Disabling Alibaba Cloud CDN for a domain name stops CDN from routing traffic for that domain, but it does not immediately flush DNS caches or cancel in-flight billing cycles. Charges can persist for two reasons.
DNS cache is still routing traffic to CDN
When you disable CDN for a domain, the DNS resolution change takes time to propagate. If the resolution settings are still cached on a local DNS server — or in a download manager that cached those DNS records — the domain continues to resolve to a point of presence (POP). Requests keep reaching Alibaba Cloud CDN and incurring data transfer fees until the cached records expire.
A bill covers usage before you disabled CDN
Bills are issued 3 to 4 hours after a billing cycle ends, not immediately. A bill that appears in your account after you disabled CDN may cover a billing cycle that ended before you took action.
Check the billing cycle shown on the bill and compare it against the time you disabled CDN. For example, a bill issued at 10:00:00 (UTC+8) on October 10, 2020 covers the cycle from 06:00:00 (UTC+8) to 07:00:00 (UTC+8) on the same day — usage that occurred before you disabled CDN falls within this cycle and is billed normally.
A resource plan takes effect immediately after you complete the payment.