When Microsoft customers want to make a purchase on payment terms outside the standard net-30 or net-60 days, the Worldwide Payment Solutions (WPS) group steps in. “We craft payment solutions that let them pay in a different rhythm,” explains Tom Czerwinski, the director of technology for Microsoft's Worldwide Payment Solutions team. “Our customers may have an unusual consumption pattern, or perhaps large seasonal swings in business. We help them pay in non-standard ways.”

The group's most popular solution is the extended payment terms, or XPT, program. XPT enables Microsoft to extend longer terms to prospective customers without resorting to independently negotiated loan agreements. Thus, it helps the company seamlessly integrate flexible payment terms into eligible licensing enrollments or services agreements for credit-qualified customers.