Unable to create subscriptions across two billing accounts (Azure Plan missing + subscription limit reached)

For this scenario there are three separate constraints in play: billing account type, per‑account subscription limits, and support/administration paths.

1. Why “No Azure Plan is attached to this billing account”

From the context, billing behavior depends on the billing account type:

• Microsoft Online Services Program (MOSP / Pay‑As‑You‑Go) billing accounts:
  • New MOSP billing accounts can have a maximum of five subscriptions.
  • Ability to create more subscriptions is determined individually based on account history.
• Microsoft Customer Agreement (MCA) billing accounts:
  • Subscriptions are created under an Azure Plan.

If the portal shows “No Azure Plan is attached to this billing account” for Account 1, that billing account either:

• Is not an MCA Azure Plan account, or
• Does not currently have an active Azure Plan associated, so the portal cannot create new subscriptions under it.

The context does not provide a self‑service way to attach an Azure Plan to an existing billing account; that is handled by Microsoft based on the agreement and purchase path. The only supported action from the documentation is to:

• Verify the billing account type and scopes in Cost Management + Billing → Billing scopes and
• Use support to correct account configuration if the billing account should have an Azure Plan but does not.

2. Why “Subscription limit reached (max 5)” on Account 2

For Microsoft Online Services Program billing accounts (typical Pay‑As‑You‑Go / free account path):

• “A new billing account for a Microsoft Online Services Program can have a maximum of five subscriptions. However, subscriptions transferred to the new billing account don't count against the limit.”
• “The ability to create other Microsoft Online Services Program subscriptions is determined on an individual basis according to your history with Azure.”

So the 5‑subscription cap on Account 2 is expected behavior for a MOSP billing account.

There is no documented generic “limit increase” path for MOSP accounts beyond this; instead, the guidance is to:

• Use additional billing accounts / agreement types (for example, MCA or Enterprise Agreement) when more subscriptions are needed.

3. How to create more than 5 subscriptions overall

From the context, the scalable options are:

• Enterprise Agreement (EA) billing account:
  • “An EA account has a subscription limit of 5000. If you need more subscriptions than the limit, create more EA accounts.”
  • Subscriptions can be created in the portal by an Enterprise Administrator or Account Owner under that enrollment account.
• Microsoft Customer Agreement (MCA) billing account:
  • Multiple subscriptions can be created under an Azure Plan, subject to Microsoft’s policies for that account.

For large numbers of subscriptions, the documented path is to use an EA enrollment or an MCA rather than relying on a MOSP Pay‑As‑You‑Go billing account with a 5‑subscription cap.

4. Consolidating or moving subscriptions between billing accounts

The context describes that:

• A billing account is created per agreement type (MOSP, MCA, EA) and is the container for invoices and costs.
• It is possible to transfer subscriptions to a different billing account (for example, into a new MOSP billing account, and those transferred subscriptions do not count against the “five new subscriptions” limit for that new billing account).

However, the detailed steps for moving subscriptions between billing accounts (for example, consolidating from Account 1 and Account 2 into a single MCA or EA billing account) are not included in the provided context. The context only notes:

• “A new billing account for a Microsoft Online Services Program can have a maximum of five subscriptions. However, subscriptions transferred to the new billing account don't count against the limit.”

This implies that subscription transfer is supported, but the exact process and constraints are not detailed here.

5. How to proceed in this situation

Based strictly on the provided documentation:

1. Identify billing account types and limits
   • In the Azure portal, go to Cost Management + Billing → Billing scopes and confirm for each account whether it is:
     • Microsoft Online Services Program (Pay‑As‑You‑Go style), or
     • Microsoft Customer Agreement, or
     • Enterprise Agreement.
2. For Account 1 (No Azure Plan attached)
   • If this is supposed to be an MCA Azure Plan account, the missing Azure Plan is a configuration issue that must be corrected by Microsoft. The context does not provide a self‑service fix.
3. For Account 2 (5‑subscription limit)
   • The 5‑subscription limit is by design for a new MOSP billing account.
   • To have more subscriptions under a single logical commercial construct, the documented scalable options are:
     • Use an Enterprise Agreement billing account (up to 5000 subscriptions per EA account), or
     • Use an MCA billing account with an Azure Plan.
4. Support / escalation
   • For both the Azure Plan issue and any subscription transfer or consolidation across billing accounts, the context points to using Azure support when billing configuration blocks normal operations.
   • If the portal category selection is confusing, the key is to open a billing or subscription support request from Help + support in the Azure portal; the exact UI path is not detailed in the context, but that is the supported channel.

Because the context does not include step‑by‑step instructions for:

• Attaching an Azure Plan to an existing billing account, or
• Consolidating subscriptions across billing accounts,

those actions must be handled through Microsoft’s billing/support channels rather than self‑service.

References:

• Message appears when you try to create multiple subscriptions
• Billing accounts and scopes in the Azure portal
• Create a Microsoft Customer Agreement subscription
• Create a Microsoft Customer Agreement subscription request
• Programmatically create Azure subscriptions for a Microsoft Customer Agreement with the latest APIs
• Programmatically create Azure subscriptions with legacy APIs
• EA Billing administration on the Azure portal
• Troubleshoot issues when you sign up for a new account in the Azure portal