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    ApsaraDB RDS:Change the billing method from serverless to pay-as-you-go

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    ApsaraDB RDS:Change the billing method from serverless to pay-as-you-go

    Last Updated:Nov 21, 2025

    This topic describes how to change the billing method of an ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instance from serverless to pay-as-you-go.

    Scenarios

    If your business workloads do not fluctuate much, or you want to manually control changes to the instance type, you can change the billing method of your serverless instance to pay-as-you-go.

    For more information about the scenarios for serverless instances, see Introduction to ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL serverless instances.

    Prerequisites

    The instance meets the following requirements:

    • Engine: ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL

    • Edition: Basic Edition or High-availability Edition

    • Billing method: Serverless

    • Status: Running

    Note

    You can view this information on the instance details page in the ApsaraDB RDS console.

    Limits

    You can switch the billing method between pay-as-you-go and serverless. However, you can perform the switch only once every 24 hours.

    Important

    If you want to switch an instance back to serverless from pay-as-you-go, make sure that the instance uses PL1 ESSDs. Currently, only instances that use PL1 ESSDs can be switched from pay-as-you-go to serverless. If your instance uses another type of enterprise SSD (ESSD), first convert the disk type to PL1 ESSD.

    Impacts

    Changing the billing method from serverless to pay-as-you-go causes an instance switchover. Make sure that your application has an automatic reconnection mechanism. For more information about the impacts of an instance switchover, see Impacts of an instance switchover.

    Usage notes

    When you select an instance type for the conversion, select an instance type that has a number of CPU cores greater than or equal to the RDS Capacity Unit (RCU) limit of the current instance. For example, if the RCU limit of the original instance is 4, select an instance type with 4 or more CPU cores, such as pg.n4m.4c.2m (4 cores, 16 GB).

    Billing

    This feature is free of charge. For more information about the billing of pay-as-you-go instances, see Product Billing.

    Procedure

    1. Go to the RDS Instances page. In the upper-left corner, select the region where the instance resides. Click the instance ID.

    2. On the Basic Information page, in the Configuration Information section, click Change To Pay-As-You-Go.

    3. On the buy page, configure parameters such as Instance Type and Switching Time as needed.

    4. Read the Terms of Service and click Confirm Order. In the dialog box that appears, confirm the settings and click OK to complete the payment.

      Note

      During the conversion, the instance status changes to Upgrading/Downgrading. After the conversion is complete, the instance status changes to Running.

    FAQ

    Q: After I change the billing method from serverless to pay-as-you-go, why do I see a new purchase order in Expenses and Costs > Orders > My Orders?

    A: The conversion process creates a new pay-as-you-go instance and then performs a switchover from the original instance to the new one. This is why you see a new purchase order.

    Related APIs

    API

    Description

    Modify an RDS instance

    Changes the billing method from serverless to pay-as-you-go.

    • The original instance must use the serverless billing method. Set the PayType parameter to Postpaid.

    • Set the DBInstanceClass parameter to the target instance type. For more information, see Instance types for primary ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instances.

    • Leave other parameters, such as storage space, empty or set them to the same values as the original instance. You cannot modify these parameters.