Merge pull request #30864 from jedarby/docs-editor/what-if-my-subscription-expire-1771544261

Update what-if-my-subscription-expires.md

Author: aditisrivastava07

microsoft-365/commerce/subscriptions/what-if-my-subscription-expires.md

@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ ms.date: 12/04/2025
 
 # What happens to my data and access when my Microsoft 365 for business subscription ends?
 
-When your subscription ends, your access to Microsoft 365 products and services, apps, and customer data goes through multiple statuses before the subscription is fully turned off, or deleted. Being aware of this status progression can help you return your subscription to an active status before it's too late. If you're leaving Microsoft 365, we recommend that you [back up your data](move-users-different-subscription.md#back-up-data-before-changing-microsoft-365-for-business-plans) before it gets deleted.
+When your subscription ends, your access to Microsoft 365 products and services, apps, and customer data goes through multiple statuses before the subscription is fully turned off or deleted. Being aware of this status progression can help you return your subscription to an active status before it's too late. If you're leaving Microsoft 365, we recommend that you [back up your data](move-users-different-subscription.md#back-up-data-before-changing-microsoft-365-for-business-plans) before it gets deleted.
 
 This article applies to all Microsoft 365 for business subscriptions, including Enterprise and Volume Licensing.
 
@@ -45,16 +45,16 @@ A subscription goes through the following statuses over the course of its lifecy
 Active > Expired > Disabled > Deleted
 
 > [!NOTE]
-> As of February 9, 2026, the **Expired** lifecycle state no longer applies to license-based subscriptions bought directly through a Microsoft Customer Agreement. Instead, you can continue to access our services without disruption after the subscription end date, until the subscription is either renewed or canceled.
+> As of February 9, 2026, the **Expired** lifecycle state no longer applies to license-based subscriptions bought directly through a Microsoft Customer Agreement (MCA). To learn more, see [Understand your options if your subscription is about to end](#understand-your-options-if-your-subscription-is-about-to-end).
 
-The **Expired** status starts immediately after the subscription reaches its end date, regardless of whether it expired naturally by reaching the end of the subscription term, you turned off recurring billing, canceled, or upgraded it.
-
-The subscription only enters the **Expired** status after all the licenses are removed. If you order fewer than the original number of licenses, the subscription doesn’t enter the **Expired** status. Instead, admins have 90 days to resolve the conflict for any assigned licenses in excess of the purchased quantity. During this 90 day period there’s no service interruption to subscriptions that are assigned on a per user basis. For nonuser based subscriptions, like Office 365 Extra File Storage for SharePoint, a reduction in the license quantity immediately results in reduced storage. For Enterprise volume licensing customers, we recommend placing an Online Reservation to restore service, and then contact your licensing partner to understand why there was a reduction in licenses.
+The **Expired** status starts immediately after the subscription reaches its end date, regardless of whether it expired naturally by reaching the end of the subscription term, you turned off recurring billing or upgraded it.
 
 **For yearly or three-year subscriptions**, if you turn off recurring billing, it goes through all the lifecycle statuses. The **Expired** status starts on the subscription end date, not the date that you turned off recurring billing.
 
 **For monthly subscriptions**, if you cancel a monthly subscription within the cancellation policy window, it skips the **Expired** status and immediately moves to the **Disabled** status on the date you cancel it. This means that your users immediately lose access to the Microsoft 365 assets, and only admins have access to the data during the Disabled state.
 
+**For volume licensing customers**, the subscription only enters the **Expired** status after all the licenses are removed. If you order fewer than the original number of licenses, the subscription doesn’t enter the **Expired** status. Instead, admins have 90 days to resolve the conflict for any assigned licenses in excess of the purchased quantity. During this 90 day period there’s no service interruption to subscriptions that are assigned on a per user basis. For nonuser based subscriptions, like Office 365 Extra File Storage for SharePoint, a reduction in the license quantity immediately results in reduced storage. For Enterprise volume licensing customers, we recommend that you place an Online Reservation to restore service, and then contact your licensing partner to understand why there was a reduction in licenses.
+
 > [!IMPORTANT]
 > If a subscription is deleted, adding a new subscription of the same type doesn't restore the data that was associated with the deleted subscription.
 
