Cost details provide the actual cost data for your cloud resources. This feature allocates the costs of your subscriptions, such as subscription plans, resource plans, and savings plans, to the specific cloud resources that use them.
The final cost details for a given month are available at 12:00 on the fourth day of the following month. Data queried before this time is for reference only.
The query results for cost details are for analysis purposes only and should not be used for reconciliation.
This feature requires the upgraded bill. Alibaba Cloud is gradually rolling out this feature to users through an invitational preview. For more information about the upgraded bill, see Bill Version Guide.
Feature description
Cost details currently support pay-as-you-go and subscription products, including subscription products, resource plans, and savings plans. The details are as follows:
For pay-as-you-go products, cost details are available by billing cycle, such as hourly or daily.
For subscription products, cost details are available at a daily granularity.
For resource plans and savings plans, the deducted portion provides cost details by billing cycle. The unused portion provides cost details by the deduction cycle of the resource plan or savings plan.
The following items are not currently supported:
ECSRI, resource plans for cloud communication products, resource plans for products with monthly cumulative pricing such as Internet traffic, and products resold by virtual operators.
When you upgrade a subscription product, cost details at the billing item granularity may fluctuate because discount amounts are not displayed. We are optimizing the upgrade and downgrade rules.
View and export cost detail bills
In the Expenses and Costs console, choose Costs > Cost Allocation > Cost Details. Set the query conditions to view the cost details:
Billing Month: The month for which you want to query the allocated costs. For example, if you purchase a subscription product on January 1, 2025, with a service period from January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2025, and you want to query the allocated cost for February 2025, set Billing Month to 2025-02.
Cost Type: In the cost details data, you can view the following main cost types:
Cost Type
Cost Data Description
Pay-as-you-go cloud resource cost
The cost incurred from the usage of pay-as-you-go cloud resources.
Subscription coverage cost
The cost allocated to a cloud resource after its pay-as-you-go bill is covered by a subscription, such as a subscription plan, resource plan, or savings plan.
Subscription, unsubscription, and overwrite fees
The cost of an unsubscribed subscription that is allocated at one time to the subscription itself after it has covered a pay-as-you-go cloud resource bill.
Unused subscription cost
The cost incurred from an unused subscription.
You can also customize the column order and export the cost details:
Customize bill columns: Click the
button to customize the displayed bill fields.Customize column order: When viewing cost details in the console, you can drag the cost detail groups in the custom columns to sort them. The custom order is effective only on the Cost Details page in the console.
Export cost details: Click the
button to export the bill information. On the Export Records page, you can download the exported file.
Examples of the cost detail allocation process
Example 1: Subscription product allocation
Date | Transaction description |
2024-12-31 09:00:00 | You purchase a subscription product. Service period: 2024-12-31 09:00:00 to 2026-01-01 00:00:00. Amount payable: CNY 365. (Because the purchase was made on 2024-12-31 and does not cover a full day, cost allocation starts from 2025-01-01 00:00:00.) |
2025-01-15 10:00:00 | You upgrade the product. The new unit price is CNY 2 per day. A refund of CNY 349 is issued for the original order. A new upgrade sub-order is generated with an amount payable of CNY 700. Service period: 2025-01-15 10:00:00 to 2026-01-01 00:00:00. |
2025-12-20 09:00:00 | You receive a refund of CNY 11. |
The cost allocation process is as follows:
From 2025-01-01 00:00:00 to 2025-01-15 00:00:00:
The daily allocated cost is 365 / 365 = CNY 1. A line of cost details is generated each day.
At 2025-01-15 10:00:00:
For the original order, the cost type is "Unused subscription cost". The remaining cost = (365 - 14) × 1 = CNY 351. This is allocated at one time.
For the upgrade sub-order, the total order amount is 350 × 2 = CNY 700. This is allocated periodically. Because the upgrade day is not a full day, cost allocation starts on January 16, 2025.
For the refund sub-order, the cost type is "Subscription unsubscribe coverage cost". The cost is -CNY 349. This is allocated at one time.
From 2025-01-16 00:00:00 to 2025-12-20 00:00:00: The daily allocated cost is CNY 2.
For the upgrade sub-order, the cost type is "Subscription coverage cost". This is allocated periodically. The daily cost is 700 / 350 = CNY 2.
At 2025-12-20 09:00:00:
When the unsubscription occurs, the cost type is "Subscription unsubscribe coverage cost". The cost is -CNY 11.
For the unused portion of the original order, the cost type is "Unused subscription cost". The cost is 700 - (338 × 2) = CNY 24.
