Alibaba Cloud supports payments by bank card, digital wallet, and bank transfer. This topic describes the requirements and procedures for each payment method.
Comparison of payment methods
Item | Bank card | Digital wallet | Bank transfer |
Eligible accounts | Individual or enterprise accounts | Individual or enterprise accounts | Enterprise accounts approved for credit control only |
How to add | Enter card details → Pass pre-authorization verification | Authorize and link your wallet | Contact your account manager to enable |
Settlement time | Instant | Instant | 2 to 4 days |
Payment trigger |
|
|
|
Limit management | Determined by your card's credit or debit limit | Determined by your wallet balance or linked card | Uses your credit control limit and is settled monthly. |
Pay with a bank card or digital wallet
Available payment methods depend on your contracting party, which is the Alibaba Cloud entity that holds your service agreement. The billing currency is USD. For simplicity, the following table groups methods by the contracting party's country or region:
Payment method | Singapore | United States | United Kingdom | Netherlands | Malaysia | |
Bank card | Visa | |||||
Mastercard | ||||||
American Express | ||||||
UnionPay | ||||||
JCB | ||||||
Discover | ||||||
Diners Club | ||||||
Digital wallet | Alipay CN | |||||
PayPal | ||||||
Apple Pay | ||||||
Google Pay | ||||||
Your account's contracting party is not necessarily the same as the country or region you selected during sign-up. During registration, you see agreement text similar to this: "I agree to and will comply with the Alibaba Cloud International Website Membership Agreement signed with XXX," where XXX is your contracting party. The following table maps the residence or billing address to the corresponding contracting party.
Registration address | Contracting party |
Other jurisdictions not explicitly covered by the following clauses | Alibaba Cloud (Singapore) Private Limited |
United Kingdom, Switzerland, and other European jurisdictions outside the European Economic Area | Alibaba Cloud (Europe) Limited |
European Economic Area (EEA) | Alibaba (Netherlands) B.V. |
United States (for accounts registered before March 20, 2026) | Alibaba Cloud US LLC |
Malaysia | Alibaba Cloud (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. |
India | Alibaba Cloud (India) LLP |
If a payment method is unavailable for your account, submit a ticket.
If your contracting party is in Singapore, USD, SGD, and HKD are supported as billing currencies for all methods except PayPal.
If your contracting party is in Malaysia, MYR is the default billing currency.
If your contracting party is in India, you can pay by bank transfer.
Alipay CN currently supports only personal Alipay accounts.
The following payment types are not supported:
UnionPay-only cards: Your card must also carry a logo from an international card network, such as Visa, Mastercard, AMEX, or JCB.
Prepaid, virtual, or gift cards: These cards cannot pass the pre-authorization verification.
PayPal accounts registered in the Chinese mainland: You must use a PayPal account registered outside the Chinese mainland.
Add a bank card or digital wallet
Each bank card or digital wallet account, such as PayPal or Alipay, can be linked to only one Alibaba Cloud account. If your card or account is already linked to another account (including a closed account in its cooling-off period), remove it from the original account first.
Add bank card
Before you add a bank card, make sure it meets the following requirements:
The card is enabled for online payments and international transactions.
The card has a balance or credit limit of at least 1.00 USD to pass the pre-authorization verification.
The card has 3D Secure (3DS) enabled. In some countries or regions, such as Malaysia and EU member states, 3DS verification is required by law when you add a card.
Log on to the Expenses and Costs console, go to the Billing Account page, and in the Bind Third-party Payment Method section, click Add Payment Method.
NoteIf you are using the previous version of the Expenses and Costs console, click Payment Methods and then click Add Payment Method.
Select Bind bank card and enter the following information.
Field | Description | |
Card Number | N/A | |
Expiration Date | Use the MM/YY format. You cannot add cards that expire in the current month. | |
CVV | The 3- or 4-digit security code on the back of your card. | |
Cardholder name | Enter the cardholder name. | |
Click Submit. The system initiates a 1.00 USD pre-authorization check. This charge appears on your bank statement as ALIBABACLOUD.COM and is typically reversed by your card issuer within 1 to 5 business days.
After the pre-authorization is successful, the card is added. The first bank card you add becomes the default preferred external payment method. You can start using the card when its Payment Method Status changes to "Valid".
Alibaba Cloud does not charge transaction fees for bank card payments. If your card's billing currency is different from the transaction currency, your card issuer may charge a foreign transaction fee. For details, consult your card issuer.
3D Secure (3-Domain Secure, 3DS) is a security protocol for online payments. This verification is triggered if the system detects a potential security risk when you add a bank card or place an order (for a purchase, upgrade, or renewal).
