This topic describes the billable items of a cloud box and the billing methods, payment options, and payment methods of relevant resources.
Billable items
Resources in a cloud box can be divided into several types based on how they are used. The following table describes the billing details of each resource type.
Type | Resource | Description | Billing method | References |
Required. Basic Alibaba Cloud services deployed with the hardware devices of cloud boxes | Required. Computing resources | vCPUs and memory resources are provided in stock keeping units (SKUs). You are charged based on the unit price, quantity, and subscription duration of the purchased SKUs. | Subscription | |
Required. Elastic Block Storage (EBS) resources | Enhanced SSDs (ESSDs) are provided. You are charged based on the capacity, unit price, and subscription duration of the purchased ESSDs. | Subscription | ||
Optional. Object Storage Service (OSS) resources | OSS resources are provided. You are charged based on the capacity, unit price, and subscription duration of the purchased OSS resources. | Subscription | ||
Required. Network resources | Cloud boxes and cloud networks are connected by using Express Connect circuits. Express Connect circuits are deployed by Internet service providers (ISPs) and must be separately purchased. The fees for Express Connect circuits are not included in the bills for cloud boxes. | Separate billing | ||
Optional. Alibaba Cloud public cloud services reused by cloud boxes | Alibaba Cloud services such as Security Center and Application Real-Time Monitoring Service (ARMS) | You are charged based on the billing rules of the purchased Alibaba Cloud public cloud services. | Subscription and pay-as-you-go | Documentation of each service |
Take note of the following items:
When you purchase a cloud box, you are charged only for the computing resources, EBS resources, and OSS resources.
When you purchase a cloud box, you must purchase at least one compute SKU and specific EBS capacity. The minimum EBS capacity that you can purchase is 12 TiB for an ESSD of performance level 0 (PL0). After you purchase a cloud box, Alibaba Cloud deploys hardware devices to your data center. When you purchase a cloud box, you purchase cloud service resources instead of hardware devices. The hardware devices of the cloud box belong to Alibaba Cloud.
When you use a cloud box, you are not charged for the purchased computing resources or storage resources. However, you are charged for other resources that you use. For example, when you create an Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instance in a cloud box, you do not need to pay for the instance type or cloud disks. However, you are charged for using ApsaraDB.
Payment
When you purchase a cloud box in the CloudBox console, you must pay for the cloud box resources such as computing resources, EBS resources, and OSS resources in advance. The following table describes the payment options and methods that you can use.
Item | Description |
Payment option |
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Payment method |
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Billing period
The billing period of a cloud box does not immediately start after you pay for the cloud box. After the payment is complete, Alibaba Cloud starts a delivery process to deploy hardware devices to your data center. The delivery process lasts for one or two months. After the hardware devices are deployed, you can complete the order. After the completion of the order is confirmed, the billing period of the cloud box starts.
If you do not select the All Upfront payment option, Alibaba Cloud generates an installment bill on the first day of each subsequent month for the outstanding payment during the billing period. The amount of each installment bill is calculated based on the following formula: Outstanding payment/Number of months in your subscription duration.
Example:
You purchase a cloud box with a three-year subscription duration on January 1, 2021 and confirm the completion of the order on February 15, 2021.
Therefore:
Expiration date: 2024-02-15, which is calculated from the date of order completion confirmation based on the three-year subscription duration.
Billing period: from February 15, 2021 to February 15, 2024.
Billing cycle: The first installment bill is generated on March 1, 2021, the second installment bill is generated on April 1, 2021, and subsequent installment bills are generated on the first day of each subsequent month until the final installment bill is generated on February 1, 2024. A total of 36 installment bills are generated.
Return
When you purchase a cloud box, you purchase cloud service resources instead of hardware devices. If you no longer need to use a cloud box, you can apply for a return. Alibaba Cloud reclaims the hardware devices of the cloud box. CloudBox supports the following return methods:
Do not renew a cloud box that expires.
Return a cloud box before it expires.
For more information, see Apply for a return.
FAQ
Q: I confirmed the completion of a cloud box order on March 21, 2021 and used the cloud box for only 10 days in March. Why is the bill received on April 1 a one-month bill instead of a 10-day bill?
A: After the completion of the order is confirmed, the billing period starts. The system automatically calculates the amount of each installment bill based on the outstanding payment and the number of months in your subscription duration. The amount of each installment bill is the same. Therefore, the bill you receive on April 1 represents the first installment rather than a separate charge for the 10 days of service in March.