Example 2: Savings plan (constant total type) allocation
Date | Transaction description |
2025-01-01 00:00:00 | You purchase a savings plan (SPN) product with instance ID SPN1. You commit to pay CNY 10 per hour. The subscription deduction is at a 40% rate. Service period: 2025-01-01 00:00:00 to 2026-01-01 00:00:00. All upfront payment. The amount payable is CNY 87,600. |
2025-01-01 12:00:00 | You purchase an SPN product with instance ID SPN2. You commit to pay CNY 20 per hour. The subscription deduction is at a 20% rate. Service period: 2025-01-01 00:00:00 to 2026-01-01 00:00:00. All upfront payment. The total amount payable is CNY 175,200. |
2025-01-03 00:00:00-01:00:00 | You incur CNY 50 in charges for an ECS product with instance ID ECS1. The charges are covered by SPN1 and SPN2. |
2025-01-04 00:00:00-01:00:00 | You incur CNY 150 in charges for an ECS product with instance ID ECS2. The charges are covered by SPN1 and SPN2. |
2025-01-05 00:00:00 | You request a refund for SPN1. The refund amount is CNY 80,000. |
The cost allocation process is as follows:
From 2025-01-01 00:00:00 to 2025-01-01 12:00:00:
SPN1 is not used to cover any cloud resource charges. The cost type is "Unused subscription cost". The hourly allocated cost is CNY 10.
From 2025-01-01 12:00:00 to 2025-01-03 00:00:00:
SPN1 is not used to cover any cloud resource charges. The cost type is "Unused subscription cost". The hourly allocated cost is CNY 10.
SPN2 is not used to cover any cloud resource charges. The cost type is "Unused subscription cost". The hourly allocated cost is CNY 20.
From 2025-01-03 00:00:00 to 01:00:00:
ECS1 is covered by SPN1 for CNY 25. The cost type is "Subscription coverage cost". The covered amount is 10 / 0.4 = CNY 25. The cost is CNY 10. This corresponds to the pay-as-you-go ECS product, instance ECS1.
ECS2 is covered by SPN2 for the remaining CNY 25. The cost type is "Subscription coverage cost". The covered amount is 5 / 0.2 = CNY 25. The cost is CNY 5. This corresponds to the pay-as-you-go ECS product, instance ECS2.
For the unused portion of SPN2, the cost type is "Unused subscription cost". The cost is 20 - 5 = CNY 15. This is recorded against SPN2.
NoteSPN2 can cover a maximum of 20 / 0.2 = CNY 100.
From 2025-01-03 01:00 to 2025-01-04 00:00:00:
SPN1 is not used to cover any cloud resource charges. The cost type is "Unused subscription cost". The hourly allocated cost is CNY 10.
SPN2 is not used to cover any cloud resource charges. The cost type is "Unused subscription cost". The hourly allocated cost is CNY 20.
From 2025-01-04 00:00:00 to 01:00:00:
ECS2 is covered by SPN1 for CNY 25. The cost type is "Subscription coverage cost". The covered amount is 10 / 0.4 = CNY 25. The cost is CNY 10. This corresponds to the pay-as-you-go ECS product, instance ECS2.
ECS2 is covered by SPN2 for CNY 100. The cost type is "Subscription coverage cost". The covered amount is 20 / 0.2 = CNY 100. The cost is CNY 20. This corresponds to the pay-as-you-go ECS product, instance ECS2.
The remaining CNY 25 for ECS2 is not covered. A bill for ECS is still generated. The cost type is "Pay-as-you-go cloud resource cost". The cost is CNY 25. This corresponds to the pay-as-you-go ECS product, instance ECS2.
From 2025-01-04 01:00 to 2025-01-05 00:00:00:
SPN1 is not used to cover any cloud resource charges. The cost type is "Unused subscription cost". The hourly allocated cost is CNY 10.
SPN2 is not used to cover any cloud resource charges. The cost type is "Unused subscription cost". The hourly allocated cost is CNY 20.
At 2025-01-05 00:00:00:
For the unsubscription from the SPN1 refund order, the cost type is "Unsubscribe coverage cost". The cost is -CNY 80,000. This is recorded against SPN1.
For the remaining cost of the original SPN1 order, the cost type is "Unused subscription cost". The cost is 87,600 - (4 × 24 × 10) = CNY 86,640. This is recorded against SPN1.
From 2025-01-05 00:00:00 to 2026-01-01 00:00:00:
SPN2 continues to be allocated until the end of the service period. The cost type is "Unused subscription cost". The hourly allocated cost is CNY 20.
Example 3: Savings plan (decreasing total type) allocation
Date | Transaction description |
2025-01-01 00:00:00 | You purchase a decreasing total type SPN product with instance ID SPN1. The subscription deduction is at a 40% rate. Service period: 2025-01-01 00:00:00 to 2026-01-01 00:00:00. All upfront payment. Total committed spend is CNY 365. The amount payable is CNY 365. |
2025-07-01 00:00:00 | You incur CNY 50 in charges for an ECS product with instance ID ECS1. The charges are covered by SPN1. |
The cost allocation process is as follows:
At 2025-07-01 00:00:00:
ECS1 is covered by SPN1 for CNY 50. The cost type is "Subscription coverage cost". The covered amount is 20 / 0.4 = CNY 50. The cost is CNY 20. This corresponds to the pay-as-you-go ECS product, instance ECS1.
At 2026-01-01 00:00:00:
When the resource plan expires with an uncovered amount, the cost type is "Unused subscription cost". The cost is 365 - 20 = CNY 345. This is recorded against SPN1.
