My NIS subscription runs out early in the new year, so I usually upgrade to the new version online late in the year, then look for a good deal on a retail copy of the new version and use the product key that comes with it to renew.
However, based on what I've read here I have no immediate plans to upgrade to NIS 2013, so I'm wondering if I can go ahead and buy a retail copy of NIS 2013 and use the product key to renew my 2012 installation?
Hi rocketscientist,
Usually it would be possible to activate an earlier version with a newer Product Key. Unfortunately, there is an issue that prevents this from working with the 2013 key. We have been told that a fix is planned, but I do not know what the current status is for that fix. I'll try to see if any further information is available on this. In the meantime, please see Tony Weiss' post in an earlier thread concerning this issue: