How do I enable Azure Marketplace purchases on an Enterprise Agreement?

An EA Administrator must sign in to the Azure EA Portal (ea.azure.com), navigate to Manage → Enrollment, locate the 'Azure Marketplace' setting, set it to 'Enabled,' and click Save. The change typically takes effect within a few minutes.

What is the fastest way to set up for a Microsoft Marketplace purchase?

The fastest method is to create a new Azure tenant with a Pay-As-You-Go subscription. This takes approximately 15–30 minutes, requires only a credit card and email address, and has Marketplace purchasing enabled by default.

Why is the Marketplace purchase button greyed out or missing?

This can happen if your subscription type does not support Marketplace purchases (e.g., CSP), you are viewing the offering from AppSource when the Azure Portal is required, or you are signed in with the wrong account. Verify you are using a PAYG, EA, or MCA subscription with Owner or Contributor RBAC role.

What Azure RBAC role do I need to purchase from the Marketplace?

You need at least the Contributor role on the Azure subscription, though Owner is recommended. Ask your subscription administrator to assign the appropriate role via Access Control (IAM).

Can I use Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC) funding for Marketplace purchases?

Yes. If your organization has a Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC) as part of your Enterprise agreement, eligible Marketplace purchases can count toward that commitment. Look for the 'Azure benefit eligible' badge on the offer listing in the Azure Marketplace to confirm the offering qualifies for MACC decrement.

How to Purchase on Microsoft Marketplace: Complete Setup Guide

1 Overview

To purchase professional services offerings through the Microsoft Commercial Marketplace (Azure Marketplace or AppSource), customers must have an Azure subscription with a valid billing method that supports Marketplace transactions.

⚠ Important: CSP Subscriptions Are Not Supported

Azure subscriptions provisioned through a Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) do not support third-party Marketplace purchases for professional services. If your organization's Azure environment is managed through a CSP, you will need to set up an alternative purchasing path. The fastest option is to create a new Azure tenant with a Pay-As-You-Go (credit card) billing method, detailed in Method 1 below.

This guide covers three methods for setting up your environment to complete a Marketplace purchase:

Method 1: Create a New Azure Tenant with Pay-As-You-Go Subscription (Recommended – Fastest)
Method 2: Enable Marketplace Purchases on an Existing Enterprise Agreement (EA)
Method 3: Use an Existing Microsoft Customer Agreement (MCA) / Direct Subscription – You May Already Be Purchase-Ready (MACC Eligible)

Setup Method Comparison

Feature	New Tenant (PAYG)	Enterprise Agreement	MCA / Direct
Setup Time	15–30 minutes	Days	1–2 hours
Marketplace Enabled	By default	Requires EA Admin	By default
Billing Method	Credit card	Enterprise billing	Credit card / invoice / MACC
CSP Compatible	N/A	N/A	N/A
Best For	Quick purchases	Large organizations	Orgs with existing MCA / MACC

2 Method 1: New Azure Tenant with Pay-As-You-Go

This is the fastest path to completing a Marketplace purchase. It is ideal for customers whose existing Azure subscriptions are CSP-managed or otherwise restricted from Marketplace transactions. You will create a brand-new Microsoft tenant, add a Pay-As-You-Go Azure subscription funded by credit card, and then complete the purchase.

Prerequisites

A valid email address (can be personal or work, not already tied to a Microsoft tenant you intend to use)
A credit card for billing
Phone number for identity verification
Approximately 15–30 minutes

A. Create a New Microsoft Account and Azure Tenant

Open a web browser and navigate to https://azure.microsoft.com/free/ or https://portal.azure.com.

Click "Start free" or "Create an account." If you are already signed in to an existing account, sign out first or use an InPrivate/Incognito browser window.

Enter an email address to use for the new Microsoft account. If you want to keep this completely separate from your corporate environment, use a personal email or create a new Outlook.com address.

Complete the identity verification process (phone verification and CAPTCHA).

Fill in your profile details (name, country/region, phone number).

A new Azure Active Directory (Entra ID) tenant is automatically created for you at this point.

B. Create a Pay-As-You-Go Subscription

Once logged in to the Azure Portal (portal.azure.com), navigate to "Subscriptions" from the left menu or search bar.

Click "+ Add" to create a new subscription.

Select the "Pay-As-You-Go" offer.

Enter your credit card information for billing. This card will be charged for any Marketplace purchases.

Complete the subscription creation process. You should now see a Pay-As-You-Go subscription listed under your subscriptions.

Verify that Marketplace purchasing is enabled: navigate to Subscriptions → [your subscription] → Resource providers and confirm that "Microsoft.Marketplace" is registered (it should be by default on PAYG subscriptions).

✅ Tip

Pay-As-You-Go subscriptions have Marketplace purchasing enabled by default. No additional admin configuration is required.

C. Complete the Marketplace Purchase

Navigate to the Azure Marketplace by going to portal.azure.com and selecting "Marketplace" from the left menu, or go directly to azuremarketplace.microsoft.com.

Search for the professional services offering you wish to purchase.

