kyleikeda presents a detailed overview of the Copilot Credit Pre-Purchase Plan, showing how teams can leverage upfront payments to achieve predictable costs and savings when using Microsoft Copilot Studio and Dynamics 365 custom AI agents.

Streamline Copilot Studio Costs with the Pre-Purchase (P3) Plan

Introduction

Organizations using Microsoft Copilot Studio for building custom AI agents or integrating with Dynamics 365 often face unpredictable costs as usage grows. The Copilot Credit Pre-Purchase Plan (P3) offers a one-year, upfront payment option that helps organizations take control of expenses and benefit from significant volume discounts.

What is the Copilot Credit Pre-Purchase Plan?

  • P3 is a one-year plan where you pay upfront for a pool of Copilot Credit Commit Units (CCCU).
  • Usage from Copilot Studio, Dynamics 365 first-party agents, or Copilot Chat automatically draws down the prepaid CCCU balance.
  • Higher tiers grant bigger discounts, providing incentives as your usage increases. See pricing.

How Does It Work?

  • Purchase CCCUs upfront for a period of one year.
  • All eligible usage (Copilot Studio, Dynamics 365 agents, Copilot Chat) consumes credits from the pool.
  • If the credits run out before the end of term, you can buy another P3 plan or switch to pay-as-you-go (PAYG).
  • Unused credits expire at the end of the year.

Example Scenario

A retail company operates 15 custom Copilot Studio agents for inventory, store operations, and customer service, with fluctuating seasonal demand.

  • Without P3: PAYG costs spike during high usage period, complicating budgeting.
  • With P3: The company forecasts 1,500,000 Copilot Credits for a year, purchases 15,000 CCCUs under P3 Tier 2 at $14,100 (6% discount compared to PAYG). Every agent use automatically deducts from the P3 balance, offering cost certainty.

Key Benefits

  • Cost savings: Up to 20% discount at the highest tier.
  • Predictable budgeting: One-year upfront payment, simplifying expense management.
  • Flexibility: You can add additional P3 plans or combine with capacity packs and PAYG as needs change.
  • Simplicity: No need for resource redeployment—P3 applies automatically.
  • Scoped application: Choose if P3 covers a resource group, subscription, management group, or is shared.

How to Purchase the Pre-Purchase Plan

  1. Sign in to the Azure portal > Reservations > + Add > Copilot Credit Pre‑purchase Plan.
  2. Select your subscription and the desired scope.
  3. Choose the P3 tier and complete payment.
  4. In the Power Platform Admin Center, link your subscription to Copilot Studio.

Best Practices

  • Estimate accurately: Use historical usage or the Copilot consumption estimator to plan purchases.
  • Deploy first: Make sure environments are PAYG-enabled before buying a plan.
  • Monitor utilization: Set alerts to avoid unexpected PAYG charges.
  • Plan for renewal: Auto-renew is on by default; adjust settings if your usage changes.

Conclusion

The Copilot Credit Pre-Purchase Plan helps organizations with variable or growing Copilot Studio use to predict and optimize costs. By paying upfront, you gain cost certainty, automatic billing, and an easier way to manage AI agent resource allocation. To get started or learn more, visit the Azure portal or review the Copilot Credits Pre-purchase Plans documents.

Additional Resources

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