Microsoft Teams Pay-As-You-Go Resource Account Calling
Microsoft Teams – Enabling Pay-As-You-Go Calling for Resource Accounts
⚠️ Important: Microsoft Licensing Change – Effective November 1, 2025
Microsoft has announced that starting November 1, 2025, Resource Accounts (such as Auto Attendants and Call Queues) will no longer be able to make outbound calls without activating Communication Credits.
To activate Communication Credits, you need at least 1 Teams Phone Pay-As-You-Go Calling Plan license on the tenant.
⚠️ Note: Direct Routing numbers are not affected by this licensing change. This only applies to Calling Plan customers.
Microsoft has announced that starting November 1, 2025, Resource Accounts (such as Auto Attendants and Call Queues) will no longer be able to make outbound calls without activating Communication Credits.
To activate Communication Credits, you need at least 1 Teams Phone Pay-As-You-Go Calling Plan license on the tenant.
⚠️ Note: Direct Routing numbers are not affected by this licensing change. This only applies to Calling Plan customers.
📌 You do NOT need a license for every user. Microsoft requires just 1 license per tenant to enable this functionality.
Official Microsoft Reference: Teams Phone Extensibility – Outbound Call Prerequisites
Who Is Affected?
- Tenants using Microsoft Calling Plans assigned to Teams Resource Accounts (Auto Attendants, Call Queues)
- Any Resource Account making outbound PSTN calls after November 1, 2025
- Not affected: Tenants using Direct Routing or Operator Connect (check with your carrier for Operator Connect)
What You Need to Do
Purchase 1 license of Teams Phone with Pay-As-You-Go Calling for the tenant, then enable Pay-As-You-Go billing on that subscription.
There are two plans available:
- Zone 1 – US (for domestic US customers)
- Zone 2 – International (for international customers)
How To
Step 1: Purchase the License
- Log in to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center at admin.microsoft.com.
- In the left navigation, go to Billing > Purchase services (or Marketplace > All Products).
- Search for "Teams Phone with pay-as-you-go calling".
- Select the appropriate zone:
- Country Zone 1 – US for US-based tenants
- Country Zone 2 for international tenants
- Purchase 1 license (you only need one for the entire tenant).
Step 2: Open the Subscription Details
- In the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, go to Billing > Your products.
- Locate Teams Phone with pay-as-you-go calling (country zone 1 – US) (or your applicable zone).
- Click Details to open the subscription management page.
Step 3: Enable Pay-As-You-Go Services
- Scroll down on the subscription details page to find the section titled "Pay-as-you-go services".
- You will see a table listing:
- Product name: Phone services consumption
- Status: Off (or On)
- If Status shows "Off" — click on it to toggle it On.
- Confirm the change when prompted.
Step 4: Verify & Monitor
- Once enabled, the Status column should show "On" for Phone services consumption.
- You can click "Manage costs" to set a spending limit or review usage.
- Use "See Teams call history for your organization" to monitor call activity.
⏱️ Propagation Time
Please allow 12–24 hours for this change to fully propagate across the tenant. Resource Account outbound calling may not work immediately after enabling — this is expected.
Please allow 12–24 hours for this change to fully propagate across the tenant. Resource Account outbound calling may not work immediately after enabling — this is expected.
Additional Resources
