Microsoft’s new payment plan makes Surface devices more affordable

Following the introduction of the Surface as a Service program last year, which provided Surface devices to businesses on subscription plans, Microsoft has debuted a similar offering aimed at consumers.

The Surface Plus program is only being launched in the US at the moment, and essentially makes buying your Surface device the same as purchasing a phone. Instead of paying the entire cost of a laptop or tablet upfront, this new plan spreads payments over two years on a contract.

You won’t pay any interest, and will just be charged the normal price of the Surface hardware providing you opt for a 24-month payment plan – any longer than a two-year contract and interest kicks in at 19.99% APR for subsequent years.

The other major boon is the ability to upgrade to a new Surface device after 18 months, with certain conditions pertaining, as Microsoft makes clear in its blog post on this matter. The main thing is the hardware you’re intending to swap must be in ‘good condition’.

Surface for every occasion

Microsoft’s Surface Plus offering spans the Surface Laptop, Surface Pro (which is one of our best laptops of 2017), Surface Book and Surface Studio all-in-one. Plus all the devices will be covered with dedicated technical support baked into the bargain.

There’s also a spin on the program for businesses, which is unsurprisingly named Surface Plus for Business, and those currently enrolled in the Surface Membership program (launched last year) will be brought under this umbrella.

Business plans offer contracts of 18-months, 24-months or 30-months, with the ability to upgrade after a year on the 24-month subscription. Companies can mix devices in a plan, and as well as the aforementioned Surface devices open to consumers, businesses can also purchase the Surface Hub via this route.

Of course, this is all part of the broader shift to PC as a Service which we’re seeing across a number of manufacturers these days, including HP, Lenovo, and also Dell by the end of the year.

While the Surface Plus program is only available in the US right now, it will hopefully be rolled out on a global basis in the future, so fingers crossed we get it in the UK and Australia before too long.

• You might also get a great deal on a Surface device come Black Friday

August 01, 2017 at 11:07PM
Darren Allan