Enhanced Azure Sponsorship Eligibility for Partners
Microsoft announced an important update that simplifies how partners in Marketplace Rewards can use Azure Sponsorship credits on Microsoft Customer Agreement (MCA) billing profiles. This change removes a previous blocker that prevented sponsorship credit redemption when Azure Credit Offer (ACO) credits were applied to a billing profile.
What's Changing
For Global Cloud partners, Azure Sponsorship credits can now be redeemed on an MCA billing profile that previously had Azure Credit Offer (ACO) credits applied. This update significantly reduces friction for partners and customers managing MCA billing profiles, particularly those participating in Marketplace Rewards.
Key Benefits
- Expanded Eligibility: Partners and customers with historical or current ACO credits can now redeem sponsorship credits
- Streamlined Billing: Maintain flexibility in billing structure while taking advantage of sponsorship benefits
- Maintained Security: All existing eligibility requirements and limitations remain in effect
- Partner Feedback: Directly addresses longstanding partner requests for improved MCA management
Why This Matters
Partners have consistently raised challenges with redeeming sponsorship credits on MCA billing profiles. This improvement directly addresses that feedback and enables:
- Better customer experience when managing Azure resources
- Simplified internal processes for sponsorship redemption
- Greater flexibility in billing profile management
- Increased opportunity to maximize Azure sponsorship value
Next Steps
If your organization receives Azure Sponsorship from Marketplace Rewards, review your current MCA billing profiles and leverage sponsorship credits to accelerate customer cloud adoption.
Source: Microsoft Partner Center Announcements – February 2026