ApsaraDB RDS refund policy and unsubscription rules - ApsaraDB RDS

This topic describes the refund policy and unsubscription rules for ApsaraDB RDS.

Refund policy

The following table describes the refund scenarios for ApsaraDB RDS for different billing methods.

Billing method	Refund policy
Subscription	When you purchase a subscription RDS instance, you must pay an upfront fee based on the subscription duration. If you no longer require a subscription RDS instance, you can apply for a refund. Before you apply for a refund, make sure that you understand the unsubscription rules for the Alibaba Cloud International Website. For more information about how to submit an unsubscription request, see unsubscription methods for the Alibaba Cloud International Website. The system returns a refund based on your actual resource usage.
Pay-as-you-go	Pay-as-you-go ApsaraDB RDS instances generate bills in real-time based on actual usage. Therefore, refunds are not applicable. If you no longer need these instances, release them after you back up or migrate your data to avoid business interruptions. After an instance is released, it is no longer billed. For more information about how to release an ApsaraDB RDS instance, see Release an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance, Release an ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instance, Release an ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance, and Release an ApsaraDB RDS for MariaDB instance.

Note: Refunds may also be issued when you switch billing methods or downgrade an instance. For more information, see the relevant documentation.

Scenario	Description
Switch between billing methods	After you switch the billing method of an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance from subscription to pay-as-you-go, switch the billing method of an ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance from subscription to pay-as-you-go, switch the billing method of an ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instance from subscription to pay-as-you-go, or switch the billing method of an ApsaraDB RDS for MariaDB instance from subscription to pay-as-you-go, the remaining prepayment for the subscription instance is refunded to you. The refund is calculated using the following formula: Refund = Actual payment - Consumed amount Note Actual payment: The amount paid for the order in cash. This does not include deductions from coupons. Consumed amount = Daily price of the subscription × Usage duration × Discount for the usage duration
Downgrade a subscription instance	After you downgrade a subscription instance, the price difference between the new and old configurations is refunded to you. The refund is calculated using the following formula: Refund = Actual payment - Consumed amount Note Actual payment: The amount paid for the order in cash. This does not include deductions from coupons. Consumed amount = Daily price of the subscription × Usage duration × Discount for the usage duration
Cancel a renewal	After you renew a subscription instance, if you unsubscribe from the instance before the renewal order takes effect, the renewal fee is fully refunded. For more information, see the Unsubscribe from a pending renewal section in Unsubscription rules for Alibaba Cloud International Website.