Upgrade Multiple Active User Licenses from E1 to E3

We have 32 E1 licenses that we would like to upgrade to E3 licenses but we don't see a simple way to accomplish this. The few questions on this topic have been answered either through a private message or through calling support. Is there a way to upgrade the licenses without having to create new accounts?

 For the moment, it seems as if we have to:

1. Add (change quantity) a new E3 license user; e.g. John Smith - jsmith@Microsoft.com
2. Delete (change quantity) existing E1 license user; e.g. John Smith - jsmith@Microsoft.com