01e6-4b58-8b7e-8d02287fddf4) 23 Sep 2026 10:21:07 GMT I have done everything on my end to troubleshoot this, including: Switching accounts: I tried purchasing the membership from completely different user accounts. Waiting it out: I have tried multiple times at different moments of the day to see if it was just a temporary server overload. Changing payment methods: I used two entirely different cards to rule out a bank decline. I already reached out to the official support team, but it has been incredibly frustrating. They are very slow to reply, and we just keep going in circles with automated-sounding responses that don't actually solve the problem. Has anyone else run into this specific error code? If you managed to get past it, how did you do it? Any advice or workarounds would be hugely appreciated because right now, nothing is working!
Modernize Together: The Power of Partner Community in the AI Era
Enterprise transformation is moving faster than ever. As organizations modernize applications, migrate critical workloads, and prepare their data for AI, they need more than technology. They need trusted guidance, proven experience, and a clear path from strategy to measurable business outcomes. Microsoft partners play a vital role in that journey. Yet even the strongest partner practices benefit from being connected to a broader community—one where peers can exchange ideas, learn from real-world experiences, stay current on Microsoft innovations, and work through the challenges that accompany complex enterprise frontier transformation. Why partner community matters Modernization and AI opportunities rarely follow a single, predictable path. Customer environments are complex, business priorities evolve, and new technologies and programs continue to emerge. A strong partner community helps members navigate that change together rather than in isolation. By participating actively, partners can: Learn from the field: Hear how peers are approaching customer conversations, assessments, migrations, and modernization programs—and apply those lessons to their own practices. Stay close to Microsoft: Receive timely updates on strategic priorities, skilling and sales programs, product roadmap, resources, and opportunities that can help strengthen customer engagements. Build trusted relationships: Connect with organizations facing similar challenges, exchange practical guidance, and identify opportunities to collaborate. Accelerate execution: Use shared insights and proven approaches to reduce reinvention, improve delivery confidence, and move customer opportunities forward faster. Shape what comes next: Bring field perspectives into the conversation and help inform how the broader ecosystem supports enterprise modernization. Community participation is not simply about receiving information. Its greatest value comes from contribution: asking questions, sharing what works, discussing what does not, and helping peers solve problems. That exchange turns individual experience into collective capability—and helps the entire partner ecosystem deliver greater customer impact. Join the Azure Migration & Modernization Partner community The Azure Migration & Modernization Partner community is a closed community of enterprise partners that meets monthly. It brings together Microsoft Enterprise partners focused on helping customers modernize their IT and data estates, establish secure cloud foundations, and create the conditions for AI and Analytics innovation. Each session creates space to hear updates, exchange insights, discuss common challenges, and connect with peers who understand the realities of enterprise frontier transformation. For partners building or expanding a modernization practice, this is an opportunity to strengthen capabilities, discover new approaches, and remain connected to the evolving Microsoft ecosystem. We invite eligible enterprise partners to join, participate, and contribute by clicking on Azure Migration and Modernization Partner Forum, Don't miss these new FY27 opportunities Organizations across industries are looking to modernize to innovate with AI and as you work with your customers, do not miss the chance to leverage two new Frontier Accelerate offers: Databases Presales Assessment + Proof of Value, which rewards strategic work to assess databases for modernization and AI use cases. Databases Conversion Bonus, which rewards eligible migrations from AWS and Google Cloud to Azure Databases. Together, these offers can help partners shape data opportunities earlier, carry them into execution, grow services revenue and Azure consumption, and help customers establish a trusted data foundation for AI. Review Frontier Accelerate partner-nominated resources and explore Frontier Accelerate for Azure to learn more. Modernization is a team effort. Join the community, learn from the ecosystem, and help enterprise customers move from AI ambition to impact.
Modernized Azure Credits Redemption Unavailable Despite Official Launch
Hello Microsoft Partner Community, I would like to raise a concern regarding the transparency and regional availability of Microsoft's modernized Azure Credits redemption experience. I am a Microsoft partner registered in China and purchased Solutions Partner designation (SPD) benefits for the first time. My order was placed on September 29, 2026, and payment was completed on October 8, 2026. However, after payment, I discovered that my Partner Center account still only supports the legacy "Assign user" Azure Credits redemption method. IMPORTANT: NO BENEFITS HAVE BEEN REDEEMED OR USED. I want to emphasize the following facts: I have NOT redeemed a single benefit. I have NOT activated or used any benefit. I have NOT opened, revealed, or viewed ANY license key or product key. I have NOT assigned any Azure Credits to a user. I have NOT activated any Azure sponsorship subscription. ALL purchased benefits remain completely untouched. I intentionally stopped all redemption activities after discovering that the modernized experience was unavailable. WHY IS THIS CONCERNING? On August 3, 2026, Microsoft officially announced that the updated benefits redemption process was live, identifying "All partners" as the affected audience. Furthermore, on September 21, 2026, Microsoft Community Manager JillArmourMicrosoft stated in the Partner Benefits Forum: "Microsoft recently modernized the Azure benefits redemption experience." Both announcements were published BEFORE I purchased my SPD benefits. However, Microsoft's documentation also states that modernized Azure Credits redemption is only available in countries and regions where the rollout has been completed. Unfortunately, Microsoft has not published a clear list of supported countries or regions. As a result, partners cannot reliably determine whether the modernized experience will actually be available before making a purchase. WHY DOES THE REDEMPTION METHOD MATTER? I already operate production workloads on existing Azure subscriptions that have approved service quotas. These quotas are essential to my production environment and cannot currently be requested or obtained on newly created standard Azure subscriptions. The modernized redemption experience would allow eligible Azure Credits to be applied to an existing MCA billing profile, enabling me to use the credits with my established subscriptions. However, the legacy redemption method requires creating a separate Azure subscription that does not have access to these approved quotas. Therefore, the legacy redemption method is not a practical alternative for my existing production environment. MY QUESTIONS FOR MICROSOFT Regional availability: Which countries and regions currently support modernized Azure Credits redemption? Has the modernized redemption experience launched for partners registered in China? If not, when is it expected to become available? Official announcements: Why did Microsoft announce that the updated redemption experience was live while regional restrictions remained in place? Why is there no clear regional availability warning before purchasing SPD benefits? Existing purchase: Since I purchased my benefits after Microsoft's official announcements, can my existing purchase be converted to the modernized redemption experience? Refund and repurchase: If migration is not possible, can Microsoft approve a full refund? Again, I have NOT redeemed any benefits, activated anything, or viewed a single product key. If a refund is approved, will I be able to purchase the same SPD benefits again after modernized redemption becomes available in China, provided I still meet the qualification requirements? Will the refunded order affect any purchase frequency restrictions or future eligibility? Refund deadline: Given the limited refund request window, can Microsoft confirm how my eligibility will be handled while this issue is being investigated? MY REQUEST I understand that global feature rollouts may take place in phases. However, the availability of a paid benefit's redemption method should be clearly disclosed before purchase. I am not requesting additional benefits. I am requesting accurate information and a fair resolution. I have already contacted Microsoft Support, but I believe this issue deserves public clarification because other partners may face the same situation. Most importantly, 100% of my purchased benefits remain unused and unredeemed, and NO product or license keys have ever been viewed. I would greatly appreciate a response from a Microsoft Community Manager or Partner Center product team representative. Thank you.