Click on the offering and review the details, pricing, and terms.

Click "Set up + subscribe" or "Get it now" (button text varies by offer type).

Select the Pay-As-You-Go subscription you just created as the billing subscription.

Review and accept the terms of use and the publisher's privacy policy.

Click "Subscribe" or "Purchase" to complete the transaction.

You will receive a confirmation email. The publisher will also be notified and will reach out to begin delivery of the professional services.

3 Method 2: Enable Marketplace on an Enterprise Agreement

If your organization has a Microsoft Enterprise Agreement, Marketplace purchases may be disabled by default. An EA Administrator must enable this setting before any users can purchase from the Marketplace.

Prerequisites

An active Microsoft Enterprise Agreement
EA Administrator (or EA Billing Administrator) access to the Azure EA Portal
The subscription you intend to use must be under the EA enrollment

Step-by-Step Instructions

The EA Administrator signs in to the Azure EA Portal at https://ea.azure.com (or the Azure Portal → Cost Management + Billing → EA enrollment).

In the left navigation, go to "Manage" and then select the "Enrollment" tab.

Locate the line item for "Azure Marketplace" and set it to "Enabled."

If the EA also has a "Restrict to EA-managed offerings only" setting, ensure it is configured to allow third-party offerings (not just Microsoft/first-party).

Click "Save." The change typically takes effect within a few minutes.

The purchasing user should now sign in to portal.azure.com, navigate to Marketplace, search for the professional services offering, and proceed with the purchase using their EA subscription as the billing subscription.

⚠ Note

EA Marketplace purchases are billed through the enterprise enrollment and will appear on your next EA invoice. There is no separate credit card charge. Ensure your EA has sufficient Azure Monetary Commitment or be aware that overage charges may apply depending on the offer type.

4 Method 3: Microsoft Customer Agreement / Direct Subscription

If you already have a direct Azure subscription under a Microsoft Customer Agreement (not provisioned through a CSP), you may already be purchase-ready with no additional setup required. MCA subscriptions have Marketplace purchasing enabled by default, making this the most straightforward path for organizations that already have one in place. This section covers how to verify your readiness and complete the purchase.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Navigate to Cost Management + Billing → Billing accounts and confirm your agreement type shows "Microsoft Customer Agreement."

Go to Subscriptions and verify that you have an active subscription associated with the MCA billing account.

Navigate to the Marketplace listing and attempt the purchase. If successful, no further setup is needed.

If the purchase is blocked, verify that: your user account has Owner or Contributor role on the subscription; no Azure Policy restrictions are blocking Marketplace purchases; and the Microsoft.Marketplace resource provider is registered on the subscription.

✅ MACC Funding: Leverage Your Existing Commitment

If your organization has a Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC) as part of your Enterprise agreement, eligible Marketplace purchases can count toward that commitment. This means you may be able to fund professional services purchases using your existing MACC balance rather than incurring additional out-of-pocket costs. To confirm eligibility, check with your Microsoft account representative or review the offer listing in the Azure Marketplace for the "Azure benefit eligible" badge, which indicates the offering qualifies for MACC decrement.

5 Troubleshooting Common Issues

"Marketplace purchasing is not enabled for this subscription"

This typically means the subscription is a CSP subscription or the EA admin has not enabled Marketplace. Solution: use Method 1 (new tenant with PAYG) or ask your EA admin to enable Marketplace purchases per Method 2.

"You do not have permission to perform this action"

Your Azure RBAC role on the subscription is insufficient. You need at least Contributor role, ideally Owner. Ask your subscription administrator to assign you the appropriate role via Access Control (IAM) on the subscription.

"The offer is not available in your region"

The publisher may not have made the offering available in your billing country/region. Contact the publisher directly to confirm geographic availability, or set up a tenant with a billing address in a supported region.

Purchase button is greyed out or missing

This can happen if: you are viewing the offering from AppSource but need to complete the transaction in the Azure Portal (or vice versa); your subscription type does not support the specific offer type; or you are signed in with the wrong account. Try signing in with the account that owns the target subscription.

Private offer not visible

If a publisher sent you a private offer, ensure you are signed in with the exact tenant and user account the offer was extended to. Private offers have expiration dates – check with the publisher if the offer may have expired.

6 Quick-Start Checklist

Use this checklist to confirm readiness before attempting a purchase:

Azure subscription is NOT a CSP subscription
Subscription has a valid billing method (credit card or EA enrollment)
Marketplace purchasing is enabled (PAYG = default; EA = requires admin action)
Your account has Owner or Contributor RBAC role on the subscription
No Azure Policy restrictions blocking Marketplace transactions
Microsoft.Marketplace resource provider is registered on the subscription
Billing country/region is supported for the offering
You are signed in with the correct tenant/account (especially for private offers)

7 Need Help?

If you encounter issues not covered in this guide:

Contact Microsoft Support via the Azure Portal: click the "?" icon → "Help + support" → "New support request"
Reach out to the offering publisher directly for questions about the specific service or private offers
Consult Microsoft's official documentation at https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/marketplace/