If you want to unsubscribe from a resource or service, we recommend that you follow the procedure below:
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Confirm whether unsubscription is supported
Unsubscription applies to subscription products (pay before use). Depending on the purchased duration and whether the resource was used, refunds are categorized into full refunds, partial refunds, and other types.
Pay-as-you-go products do not require unsubscription (use before payment). For example, for pay-as-you-go ECS, back up your data and then go to the console and release the resource to stop billing.
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Submit the unsubscription request
Go to the Expenses and Costs-Unsubscribe page, submit an unsubscription request for the target order, verify that the refund amount is correct, and then confirm the unsubscription.
ImportantUnsubscriptions cannot be reversed once completed. Carefully review the order information to avoid mistakes. Related resources are released after unsubscription, so back up your data in advance.
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View the refund result
The refund amount is calculated as "actual cash paid - consumed amount".
After the unsubscription succeeds, the refund is returned to the original payment channel (credit card, PayPal, or account balance) within 30 business days. If the original channel is no longer valid (for example, the bank card is closed), the refund is transferred to the Alibaba Cloud account balance.
About unsubscription rules
Unsubscription rules for cloud products and resource plans
Based on resource attributes, purchase duration, and whether usage has been generated, unsubscription falls into Unused full-amount unsubscription, Partial unsubscription, and unsubscription of unapplied renewal orders. The following table shows the applicable scenarios for common products, where indicates supported, indicates not supported.
The specific rules and applicable conditions for unsubscribing from cloud products and resource plans are listed in the following table:
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Unsubscription scenario |
Applicable conditions |
Common products |
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Unused full unsubscription / Unapplied subscription unsubscription |
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Unapplied renewal order |
Note
If a configuration change was made, the resource and renewal order can only be unsubscribed together; the renewal order cannot be unsubscribed separately. |
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Partial unsubscription |
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Resource downgrade |
Subscription instances support specification downgrades. After the downgrade, the refund is calculated based on the price difference between the old and new configurations. For the detailed rules, see Refund rules for downgrades. |
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Subscription to pay-as-you-go |
The product supports billing-mode conversion. The remaining fee is refunded upon conversion. For the detailed rules, see Refund policy for converting from Subscription to Pay-as-you-go. |
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Savings plan unsubscription rules
Starting April 3, 2026, Alibaba Cloud supports self-service unsubscription for savings plans. The conditions and limitations are as follows:
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Condition |
Description |
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Supported unsubscription types |
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Payment type restriction |
Only all-upfront savings plans support self-service unsubscription. Partial-upfront and no-upfront plans are not supported. |
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Situations not supported for unsubscription |
Savings plans that have already generated deductions are not supported for self-service unsubscription. |
For more information, see Announcement: Savings plan self-service unsubscription is now available.
Scenarios where unsubscription is not supported
Unsubscription or refund is not possible in the following cases:
Unpaid orders exist: You cannot directly unsubscribe from a resource that has unpaid orders. Cancel all "Unpaid" orders for the instance first, and then submit the unsubscription request.
The resource has been upgraded: An upgrade order cannot be unsubscribed separately. You must submit the unsubscription for the entire instance.
The resource has been transferred: After a "resource transfer", unsubscription or downgrade does not produce any refundable amount.
Promotion restriction: The purchase was made through a promotion whose rules explicitly state "no refund".
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ECS cannot be unsubscribed in the following cases:
The ECS instance uses a paid image. Replace it with a free image before submitting the unsubscription.
The monthly refund quota is used up: ECS (subscription) has a maximum monthly refund quota. Once the quota is exhausted, no further refunds can be processed in that month. The quota shown on the ECS unsubscription page is authoritative and resets automatically on the 1st of each month. For the quota details, see Limits.
Mismatched settlement currency: If the historical settlement currency of the order does not match the current account's settlement currency, the order cannot be unsubscribed.
Distribution customers are not supported.
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The product's own rules do not support unsubscription.
Refund calculation
If you used a voucher when purchasing a subscription product, the voucher is refunded in proportion to the payment structure upon unsubscription. Vouchers are not refunded for downgrade-triggered refunds.For details, see Announcement: Subscription product refund rule upgrade.
The resource plan unsubscription rules have been upgraded. If the plan is unused during its validity period, a full refund is available. If a voucher was used when purchasing the plan, the voucher is refunded in proportion to the payment structure upon unsubscription. For details, see: Extension of the full-refund window for unused public-cloud resource plans, Notice: Public-cloud resource plan refund rule upgrade.
Full refund
Refund amount = order payment amount. The actual cash you paid is refunded.
