I bought the new upgrade and don't fully understand

DerFrost

Greetings,

Might be a dumb question. But I upgraded from Total Security to Premium Security and I have the receipt and it shows on my account.

I thought it would just automatically update my services in my existing Total Security, but confusion only hit me.

It asked me to download a new BitDefender so my question is, do I install Premium even though I still have 7 days on Total? Also, I click the download file I got from BitDefender but it doesn't show any pop-ups with anything, I even ran it as Admin. Yes, I triple checked to make sure it was from Bitdefender and not some scam site by accessing the BitDefender site from my BiteDefender Security Center application.

One other question is, if I have Premium Security does my Total Security also automatically renew since I didn't shut that off yet or will it stop since I have Premium? I don't want to end up paying again in 7 days due to renewal.

So is there an easy way in the Security Center switch from my Total Security over to my Premium or do I have to figure out why the download file isn't working and install it that way?

Alexandru_BD

Hello @DerFrost and welcome to the Community!

Thank you for reaching out and for choosing Bitdefender.

As the two subscriptions have a different configuration and variation of devices, the upgraded Premium Security subscription was activated in parallel with the existing Total Security subscription. The reinstall is not necessary, as the devices covered have Bitdefender installed and their protection will be adjusted according to their allocation in the Central account. Once the Total Security subscription expires, the devices will be automatically allocated on the Premium Security subscription. I have now disabled the automatic renewal for Total Security, so that it will not be applied at the due date, considering you have upgraded to a superior product.

The devices can also be manually allocated to the Premium Security subscription by following the steps described in the article below:

https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/answer/34264/

A single Central account supports the activation and usage in parallel of multiple subscriptions valid for the same Bitdefender product (e.g. Bitdefender Total Security for 5 devices and Bitdefender Total Security for 10 devices), but also for different products (e.g. Total Security and Premium Security).

A validity extension of an existing subscription can only be achieved if the new activation code that is being redeemed in Central is for the same product and variation of devices. If a product with a different configuration is activated, the Central account will display a single activation option and the new subscription will run in parallel with the existing one, until it expires.

Let me know if the information was helpful and if you have any questions.

Best regards.

Zooma

I have experienced the same issues as the original post (@DerFrost), regarding the above issue.

I received an email as an existing user of Bitdefender (Total Security) and decided to take advantage of the email offer and upgrade to Premium Security. I deliberately didn't activate the latter as I still had forty-two days remaining on my original subscription. Approximately two days later I received an email from Bitdefender saying that my new subscription had been automatically activated.

As it stands I have now lost approximately six weeks of my new subscription that makes the offer a lot less attractive. As you may realise I intended activating the new subscription a few days before my original subscription expired. Alexandru_BD (Admin) response to @DerFrost has clarified how the switch from one package to another occurs. Thanks for that as I no longer have to telephone Customer Support to resolve the issue of using my new subscription. As I understand it Bitdefender will automatically bring the new subscription online to all my devices at the expiry of "Total Security". Customer Service did cancel the automatic renewal for the latter.

However, I feel somewhat mislead by this marketing ploy and didn't expect this from Bitdefender for whom I have the utmost respect.

Sincere regards

Alexandru_BD

Hello @Zooma and thank you for joining the conversation and for sharing your experience.

Indeed, the option to extend the validity of the current subscription/license is only available if one of your current subscriptions is identical to the new one you are trying to add. There is also the process of auto-activation, which is only applicable to customers who have subscribed to Bitdefender on a recurring basis.

When you make a purchase through the Bitdefender website, the activation takes place immediately after completing the transaction. No further steps or actions are required on your part. Automatic activation is available only for current Bitdefender users who meet the following conditions:

• You have bought Bitdefender from our website before.
• You have previously activated a Bitdefender subscription in the same Bitdefender Central account.
• Your previous Bitdefender subscription is still valid.

If the new acquisition matches the name and seat number of a product already active in your Central account (e.g. both Bitdefender Total Security, 5 users) then the old subscription will be extended automatically. Otherwise, the new subscription is activated and added in parallel. The auto-activation process is designed to streamline the activation process for existing customers and to prevent loss of validity for the new code.

In the event you have upgraded your subscription/license and you still had remaining validity on the previous one, some adjustments can be made by the Support teams to ensure no validity is lost.

Whenever promotions are available, sometimes it may happen that the offer received is not for the same product that you are currently using, depending on the existing campaigns for specific products and bundles and these promotions may not arrive exactly at the renewal date. Usually, the early renewal offers are sent at a certain interval before the actual expiration date of the current solution and are valid for a limited time.

I'm sorry to hear you feel this way, clearly this upgrade scenario needs a few tweaks for alignment, but once you have everything set, Premium Security is a superior package that offers good value for money.

Thank you for your appreciation and for choosing to renew your cybersecurity solution with Bitdefender! 👍️

Regards,

Alex

Sian

Hello, I also have the same issue in that I have upgraded from Total Security to Premium Security 2 months before my Total Security runs out. Is there a way I can delay the start of Premium Security until my old subscription runs out? Also do I need to do anything to my devices or does Bitdefender just kick in with the new subscription and update accordingly?

I appreciate your assistance.

Regards

Sian

Alexandru_BD

Hello @Sian and thanks for joining us here.

If you renewed your protection early and upgraded the subscription as well, in the event you have already activated the code for Premium Security, the two subscriptions will overlap until Total Security expires, as the validity extension for this is not possible using an activation code for Premium Security, since the two products are not identical. Once the previous license expires, the devices protected by it will be automatically assigned to the new subscription.

If you haven't activated the code for Premium Security yet, in the event the order was placed on the official Bitdefender website, the validity countdown starts on the purchase date, regardless of the Central activation timestamp. Thus it's important to know that the code will start to loose validity, if not activated.

One more thing to note is that you should check if the automatic renewal feature of Total Security is active, because this will result in a renewal charge at the due date. Since you've mentioned that you have already renewed and upgraded manually, the automatic renewal feature should be disabled for the expiring subscription, to avoid the renewal billing.

Depending on the current status of your subscriptions, I can further advise on the next steps. Is the new subscription Premium Security Plus, by any chance?

Regards,

Alex

Sian

Hi Alex and thank you for your quick response. I have been in touch with Bitdefender about my issue and they have come up with an agreeable solution for me. I chose to go with Premium Security Plus.

Cheers

Sian

Alexandru_BD

That's great news @Sian.

Yes, I always recommend users to get in touch with the Support teams for subscription adjustments, because they are very helpful and can provide effective solutions tailored to the customer's needs. We can also share advice here, but on a more informative level, that being said we cannot adjust nor modify/merge subscriptions on the forum.

I'm glad to hear you've found a solution and I thank you for renewing your security solution with Bitdefender. 😉👍️

Regards,

Alex

Sian

Thanks Alex, love your work.