Elastic Compute Service:FAQ about overdue payments, releases, unsubscriptions, and renewals

Under what status can an ECS instance be renewed and used without data loss?

After an Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instance Expires, it is stopped for up to 15 days before it is Released. You can renew the instance during this period. A successful renewal extends the expiration date. After the instance expires, data on its disks is retained for 15 days. However, data on local disks is deleted after the instance enters the reclamation period.

How to identify and renew an expiring ECS instance after receiving a reminder

Use the username from the text message to log on to the Renew page. On the Subscription tab, under Elastic Compute Service, find the target instance, click Renew, and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the renewal.

How do I request an extension for an ECS instance?

If an ECS instance is Expired but Not Yet Released and you have not backed up its data, you can request a one-day extension.

Why am I still being charged after my ECS instance has expired?

This may occur if you have created snapshots for the ECS instance. Snapshots are used to back up data from an ECS instance and are not released with the instance. After the ECS instance is released, you are still charged for the snapshots based on their storage capacity. For more information about how to view snapshot billing details and bills, see Snapshot billing.

If you no longer need a snapshot, you can delete the snapshot.

How do I back up data from an expired ECS instance before it is released?

If an ECS instance is in the Expired But Not Released state and you need to back up its data but do not plan to renew the instance, consider the following solutions:

• Renew the instance for a short period, such as seven days. After the renewal, download the data to your local machine, and then request a refund.

• Create a custom image from the ECS instance. You can then use this custom image to create new instances. For more information, see Create a custom image from an instance.

  If you will no longer use this account, export the image to OSS, download it to a local machine, or share the image with another account. For more information, see Export a custom image and Share a custom image.

  Important

  • Creating and exporting custom images incurs fees. If you no longer need a custom image, delete it promptly.

  • Alibaba Cloud cannot temporarily recover an expired ECS instance for you. We recommend that you temporarily renew the instance.

  • If you do not renew an ECS instance within 15 days after it expires, the instance is released. After an instance is released, its data cannot be recovered or downloaded.

What should I do if I receive the error message "Your account is abnormal. For details, contact customer service" when I try to renew a service?

This error indicates that your account has a security risk and cannot be renewed. The account cannot be unblocked at this time. We recommend that you promptly create a snapshot to back up the instance data. For more information, see Create a snapshot. For details about the security risk, contact customer service.

Why does my subscription ECS instance generate pay-as-you-go orders that result in overdue payments?

This can happen if the Bandwidth Billing Method for your ECS instance is set to Pay-by-traffic. Pay-by-traffic is a pay-as-you-go method where fees are deducted from your account balance. An overdue payment occurs if your account balance is insufficient. You can go to Expenses and Costs to top up your account. After you clear the overdue payment, you can continue to use the server.

How are refunds for real-time downgrades calculated?

Remaining value: Alibaba Cloud amortizes the value of an instance linearly over its subscription period. The value that remains on the instance over time is called the remaining value. If you unsubscribe from an instance after using it for a period of time, the remaining value is the total amount that Alibaba Cloud can refund to you. For example, you pay 30 USD for a 30-day ECS instance. After 10 days, the remaining value of the instance is 20 USD. If you unsubscribe at this point, you will be refunded 20 USD.

When you pay in a local currency, the USD order amount is converted to the local currency based on the exchange rate at the time of payment. Therefore, the exchange rate is also used to calculate the remaining value of the instance. Compared with the price difference-based method, the ratio-based method ensures that the refund is calculated based on the exchange rate at the time of payment. This avoids the impact of exchange rate fluctuations on the refund amount and protects you from exchange rate risks.

The following examples show how the proportional refund method works (using MYR as an example):

• Example 1: Purchase Instance A and then perform a real-time downgrade after a period of use.

  On day 1, you purchase Instance A for 1 USD/day with a 30-day lifecycle. The order value is 30 USD. At the time of purchase, the USD-to-MYR exchange rate is 1:10, so you pay a total of 300 MYR. On day 11, you initiate a real-time downgrade. The price of the new configuration is 0.5 USD/day. The refund amount is calculated as follows:

  1. Calculate the remaining value (M) of Instance A

     M = 300 MYR × (30 days - 10 days) / 30 days = 200 MYR

  2. Calculate the refund proportion (R)

     R = (1 USD/day - 0.5 USD/day) / 1 USD/day = 1/2

  3. Calculate the refund amount

     Refund amount = M × R = 200 MYR × 1/2 = 100 MYR

  In this example, Alibaba Cloud refunds 100 MYR for the real-time downgrade.

• Example 2: Purchase Instance B, upgrade it after a period of use, and then perform a real-time downgrade after another period of use.

  On day 1, you purchase Instance B for 1 USD/day with a 30-day lifecycle. The order value is 30 USD. At the time of purchase, the USD-to-MYR exchange rate is 1:10, so you pay a total of 300 MYR. On day 11, you upgrade the instance. The price of the new configuration is 2 USD/day. At the time of the upgrade, the USD-to-MYR exchange rate is 1:11. You pay the price difference (P) between the new and old configurations: P = (2 USD/day - 1 USD/day) × (30 days - 10 days) × 11 = 220 MYR. On day 21, you initiate a downgrade for the instance. The new configuration is 0.5 USD/day. The refund amount is calculated as follows:

  1. Calculate the remaining value (M) of Instance B

     Because the instance was upgraded, the remaining value consists of two parts:

     • Remaining value from the initial purchase (M1) = 30 USD × (30 days - 20 days) / 30 days × 10 = 100 MYR

     • Remaining value from the upgrade (M2) = 20 USD × (20 days - 10 days) / 20 days × 11 = 110 MYR

     Total current remaining value (M) = M1 + M2 = 210 MYR

  2. Calculate the refund proportion (R)

     R = (2 USD/day - 0.5 USD/day) / 2 USD/day = 3/4

  3. Calculate the refund amount

     Refund amount = M × R = M1 × R + M2 × R = 100 MYR × 3/4 + 110 MYR × 3/4 = 157.5 MYR

  In this example, Alibaba Cloud refunds 157.5 MYR for the real-time downgrade.

Why is the refund amount for a real-time downgrade less than my own calculation?

This may be because you received a discount on your initial purchase, or the original price of the instance configuration was adjusted at the time of the downgrade.

For example, you purchase an instance for 1 USD/day for 30 days. The USD-to-MYR exchange rate is 1:10. On day 11, you initiate a downgrade and select a configuration that costs 0.5 USD/day. If the calculation is based on the original price of 1 USD/day, the refund amount should be 100 MYR. However, if you received a discount on the initial purchase, or the price of the original instance configuration was adjusted, for example, to 0.7 USD/day, the refund amount is calculated as follows:

1. Calculate the remaining value (M) of Instance A

   M = 300 MYR × (30 days - 10 days) / 30 days = 200 MYR

2. Calculate the refund proportion (R)

   R = (0.7 USD/day - 0.5 USD/day) / 1 USD/day = 1/5

3. Calculate the refund amount

   Refund amount = M × R = 200 MYR × 1/5 = 40 MYR

In this example, the actual refund amount is 40 MYR, not 100 MYR.