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Unsubscription type |
Example |
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Unused full unsubscription |
You buy a new resource plan for a total of USD 200 (USD 150 in cash + USD 50 in voucher). If you unsubscribe during the validity period without using it, USD 150 in cash and USD 50 in voucher are refunded. |
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Unsubscribe unapplied renewal order |
An ECS order exists, and you pay USD 300 (all cash) for its renewal order. If you unsubscribe before the renewal takes effect, the USD 300 is refunded. |
Partial refund
Partial refunds include three types: Partial unsubscription, Downgrade refund, and Subscription-to-pay-as-you-go refund.
Partial unsubscription
Refund amount = order payment amount - consumed amount
The consumed amount is calculated based on the used duration, by rematching the discount applicable to a short-term purchase and applying a refund coefficient. The following table shows the calculation rules for common cloud products:
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Product type and usage duration |
Calculation formula |
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ECS (subscription) Cloud Firewall |
Usage duration < 30 days |
(Daily unit price × Usage duration × Discount applicable to the used duration) × 1.5 |
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Usage duration ≥ 30 days |
Daily unit price × Usage duration × Discount applicable to the used duration |
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Model Studio provisioned throughput (daily) |
(Daily unit price × Usage duration × Discount applicable to the used duration) × 1.5 |
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Model Studio dedicated throughput unit (subscription) |
Usage duration < 30 days |
(Daily unit price × Usage duration × Discount applicable to the used duration) × 1.2 |
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Usage duration ≥ 30 days |
Daily unit price × Usage duration × Discount applicable to the used duration |
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Edge Node Service |
Usage duration < 28 days |
(Daily unit price × Usage duration × Discount applicable to the used duration) × 1.5 |
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Usage duration ≥ 28 days |
(Daily unit price × Usage duration × Discount applicable to the used duration) |
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Web Application Firewall |
(Daily unit price × Usage duration × Discount applicable to the used duration) × 1.5 |
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Other (see the product documentation for details) |
Daily unit price × Usage duration × Discount applicable to the used duration |
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Resource plan |
Quota-type |
Used quantity × Unit price × Discount applicable to the used quantity |
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Cycle-based |
Used cycle count × Cycle unit price × Discount applicable to the used cycles |
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Calculation example
You buy a new Simple Application Server for 3 years, with a list price of USD 140/month and USD 5040 for 3 years. A 45% discount applies for the 3-year subscription, so you pay USD 2736. You then unsubscribe after 1 year (365 days) of use.
Days used: 365 days.
Discount applied: Calculated for a 1-year purchase duration, with a 15% discount.
Daily unit price:
USD 5040 / (365 days × 3) = USD 4.6027/day.Consumed amount:
USD 4.6027/day × 365 days × 0.85 = USD 1428.Final refund amount:
USD 2736 - USD 1428 = USD 1308.
PAI Lingjun fixed-fee installment resource refund
PAI Lingjun compute resources (accelerated compute nodes) use the fixed-fee installment billing model, and the refund calculation differs from the general rules above.
Refund amount = amount paid - consumed amount
Amount paid = upfront order amount + sum of billed installment fees. If a voucher was used when placing the order, the voucher amount is also counted toward the amount paid.
Consumed amount (linear) = original order total value × (days used / total order days)
Original order total value: payable amount of the total configuration fees plus the voucher-deducted portion (that is, the total amount before any voucher is applied).
Days used = refund time - order start time. The result is accurate to the day; any partial day is counted as one day.
Total order days = order end time - order start time, accurate to the day, rounded down.
If you unsubscribe within 30 days of use, the consumed amount is multiplied by a coefficient of 1.2. For details, see Announcement: AI compute resource group unsubscription rule adjustment.
When unsubscribing from Lingjun fixed-fee installment resources, vouchers used at purchase are returned to the original channel.
Before unsubscribing from Lingjun resources, you must first scale down the cluster. For details, see Manage Lingjun clusters and Lingjun nodes.
Downgrade refund
When you downgrade the specification of a subscription instance, the system automatically refunds a portion of the fee based on the rules. However, if the calculated refund amount is less than 0, no refund is issued. For the specific calculation rules and formulas, see: Refund rules for downgrades.
Subscription-to-pay-as-you-go refund
If the cloud product you purchased supports converting the billing method from subscription to pay-as-you-go, the system automatically refunds the remaining subscription fees based on the conversion rules. However, if the calculated refund amount is less than 0, no refund is issued. For the specific calculation rules and formulas, see: Refund policy for converting from Subscription to Pay-as-you-go.
Impact of unsubscription
Unsubscription has irreversible impact on resource state and data. Review the following in advance:
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Data and resource changes
After unsubscription, the resource or instance is released automatically and data is no longer retained. Back up your data in advance.
