When your pay-as-you-go account becomes overdue, Alibaba Cloud does not immediately suspend your services. All direct-sales customers receive a 15-day grace period, during which existing services continue to run and are billed normally. This gives you time to settle your balance before resources are stopped or released.
How it works
After your account becomes overdue (Available Balance < 0), the 15-day grace period begins. During the grace period:
Existing pay-as-you-go services, resource plans, and subscription resources continue to run.
Creating new pay-as-you-go or subscription resources is not allowed.
Alibaba Cloud automatically recalculates the grace period duration and protection limits each month based on factors such as your historical spending on Alibaba Cloud.
Overdue scenarios
| Scenario | During grace period | After grace period ends |
|---|---|---|
| Overdue amount is within protection limit | Services continue normally | All running resources are stopped |
| Overdue amount exceeds protection limit | Services are suspended immediately | — |
| Payment settled before resources are released | Stopped resources automatically resume | — |
| Payment settled after resources are released | — | Resources cannot be recovered |
Released resources cannot be recovered.
Cloud communications products
Pay-as-you-go cloud communications products have an additional protection limit separate from the standard 15-day grace period. If your overdue amount exceeds this limit, cloud communications products are suspended immediately — even if other cloud products still have time remaining in the grace period. Settling the overdue payment during the grace period restores cloud communications services. The system automatically calculates this protection limit based on a combination of factors, including your historical spending on Alibaba Cloud.
For the list of affected products, see the service suspension grace period updates for affected pay-as-you-go cloud communication products.
Examples
Example 1: Account with cloud communications products (protection limit: USD 100)
Customer A's account becomes overdue on January 1, 2025.
| Overdue amount | Available Balance | Cloud communications products | Other cloud products |
|---|---|---|---|
| USD 101 | -USD 101 | Immediately suspended | 15-day grace (until January 15, 2025) |
| USD 90 | -USD 90 | 15-day grace (until January 15, 2025) | 15-day grace (until January 15, 2025) |
Example 2: Account without cloud communications products
The standard 15-day grace period applies. If the overdue payment is not settled by the end of the grace period, all running resources are stopped.
Risk assessment: the protection limit is not a cap
The protection limit does not cap what you owe. Bills are calculated based on actual usage during each billing cycle (hourly, daily, or otherwise). A single billing cycle can generate a charge that exceeds your protection limit, causing an immediate suspension.
Case study: Customer A has a protection limit of USD 100 and an Available Balance of USD 200. On February 1, the customer's SMS message volume surges. The bill generated on February 2 is USD 1,000. After the bill is processed, the Available Balance drops to -USD 800. Because USD 800 exceeds the USD 100 protection limit, cloud communications products are immediately suspended.
Billing and timing notes
| Note | Detail |
|---|---|
| Bills during the grace period | Regular service fees — you are responsible for paying them |
| Bill generation delay | Bills are typically generated about three hours after resource usage, and sometimes longer. You may receive a bill after a service has already been stopped. |
| Usage spike risk | A sudden spike in usage can cause charges for a single billing cycle to exceed your protection limit, triggering an immediate suspension. |