If verification is required, the system automatically redirects you to your card issuer's verification page. Follow the prompts to complete the identity verification, such as entering a dynamic verification code or password.
Keep the Alibaba Cloud page open during the verification process. Do not close the original window. If your browser blocks pop-ups, manually allow them.
After successful verification, you are automatically redirected back to Alibaba Cloud to continue the process.
Add PayPal
Log on to the Expenses and Costs console, go to the Billing Account page, and in the Bind Third-party Payment Method section, click Add Payment Method.
Select PayPal, click Next, and you are redirected to the PayPal website.
Log in to your PayPal account and confirm the billing agreement. The system will automatically add PayPal as a payment method and initiate a 1.00 USD pre-authorization.
If you are using the previous version of the Expenses and Costs console, click Payment Methods and then click Add Payment Method.
If your PayPal account has no linked bank card or other funding source, PayPal may require you to add one. For assistance, contact PayPal customer support.
If PayPal authorization succeeds but the account is not added in the Alibaba Cloud console, the billing agreement may not have been approved. Contact PayPal customer support to confirm.
Add Alipay CN
Log on to the Expenses and Costs console, go to the Billing Account page, and in the Bind Third-party Payment Method section, click Add Payment Method.
Select Alipay CN and click Bind Alipay CN. The Confirm Alipay CN Binding dialog box appears.
Click Confirm Binding. You are redirected to the Alipay QR code verification page. Use a device with the Alipay app to log in to your personal Alipay account and scan the QR code to complete the verification.
An Alipay account can be linked to only one Alibaba Cloud account. Only personal Alipay CN accounts are supported.
Bills are not settled in CNY. When charged through Alipay CN, the amount is automatically converted to CNY at the real-time exchange rate and deducted from your linked Alipay account.
The per-transaction limit for Alipay CN is CNY 50,000. The annual cross-border transfer limit for personal Alipay accounts is the equivalent of USD 50,000. Payments that exceed these limits will fail. Please monitor your limit usage.
Add Google Pay or Apple Pay
Log on to the Expenses and Costs console, go to the Billing Account page, and in the Bind Third-party Payment Method section, click Add Payment Method.
Select Google Pay or Apple Pay, click Add Google Pay or Add Google Pay, and follow the prompts in the dialog box to complete the binding process.
A small verification fee (typically 1 USD) may be charged when you add the wallet. This fee is refunded after the binding is complete.
Google Pay and Apple Pay are provided by third parties. Their availability is subject to your card issuer's policies and network conditions. If you cannot add them in the Chinese mainland, try switching your network, using a bank card issued outside the Chinese mainland, or choosing another payment method.
How to make payments
After you link a bank card or digital wallet, you can pay for resources when you purchase or use them:
Subscription resources, such as subscription ECS instances: Payment is made when you place the order.
Pay-as-you-go resources, such as pay-as-you-go ECS instances: Automatic payments are made after your accumulated charges reach a specific amount.
The default billing threshold for bank cards is 1,000 USD (before tax).
The billing threshold for digital wallets is 8 to 1,000 USD (varies by account).
After your monthly bill is generated, the system charges you for any pay-as-you-go balance that has not reached the billing threshold.
If your default payment method is PayPal, the system pre-authorizes your PayPal account when you use pay-as-you-go products.
Switch payment methods
To switch your payment method:
Ensure that you have another valid payment method added to your account.
Log on to the Expenses and Costs console. In the list of payment methods, select the target payment method and set it as the Preferred External Payment Method.
Unlink payment methods
To unlink or delete a payment method, consider the status and number of your payment methods:
If you have multiple payment methods: You can delete invalid or non-preferred payment methods. You cannot delete the Preferred External Payment Method.
If you have only one valid payment method: You cannot delete it if you have running resources, unsettled bills, or overdue payments.
Log on to the Expenses and Costs console and go to the Billing Account page. In the Bind Third-party Payment Method section, select the Payment Channel or a specific Payment Channel Account to unlink. In the Actions column on the right, click Unbind.
Make payments by bank transfer
Bank transfers are available only for enterprise users with credit control. To use this feature, contact your account manager.
After you enable credit control, you can use your credit limit to purchase resources. After your monthly bill is generated, pay it by bank transfer before the due date on the invoice.
Alibaba Cloud provides two remittance methods:
Comparison | Dedicated remittance account (Recommended) | Non-dedicated remittance account |
Type | A unique account is assigned to each Alibaba Cloud account. | A public account specified in your contract or agreed upon with your account manager. |
Crediting method | Funds are automatically credited to your Alibaba Cloud account balance after the bank transfer is complete. | You must contact your account manager to claim the payment before it can be credited. |
Procedure | Get dedicated account number → Make remittance → Funds are automatically credited | Get account number → Make remittance → Contact to claim payment → Wait for approval → Funds are credited |
It takes about 2 to 4 days for Alibaba Cloud to process a remittance after you initiate it. The actual time depends on when the bank completes the transfer.
