Microsoft gets serious about boosting Surface sales with new subscription program

As Microsoft continues to push Surface towards its education audience, the company is today launching a new Surface Plus financing/subscription program geared towards students. Redmond is also launching the new finance program for its business customers.

With Surface Plus, customers in the United States can buy any of the latest Surface devices with a 24-month payment plan at an APR of only 0%. Once you buy a Surface device with Surface Plus, you can choose to upgrade to the latest Surface device after 1 and a half years of usage as long as it’s in good condition. There is a catch, however — after 2 years, the APR goes up to 19.99%.

As for businesses, Microsoft’s Surface Plus for Business program will let businesses part of the Surface Membership program purchase the latest Surface devices in 18, 24, or 30 month periods. Businesses also will be able to upgrade their devices just after one year if they opt for the 24-month payment plan or after 17 months if they opt for the longer 30-month payment plan. Surface Plus for Business will also let businesses get Office 365 for Business with an additional $8.25 per user per month.

Microsoft’s new financing program for their Surface devices should really help boost the sales of the company’s Surface devices, which reported a decline in revenue for the past two quarters.

Surface Plus and Surface Plus for Business are set to go live at 9:00 AM PT (that’s 16:00 GMT) in the United States.