This topic answers frequently asked questions about billing.
List of questions
Does KMS support free trials?
Yes. You can apply for a free trial.
The trial period is 14 days. If you no longer need the KMS instance after the trial, you must release it before the trial expires. Otherwise, you will be charged on a pay-as-you-go basis.
Eligibility: You must be a new KMS user. This offer is not available if your current Alibaba Cloud account or any associated accounts have used KMS before.
Instance details:
Number of instances: The free trial includes one software key management instance. If your enterprise has multiple Alibaba Cloud accounts, only one account is eligible for the trial.
Instance quota: There is no limit on the number of keys or credentials.
Trial expiration
Free period: 14 days.
Expiration:
After the trial expires, the instance automatically converts to the pay-as-you-go billing method. This conversion does not require redeployment or data migration and ensures seamless business continuity. The instance cannot be converted to a subscription.
If you no longer need the instance after the trial, you must release it before the trial expires. Otherwise, you will be charged on a pay-as-you-go basis.
Are expired KMS instances still billed?
Expired KMS instances are not billed.
Can I unsubscribe from a KMS instance?
For subscription KMS instances, two types of unsubscription are available: unsubscription with a partial refund (available only for instances in the Disabled or Enabled state) and cancellation of pending renewal orders. For more information, see Unsubscription instructions.
If a KMS instance uses the pay-as-you-go billing method and you no longer need it, you can release the pay-as-you-go instance.