Partner Blog | What's new for Microsoft partners: October 2026 edition
Your voice continues to shape how the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program evolves. This update brings together the announcements, investments, and resources that matter most to partners right now, so you can prioritize where to focus, what to skill, and which motions to scale as AI becomes central to key workloads. What follows highlights areas of partner opportunity, grounded in feedback from across the ecosystem and aligned to how customers are evolving their cloud and AI strategies. Spotlight Microsoft Ignite 2026 From November 17 to 20, 2026, Microsoft Ignite brings partners, customers, Microsoft leaders, and industry experts together at the Moscone Center in San Francisco and online. The event delivers keynotes, technical sessions, hands-on labs, certifications, and expert insights across Copilot, agentic business applications, cloud and AI platforms, Frontier Transformation, security, and more. Registration is open for both in-person and online attendance, and a schedule builder is now online to help attendees find sessions that align with their business priorities. The new Copilot is here: The opportunity for Microsoft partners The new Microsoft Copilot app opens opportunities across AI advisory, security and governance, agent development, adoption, and managed services for software companies, systems integrators, and channel partners. See more AI Business Solutions partner news. Build. Monetize. Scale. Frontier Accelerate for Marketplace launches to power software companies on Microsoft Marketplace Frontier Accelerate for Marketplace guides software development companies through three stages, Build and Publish, Grow, and Differentiate, connecting Microsoft trusted expertise, savings and investments, and skilled teams to each stage. Eligible partners can move from solution readiness to Marketplace transactions and co-sell momentum. See more Microsoft Marketplace partner news. CSP growth margins are now generally available Growth margins now give eligible Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) distributors and direct bill partners incremental margin on qualifying Microsoft 365 growth opportunities. Partners can validate customer eligibility through the eligibility API and download eligible SKUs in the Pricing workspace in Partner Center. Program and benefits updates Frontier Partner specialization open for enrollment in Partner Center This specialization validates partners who design, build, deploy, govern, and secure AI agents across Microsoft 365 Copilot, Microsoft Foundry, GitHub Copilot, Microsoft Defender, Microsoft Entra, and Microsoft Purview. Partners who earn it gain badging, priority search, and skill-aligned benefits. Agentic support: Why AI-powered operations are becoming a competitive core for CSP partners Explore how CSP partners can use agentic AI, stronger support processes, and Microsoft resources to build more efficient customer support operations. New CSP activation incentive for Microsoft Copilot Cowork The Copilot Cowork CSP Activation Incentive rewards eligible CSP indirect resellers and direct bill partners for driving customer adoption and usage of Copilot Cowork, on top of existing CSP incentives. CSP software pricing update effective October 1, 2026 A 5% cost of capital uplift applies to annual-term CSP software subscriptions billed monthly, such as Microsoft SQL Server and Windows Server, taking effect for existing subscriptions at renewal. Annual billing and month-to-month subscriptions stay the same. Earn the new Clinical Applications specialization Now available to eligible partners, this specialization recognizes proven expertise deploying Dragon Copilot for healthcare customers. It can unlock co-sell and referral eligibility, funding opportunities, Azure bulk credits, deployment support, and go-to-market assets. Back at your desk? Start FY27 with the resources that matter most MCAPS Start for Partners keynotes and sessions, plus Microsoft Partner FY27 GTM Kickoff videos and presentations, are now available on demand. New resources span skilling, benefits, Copilot, marketing, Marketplace, and partner operations to help partners prepare for Microsoft Ignite. Partner Center Technical Corner: August 2026 edition The August edition covers AI-powered sales recommendations for CSP partners, preparation for growth margins, webhooks for subscription status, the new Check Inventory by Resource Type API, and audit-based validation for Security specializations. Plan today, grow tomorrow: Turn partner investments into sustained demand Omdia research maps 28 critical presales touchpoints, and the linked blog recommends three reinforcing FY27 investments: build expertise, run sustained demand generation, and apply both to Copilot and Frontier Transformation. New in Partner Marketing Center Pro, the Microsoft 365 Copilot Business campaign in a box provides ready-to-use assets to promote Copilot Business trials. Continue reading here