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ For most offers, in most countries and regions, the number of days a subscriptio
 
 If you’re an Enterprise customer, the lifecycle statuses and time periods for each are different, based on the length of your subscription. The following table lists the statuses and number of days for each status and each subscription length.
 
-| | Active | Grace | Inactive | Deleted |
+| | Active | Expired | Inactive | Deleted |
 |--|-------|-------|----------|---------|
 | Monthly term | Default status | 30 days | 90 days | Terminal state |
 | Annual term | Default status | 30 days | 90 days | Terminal state |
@@ -95,43 +95,52 @@ If you’re an Enterprise customer, the lifecycle statuses and time periods for
 
 If you bought your subscription through an Enterprise volume licensing agreement or through the Open Value licensing program, the following table lists the statuses and number of days.
 
-| | Active | Grace | Inactive | Deleted |
+| | Active | Expired | Inactive | Deleted |
 |--|--------|-------|----------|---------|
 | Enterprise | Default status. Subscription end date aligns with the agreement end date | 90 days from subscription end date | 60 days | Terminal State |
 | Open / Open Value | Subscription start date based on activation of token (not necessarily purchase date) | 30 days | 90 days | Terminal state |
 
 > [!NOTE]
-> Not all VL subscriptions have a 90 day grace period. Some products and services, like some Microsoft 365 Copilot subscriptions, bought through VL only have a 30 day grace period.
+> Not all VL subscriptions have a 90 day expired period. Some products and services, like some Microsoft 365 Copilot subscriptions, bought through VL only have a 30 day expired period.
 
 ### Lifecycle status durations for Cloud Service Provider (CSP) customers
 
 If you bought your subscription through a CSP, see [Subscription lifecycle states - Partner Center](/partner-center/subscription-lifecycle) for descriptions of the lifecycle statuses that apply to those subscriptions.
 
-## Understand your options if your subscription is about to expire
+## Understand your options if your subscription is about to end
 
-While a subscription is active, you and your users have normal access to your data, services like email, OneDrive, and apps in Microsoft 365. As an admin, you receive a series of notifications via email and in the admin center as your subscription nears its expiration date.
+While a subscription is active, you and your users have normal access to your data, services like email, OneDrive, and apps in Microsoft 365. As an admin, you receive a series of notifications via email and in the admin center as your subscription nears its end date.
 
 If you’re a Volume Licensing customer, see [Options if your volume licensing subscription is about to expire](#options-if-your-volume-licensing-subscription-is-about-to-expire).
 
-Before the subscription reaches its expiration date, you have two options:
+Before the subscription reaches its end date, you have the following options:
 
 1. **Enable recurring billing for the subscription.**
-    - If **Recurring billing** is already turned on, you don't have to take any action. Your subscription is automatically billed, and you're charged for another year or month, depending on your current billing frequency.
-    - If you turned off **Recurring billing**, you can [turn it back on](renew-your-subscription.md) to keep your subscription active. 
-    - If you bought Microsoft 365 Apps for business with a prepaid card, you can [turn on **Recurring billing**](renew-your-subscription.md) for your subscription and provide a payment method to continue the subscription.
-    - If you have Microsoft 365 Apps for business, see [Manage recurring billing for your subscription](renew-your-subscription.md).
-2. **Let the subscription expire.**
-    - If you don't want to continue your subscription, [turn off recurring billing](renew-your-subscription.md). Your subscription ends on its expiration date, and you can ignore all related email notifications.
-    - If you're a Microsoft 365 Business Standard customer, and you prepaid for your subscription and activated it with a product key, you can let your subscription expire by taking no action.
 
