Outlook.com Premium is Microsoft"s subscription offer for its email service that was first released back in February 2016 and achieved general availability in February 2017. For an annual fee, subscribers of the service get access to the following additional features:
- Five personalized email addresses with a custom domain for up to five users, which is bought from GoDaddy for an extra $10 per year - but apparently free for the first year. Also, if the user already owns a custom domain, it can be used with the service at no extra charge.
- Easy sharing of calendar, contacts and documents powered by the new Outlook.com platform and by OneDrive for those users sharing the custom domain.
- Ad-free inbox when accessing those e-mail addresses via Outlook.com on the web.
Until now the service was only available to US residents, but now those living in Canada, UK and Northern Ireland, Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, and Ireland can also purchase a subscription.
If you are interested in the subscription service and reside in any of the currently supported regions, be aware of the upcoming price hike on March 31, 2017. For reference, here are the current and future prices provided on the Outlook website.
| Region | Price before March 31 | Price after March 31 |
|---|---|---|
| United States of America | 19.95 USD/year | 49.95 USD/year |
| Canada | 29.99 CAD/year | 74.99 CAD/year |
| UK and Northern Ireland | 14.99 GBP/year | 37.48 GBP/year |
| Singapore | 36.00 SGD/year | 90.00 SGD/year |
| Australia | 37.95 AUD/year | 94.95 AUD/year |
| Hong Kong | 168.00 HKD/year | 420.00 HKD/year |
| Ireland | 19.99 EUR/year | 49.99 EUR/year |
Microsoft hasn"t made any official announcement yet, nor has it shared information about a wider availability of the service. We will keep you updated as we learn more.
Source: Outlook.com Premium via MSPoweruser