Resource plan unsubscription takes effect in the next billing cycle. For an hourly-deducting plan, the current hour can still be used, and the corresponding product automatically switches to pay-as-you-go from the next hour. A monthly-deducting plan expires in the next month. Ensure that your account balance is sufficient to avoid service interruption or overdue fees.
Benefits and entitlements: After unsubscription, you can no longer participate in the promotion that applied to the purchase. Benefits attached to the order (such as coupons) are invalidated and reset to zero.
Unsubscribing an unapplied renewal order: the resource reverts to the expiration date before the renewal. Back up or migrate your data before the expiration date.
Refund destination
Refund processing and bank channel transfer take time. The funds are expected to arrive within 30 business days. The refund is first returned to the original payment channel.
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Payment method |
Refund destination |
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Credit card |
Unsubscribe within 365 days after payment: refund to the original credit card. Over 365 days: refund to the Alibaba Cloud account balance. |
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PayPal |
Unsubscribe within 6 months (180 days) after payment: refund to the original PayPal account. Over 6 months: refund to the Alibaba Cloud account balance. |
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Dana (Singapore) |
Unsubscribe within 365 days after payment: refund to the original Dana account. Over 365 days: refund to the Alibaba Cloud account balance. |
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Dana (Indonesia) |
Unsubscribe within 45 days after payment: refund to the original Dana account. Over 45 days: refund to the Alibaba Cloud account balance. |
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Alibaba Cloud account balance |
Returned directly to the Alibaba Cloud account balance. |
If the original-channel refund fails due to reasons such as a closed bank card or channel restrictions, the funds ultimately go to the Alibaba Cloud account balance.
Submit an unsubscription request
Sign in to Expenses and Costs console and go to the Resource UnsubscriptionResource Unsubscription page to unsubscribe. For detailed instructions, see Initiate unsubscription.
Unsubscription FAQ
Why does the refund amount show as 0 when I submit an unsubscription request?
According to the calculation rules in Partial unsubscription (Refund amount = order payment amount - consumed amount), if the calculated consumed amount exceeds the amount you paid, there is nothing left to refund, so the refund amount is 0.
Why wasn't my coupon returned when I unsubscribed from an order that used it?
The coupon used in your order may not be refunded in the following cases:
Products such as fixed-fee installment orders do not support voucher refunds.
For products that support coupon refunds, only vouchers are returned upon unsubscription; threshold coupons and discount coupons are not refundable.
Why can't I use the coupon returned after unsubscription?
If the coupon returned upon unsubscription has expired, you can no longer use it. Go to the **Coupons** page to check the coupon's rules and effective time.
Why did my costs increase after I unsubscribed from a resource plan?
After you unsubscribe from a resource plan, products whose usage was previously deducted from the plan immediately switch to pay-as-you-go billing. If those products are still running, they start generating pay-as-you-go bills.
How is the usage duration calculated when upgrades, downgrades, or renewals happen before the refund?
When a subscription instance undergoes upgrade/downgrade, auto-renewal, and unsubscription in close sequence near the renewal date, the operation order determines the order status, the refund calculation rules, and the starting point of "usage duration" in the refund formula.
Scenario 1: Upgrade/downgrade first, then auto-renew, then refund
The instance is upgraded or downgraded first, then auto-renewed, and then unsubscribed. The upgrade/downgrade and renewal are recorded as two separate orders that are not merged.
Remaining duration of the upgrade/downgrade order: covers only the remaining duration of the original cycle (from the upgrade/downgrade moment to the original cycle expiration).
Renewal order: Auto-renewal is calculated independently as a complete new renewal cycle.
Starting point of "usage duration" at unsubscription: starts from the first day of the new renewal cycle.
Scenario 2: Auto-renew first, then upgrade/downgrade, then refund
The instance is renewed first, then upgraded or downgraded, and then unsubscribed. In this case, the upgrade/downgrade order covers both the remaining original cycle and the entire renewal cycle at once.
Remaining duration of the upgrade/downgrade order: covers from the upgrade/downgrade moment to the renewed expiration time.
Refund basis: The refund is calculated against the upgrade/downgrade order at unsubscription.
Starting point of "usage duration" at unsubscription: starts from the day of the upgrade/downgrade.
Because the usage durations differ, the refund amounts in the two scenarios are not the same.
Why can't I see my instance on the self-service unsubscription page?
On the self-service unsubscription page, enter the ID of the instance you want to unsubscribe and try searching again.
How do I stop billing for pay-as-you-go products?
Pay-as-you-go products do not require unsubscription. Sign in to the product console, locate the instance or service, and run operations such as "Release" or "Delete" to stop billing. Back up your data before you proceed.