+   - If **Recurring billing** is already turned on, you don't have to take any action. Your subscription is automatically billed, and you're charged for another year or month, depending on your current billing frequency.
+   - If you turned off **Recurring billing**, you can [turn it back on](renew-your-subscription.md) to keep your subscription active. 
+   - If you bought Microsoft 365 Apps for business with a prepaid card, you can [turn on ](renew-your-subscription.md)**[Recurring billing](renew-your-subscription.md)** for your subscription and provide a payment method to continue the subscription.
+   - If you have Microsoft 365 Apps for business, see [Manage recurring billing for your subscription](renew-your-subscription.md).
+
+1. **Let the subscription end.**
+
+   - If you don't want to continue your subscription, [turn off recurring billing](renew-your-subscription.md). Your subscription ends on its term end date, and you can ignore all related email notifications.
+   - If you're a Microsoft 365 Business Standard customer, and you prepaid for your subscription and activated it with a product key, you can let your subscription end by taking no action.
+      
+1. **Switch to an Extended Service Term subscription.**
+
+   - An Extended Service Term (EST) option is available for subscriptions purchased under an MCA billing account. 
+   - EST gives customers additional time at the end of a subscription term to make the right subscription choices for their business without any service disruption. 
+   - EST allows customers to continue service on a month-to-month basis until they cancel or convert to a standard subscription.
+   
 ## Lifecycle information for volume licensing customers
 
 This section contains information specifically for customers who bought online services either through the Open Volume Licensing program or through a volume licensing program, like Enterprise, Select Plus, or Microsoft Products & Services Agreement (MPSA).
 
 > [!NOTE]
 > The Open Volume Licensing program was retired in December 2021.
 
-For all VL subscriptions, the **Expired** status starts immediately after the subscription reaches its end date, and lasts for 90 days. Services immediately become unavailable when the **Expired** status ends. The exact end date depends on how you bought your subscription.
+For all VL subscriptions, the **Expired** status starts immediately after the subscription reaches its end date and lasts for 90 days. Services immediately become unavailable when the **Expired** status ends. The exact end date depends on how you bought your subscription.
 
 - For subscriptions bought through the VL program, the end date depends on the date you placed the order.
 - For Open Value customers, the end date depends on the date you activated your product keys.
@@ -147,7 +156,7 @@ For all VL subscriptions, the **Expired** status starts immediately after the su
 
 ## What happens when you cancel a subscription
 
-If you cancel your subscription within the cancellation policy window, the subscription skips the **Expired** status and moves directly to the **Disabled** status.
+If you cancel your subscription within the cancellation policy window, the subscription moves directly to the **Disabled** status.
 
 We recommend that you [back up your data](move-users-different-subscription.md) before you cancel your subscription. As an admin, you can still access and back up data for your organization while it’s in the Disabled status. Any customer data that you leave behind might be deleted after 90 days and will be deleted no later than 180 days after cancellation.
 
@@ -156,10 +165,10 @@ We recommend that you [back up your data](move-users-different-subscription.md)
 
 ## What happens when your trial ends
 
-When your trial ends, we automatically start billing you for your subscription. Before your trial ends, you can take one of the following actions:
+At the end of your trial period, we automatically start billing you for your subscription. Before your trial period ends, you can take one of the following actions:
 
 - **Extend your trial.** If you need more time to evaluate Microsoft 365, you can [extend your trial](../extend-your-trial.md).
-- **Cancel the trial or let it expire.** If you decide not to buy Microsoft 365, you can [turn off recurring billing](renew-your-subscription.md) and let your trial expire or [cancel it](cancel-your-subscription.md). Before your trial ends, back up any data that you want to keep. After the 30-day Expired status ends, your trial account information and data are permanently deleted.
+- **Cancel the trial or let it end.** If you decide not to buy Microsoft 365, you can [turn off recurring billing](renew-your-subscription.md) and let your trial end or [cancel it](cancel-your-subscription.md). Before your trial ends, back up any data that you want to keep. After the trial ends, your trial account information and data are permanently deleted.
 
 > [!NOTE]
 > The information on this page is subject to the [Microsoft Policy Disclaimer and Change Notice](https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkId=613651). Return to this site periodically to review any changes.