Example 4: Resource plan (constant total type) allocation
Date | Transaction description |
2025-01-01 00:00:00 | You purchase a standard storage resource plan ossbag1. The resource plan has a capacity of 1 GB, is a constant total type, and the capacity is refreshed hourly. Service period: 2025-01-01 00:00:00 to 2025-04-01 00:00:00. The amount payable is CNY 1080. |
2025-01-01 01:00:00-02:00:00 | You use an OSS product, instance OSS1, with a total usage of 3 GB. Resource plan ossbag1 covers 1 GB. The remaining 2 GB is charged at CNY 1/GB. |
The cost allocation process is as follows:
From 2025-01-01 00:00:00 to 01:00:00:
Resource plan ossbag1 is not used to cover any cloud resource charges. The cost type is "Unused subscription cost". The hourly unused cost is CNY 0.5. This is recorded against resource plan ossbag1.
From 2025-01-01 01:00:00 to 02:00:00:
Resource plan ossbag1 covers 1 GB of OSS usage. The cost type is "Subscription coverage cost". The cost is 1080 / (24 × 90) = CNY 0.5. This corresponds to the pay-as-you-go OSS product, instance OSS1.
The remaining 2 GB for OSS1 is not covered by the resource plan. The cost type is "Pay-as-you-go cloud resource cost". The cost is CNY 2. This is recorded against the OSS product.
From 2025-01-01 02:00:00 to 2025-04-01 00:00:00:
Resource plan ossbag1 is not used for any deductions. The cost type is "Unused subscription cost". The hourly cost is CNY 0.5. This is recorded against resource plan ossbag1.
Example 5: Resource plan (decreasing total type) deduction
Date | Transaction description |
2025-01-01 00:00:00 | You purchase an Object Storage Service (OSS) resource plan, instance ossbag1. It is a decreasing total type with a total capacity of 500 GB. Service period: 2025-01-01 00:00:00 to 2025-04-01 00:00:00. The amount payable is CNY 500. |
2025-01-03 10:00:00 | You use an OSS product, instance OSS1, with a usage of 400 GB. The usage is covered by resource plan ossbag1. |
The cost allocation process is as follows:
At 2025-01-03 10:00:00:
Resource plan ossbag1 covers OSS usage. The cost type is "Subscription coverage cost". The cost is (400 / 500) × 500 = CNY 400. This is recorded against OSS1.
At 2025-04-01 00:00:00:
The resource plan expires with an uncovered amount. The cost type is "Unused subscription cost". The cost is 500 - 400 = CNY 100. This is recorded against resource plan ossbag1.
Example 6: Pay-as-you-go allocation
Date | Transaction description |
2025-01-01 09:00:00 | You purchase a pay-as-you-go OSS product, instance OSS1, which is billed hourly at CNY 1/GB. At 09:00:00, you use 300 GB. The amount payable is CNY 300. |
2025-01-03 09:00:00 | At 09:00:00, you use 200 GB. The amount payable is CNY 200. |
The cost allocation process is as follows:
At 2025-01-01 09:00:00: For the OSS product instance OSS1, a cost of CNY 300 is allocated at one time.
At 2025-01-03 09:00:00: For the OSS product instance OSS1, a cost of CNY 200 is allocated at one time.
Differences between cost details and amortized costs
Amortized costs: Amortized costs show the cost data for various cloud resources and subscriptions based on a time dimension. This feature primarily processes and amortizes the costs from pay-as-you-go and subscription bills over time, which helps you see the cost distribution for each time period.
Cost details: Cost details show the actual cost data for various cloud resources from a resource-centric perspective. This feature helps you allocate the costs of subscriptions, such as subscription plans, resource plans, and savings plans, to the cloud resources that use them.
The following table describes the differences between amortized costs and cost details.
Reason for difference | Scenario | Amortized costs | Cost details |
Difference in product positioning | - | Helps you see the cost distribution for each time period. It does not allocate subscription costs from a cloud resource perspective. | Helps you allocate subscription costs to the cloud resources that use them to see the complete cost of each cloud resource. |
Data generation timeliness | - | The final data for a month can be viewed or exported after 12:00 on the 6th day of the following month. | The final data for a month can be viewed or exported after 12:00 on the 4th day of the following month. |
Difference in data granularity | - | Instance + monthly granularity | Billing item + billing granularity corresponding to different cost types:
|
Data output method | - | Supports API operations |
|
Difference in rules | Subscription Upgrading or downgrading resource plans and savings plans | When an upgrade or downgrade occurs:
| When an upgrade or downgrade occurs, the subscription value is transferred:
According to the new allocation rule, if the refund amount is not equal to the remaining value of the original purchase, the allocation results for amortized costs and cost details will differ. |
Purchase of products with fixed fees and installments |
| The total order amount is allocated periodically. | |
Purchase of a prepaid card | The bill generated from purchasing a prepaid card is allocated periodically. | The bill for purchasing a prepaid card is not included in the costs. When you use the prepaid card to purchase cloud resource products, the deducted cost can be queried in the cost details. |
FAQ
Are prepaid card purchases included in cost details?
The transaction for purchasing a prepaid card is not included in the costs. However, when you use the prepaid card to purchase cloud resources, the deducted cost can be queried in the cost details.