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Dilemma - how to change my ATI license

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Not a technical question, but I don't know where else to ask.

I am currently licensed to have ATI on 3 computers but in a week or so I will have a 4th.  I'm currently running the ATI 2020 Beta code on one of the computers so I guess I am currently licensed for 1 more installation od ATI 2019.   I can activate 2019 on the new computer until the Beta program is over, or I could install and activate the Beta code on it.  But I think either is a temporary solution.   The Beta program will eventually end and will be short a licensed copy of ATI.

Last August I unintentionally switched from a perpetual 3-computer license to an "Advanced" subscription which will expire on Aug 29.   At this point I need to either renew and upgrade to a 5-computer subscription or buy a new 5-computer perpetual license.  The web page for my Acronis account has both a "Renew now" and a "Buy more" button.  Both take me to the same page which allows either of those options - a page with a set of very good deals that are valid until July 18.  But that page is for ATI 2019.  Buying an ATI 2019 perpetual license now doesn't make much sense if I want to upgrade to ATI 2020 when it's available.

Do subscriptions continue across version upgrades?  (I know the perpetual license does not.)

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Yup, subscriptions  give you all the major versions too, but require the subscription to be active. When the subscription ends, essentially you can't backup anymore but can still recover (if you don't keep it active)

Some beta testers will get free 2020 licenses (I'm guessing perpetual) so you might get one there if you keep active.

If you switch to perpetual, you'll lose cloud backups after 30 days and  major version release updates, but that version can be used essentially forever as long as it plays nice with future versions of Windows.

However, if you time it right, you could buy 2019 and be within the 30 day grace period to still be eligible for a free 2020 upgrade. We just don't know when 2020 will be officially released so it's a bit of a gamble if your offers are only til the 18th. It's usually in August some time, but no way to know for sure and would kind of stink to miss the upgrade window by only a week or two.

Bobbo_3C0X1 wrote:

Some beta testers will get free 2020 licenses (I'm guessing perpetual) so you might get one there if you keep active.

I got my 2019 license as a result of being in the 2019 Beta program. I didn't notice until after upgrading that it was a subscription. Since I upgrade every year anyway, there's not reason I should avoid the subscription, I guess. But if I were to drop dead I don't want my wife's backups to stop unless she figures out that the subscription exists and has to be renewed.

Patrick, take a look at the Current Promo KB page which shows the following for ATI 2019

I saw that, and I have 3 days to consider it.   If I pick that I'll definitely have to stick with the subscription or be locked into ATI 2019.   I guess I could get a 5-computer ATI 2019 license and then see if I "win" a 2020 license because of my participation in the 2020 Beta program.  (I got a 3-computer ATI 2019 license last year because of my participation.  That would leave me short one license this year.)

We aren't talking about a huge amount of money in any case.

I've decided I'll install the Beta code on the new computer and  then purchase a 5-computer perpetual ATI 2020 license when the Beta program ends.  That will put me out of the 50% off special deal, but I don't want the subscription (even if offered free to some Beta testers) so I'll pay full price.  Then when ATI 2021 is available I'll have the ATI 2020 "existing customer" discount ... if it still exists.  As near as I can tell, thee is no "existing customer" deal for ending a subscription and returning to a perpetual license.

Patrick, my understanding of 'existing customer' is a user with any recent version of ATI, not just the penultimate one.  I have upgraded from much older versions to the latest over the years with no issues when offers have been on.

Looks like during the sale offer there is no separate upgrade price (at least in Australia). 

Steve Smith wrote:

Patrick, my understanding of 'existing customer' is a user with any recent version of ATI, not just the penultimate one.  I have upgraded from much older versions to the latest over the years with no issues when offers have been on.

Ditto to this.  If you have any existing perpetual license of an older version of ATI, you can activate a newer version with an upgrade license.  You just have to have an existing and valid key to enter first and then it will ask you to enter the upgrade key to the current purchase.