In February, reports emerged that Microsoft was piloting a new Outlook.com Premium service, which gives subscribers personalized email addresses with custom domain accounts thanks to a partnership with GoDaddy.
ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley first reported on the news after a tip about this support page about the service. She confirmed the service with the company, sharing the following quotes a from a spokesperson:
“Outlook.com Premium is not an existing offering, it is an experiment that we are piloting. We’re always investigating new features based on the wants and needs of our users, and we have nothing more to share at this time.”
“We are evaluating interest in custom domains for Outlook.com. At this time, we are testing with a limited number of users in the United States and will evaluate the experience over time. The previous program required the user to manage the process of purchasing a domain. We are evaluating the appeal of custom domains but with Microsoft managing the processes of procuring the domain.”
While Microsoft has yet to make an announcement, a new page was discovered (via TechCrunch), which puts a price on the service.
According to the page, Outlook.com Premium (still in pilot) will give you five personalized email addresses, an ad-free inbox, and more, free for a year. After the year is up, it costs $3.99 per month.
On the linked support page, Microsoft says it has partnered with GoDaddy to supply the email domain names users choose to power their personalized email addresses. The domain names are therefore subject to availability and GoDaddy’s terms.