The following sections describe how to make payments using the two bank transfer methods.
Make a remittance to a dedicated account
New console
Log on to the Expenses and Costs console and go to the Billing Account page.
In the Asset Information section, find Cash Balance and click Top-up & Remittance on the right.
On the Add Funds page, select a Top-up Account, click Corporate Remittance, and view the dedicated remittance account.
If you need a proof of account document, click Download Remittance Application Form.
Transfer funds to the dedicated account using online banking, mobile banking, an ATM, or a bank counter.
The remitted amount is automatically credited to your account balance. Check your balance to confirm the payment.
The supported corporate remittance bank accounts vary by country. The information displayed in the console prevails.
The dedicated bank account is for your current Alibaba Cloud account only. Do not use it for other accounts.
Previous console
On the Account Balance page of Expenses and Costs, click Top-up.
On the Top-up/Remit page, view your dedicated remittance account.
Transfer funds to the dedicated account using online banking, mobile banking, an ATM, or a bank counter.
The remitted amount is automatically credited to your account balance. Check your balance to confirm the payment.
The supported corporate remittance bank accounts vary by country. The information displayed in the console prevails.
The dedicated bank account is for your current Alibaba Cloud account only. Do not use it for other accounts.
Make a remittance to a non-dedicated account
Transfer funds to the Alibaba Cloud receiving bank account using online banking, mobile banking, an ATM, or a bank counter.
After you make the remittance, contact your account manager to claim the payment. The funds can be credited to your account balance only after they are claimed.
Configure automatic bill settlement
The system enables Automatic Write-off or Auto-pay Monthly Bills by default. After a payment is credited, it is automatically used to pay outstanding bills in chronological order.
If you use the new Expenses and Costs console, you can go to the Billing Account page to enable or disable Automatic Write-off.
If you use the previous Expenses and Costs console, you can go to the Available Credit section of the Account Overview page to enable or disable Auto-pay Monthly Bills.
If this feature is disabled, you must pay your bills manually. Make sure to transfer the payment before the due date on the invoice.
For credit control users who have also linked a bank card, the linked card is not used for automatic payments.
FAQ
Why can't I add a bank card?
Common causes:
-
Unsupported card type: Only Visa, Mastercard, AMEX, or JCB credit or debit cards enabled for international payments are accepted. Prepaid, gift, virtual, and UnionPay-only cards are not supported.
-
Binding limit: Each card can only be linked to one Alibaba Cloud account. If your card is linked to another account (including one in its silent period), unlink it first.
-
Declined by issuing bank: Your bank may decline the request due to international transaction restrictions or risk controls. Contact your bank or try a different card.
-
Pre-authorization failure: A USD 1.00 pre-authorization (or local currency equivalent) verifies your card. This fails if funds are insufficient or the bank blocks the transaction. Ensure adequate funds and that your bank permits pre-authorizations.
-
Browser or network issues: Cache, ad blockers, or network problems can interfere. Try Chrome incognito mode, clear your cache, or use a different device.
What should I do if my payment fails?
Common causes and solutions:
-
Complete KYC verification: If the checkout page requires KYC verification, submit your payment method documentation and valid ID matching your registration information. Review failures are typically caused by inconsistent information or blurry/expired documents.
-
Complete 3D Secure authentication: Payments often fail when the 3DS step is not completed. Watch for the redirect to your bank’s verification page and do not close the payment page. You can also use the verification link in your messages or email, then retry.
-
Check your card status: If payments repeatedly fail without a 3DS prompt, contact your bank to confirm the card supports international and online transactions, 3DS is enabled, risk controls are not blocking transactions, and funds are sufficient.
-
Confirm the payment method is supported: Credit cards issued in the Chinese mainland, prepaid cards, gift cards, and virtual cards are not supported. PayPal accounts from the Chinese mainland are also unsupported.
-
Rule out browser and network issues: Clear your cache, switch to Chrome, or try another device to resolve 3DS page loading failures or payment flow interruptions.
How to check your account region
Log in to the Alibaba Cloud console. Go to Account Center > Basic Information to view the country/region and registration time you entered during sign-up.
Can I use an unverified credit card?
No. For security reasons, a credit card cannot be used for payments until it is successfully verified.
Is the verification charge refunded?
Yes. A refund is initiated within 24 hours. The return to your account depends on your bank and may take up to 30 days.