Auto-renewal keeps your subscription instances running without manual intervention, preventing service interruptions from missed renewal deadlines.
Pay-as-you-go and Serverless instances do not expire. Auto-renewal does not apply to them.
How auto-renewal works
Before enabling auto-renewal, review these rules:
| Rule | Details |
|---|---|
| Payment timing | The first automatic charge runs at 08:00, three days before the instance expires. |
| Retry on failure | If the charge fails, the system retries once per day until the instance expires or the payment succeeds. |
| Renewal cycle | Determined by your subscription term — monthly subscriptions renew monthly, yearly subscriptions renew yearly. For example, a six-month subscription renews for one month at each expiration. |
| Effective date | Auto-renewal takes effect the day after you enable it. If an instance expires the next day, manually renew it to avoid interruption. |
| Interaction with manual renewal | If you manually renew before the automatic charge date, the system auto-renews before the next expiration date. |
Auto-renewal: The system attempts the first automatic payment at 08:00 (UTC+8), three days before the instance expires. If the payment fails, the system retries it daily until the instance expires or the payment succeeds.
ImportantEnsure your Alibaba Cloud account has a sufficient balance to prevent renewal failures. If auto-renewal fails, manually renew the instance immediately to prevent service downtime and potential data loss.
Make sure your Alibaba Cloud account has enough balance. If auto-renewal fails, manually renew the instance as soon as possible to prevent service interruptions and data loss. For details on what happens when a subscription instance expires, see Impacts of overdue payments or expiration.
Enable auto-renewal when purchasing an instance
On the purchase page, select Enable Auto-renewal before completing the order.
The renewal cycle matches your subscription term: monthly subscriptions renew monthly, yearly subscriptions renew yearly.
Enable auto-renewal after purchasing an instance
Log on to the RDS console.
In the upper-right corner, hover over Expenses and click Renewal Management.
On the Manual Renewal or Nonrenewal upon Expiration tab, find the target instance.
Enable auto-renewal for one instance or multiple instances:
Single instance: Click Enable Auto-renewal to the right of the instance. In the dialog box, select an Auto-renewal Period and click Enable Auto-renewal.
Multiple instances: Select the target instances and click Enable Auto-renewal at the bottom of the page. In the dialog box, select an Auto-renewal Period and click Enable Auto-renewal.
The auto-renewal cycle you select determines how long the instance renews for at each cycle. For example, selecting three months charges you for three months at each renewal.
Modify the auto-renewal cycle
Log on to the RDS console.
In the upper-right corner, hover over Expenses and click Renewal Management.
On the Auto-renewal tab, find the target instance. Click Modify Auto-renewal Settings to the right of the instance.
In the dialog box, update the renewal cycle and click OK.
Disable auto-renewal
Log on to the RDS console.
In the upper-right corner, hover over Expenses and click Renewal Management.
On the Auto Renewal tab, find the target instance. To the right of the instance, click Nonrenewal, or click
> Enable Manual Renewal.In the dialog box, click OK.
API reference
| API | Description |
|---|---|
| Create an ApsaraDB RDS instance | Creates a database instance. You can enable auto-renewal at creation time. |
| Manually renew an instance | Renews a subscription instance. You can also enable or disable auto-renewal when calling this API. |