If you no longer need the security protection features of Security Center, you can release your purchased Security Center instances and receive a refund. This topic describes the refund rules and procedures for different billing methods and scenarios.
Refund rules
Security Center supports partial refunds and refunds for future-dated renewals. Before you unsubscribe from a Security Center instance, you must understand the unsubscription rules, precautions, and examples. For more information, see Unsubscription rules.
This topic describes how to unsubscribe from an entire Security Center instance. To receive a refund for only unused licenses or value-added services, you must downgrade the instance configuration. For more information, see Upgrades and downgrades.
Data retention policy
Configuration data: Your configuration data is retained for 7 days after you unsubscribe. This lets you renew the service within that period.
Log analysis data: Data stored for log analysis is retained until 00:00:00 (UTC+8) on the day after you unsubscribe. If you renew the service before this time, your log analysis data is not released.
Self-service unsubscription in the console
You can request a self-service unsubscription for a purchased Security Center instance in the console.
Go to the Unsubscription Management page. Filter for the target resource by Instance ID or Order Time.
Select an unsubscription option based on the status of your Security Center instance.
Partial refund
On the Unsubscriptions page, click the Unsubscribe from In-use Resources tab.
Click the Common Cloud Services tab, and then select the Partial Refund type.
In the Actions column for the resource you want to unsubscribe from, click Unsubscribe Resource.
On the Unsubscribe Resource page, confirm the resource information, set the reason for unsubscription, and then select the I have read the Unsubscription Rules and confirmed the unsubscribe amount and I have confirmed that the data of the unsubscribe instance is backed up and migrated check boxes.
Click Unsubscribe. In the Notice dialog box, confirm the information and click OK.
Refund for a future-dated renewal
On the Unsubscriptions page, click the Cancel Renewals tab.
In the Actions column for the resource you want a refund for, click Cancel Renewal.
On the Cancel Renewal page, confirm the resource information, set the New Expiration Time, and select the I have read the Unsubscription Rules and confirmed the unsubscribe amount. check box.
Click Unsubscribe. In the Notice dialog box, confirm the information and click OK.
Optional: After you submit the unsubscription request, you can go to the Unsubscriptions page and click Unsubscribe Order Details to view the processing details.
Troubleshooting
If you receive the message "Failed to obtain unsubscription resource information" when you try to unsubscribe, it means the resource is in an abnormal state. For example, the instance may have an overdue payment, be locked for security reasons, or be undergoing a configuration change, such as an upgrade or downgrade. You cannot use the console to request a self-service unsubscription for a resource in this state.
Refund destination
After a successful unsubscription, the refund is typically processed within two business days.
Refunds are generally returned to the original payment method. If the refund to the original payment method fails, the amount is typically credited to your Alibaba Cloud account balance.
For more information about refunds, see Initiate an unsubscription and Refund destination.
References
Upgrades and downgrades: Learn how to increase or decrease the number of authorized licenses and value-added services for an instance.
Unsubscription rules and Unsubscription FAQ: Learn about the general unsubscription rules and limits for Alibaba Cloud products.
Purchase Security Center: Learn about the features and pricing of different Security Center editions to help you make a new purchase decision.