To unsubscribe from a resource:
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Check if unsubscription is supported
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Unsubscription applies to prepaid products (pay-before-use). You may qualify for a full or partial refund based on subscription duration and usage.
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Pay-as-you-go products do not require unsubscription (pay-after-use). To stop billing, back up your data and release the resource in the console.
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Submit an unsubscription request
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Go to the Expenses and Costs > Resource Unsubscription. Select the order, verify the refund amount, and confirm.
ImportantUnsubscriptions are irreversible. Carefully review the order details. Associated resources are permanently deleted after unsubscription, so ensure you back up your data beforehand.
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Check the refund status
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The refund amount is calculated as: Actual amount paid - Cost of used resources.
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After a successful unsubscription, the refund is returned to the original payment method (credit card, PayPal, or account balance) within 30 business days. If the original payment method is no longer valid (for example, if a bank card is canceled), the refund is credited to your Alibaba Cloud account balance.
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Unsubscription rules
Unsubscription rules for cloud products and plans
Based on factors such as resource attributes, purchase duration, and usage status, unsubscriptions are classified into several types, including full refund for unused resources, regular partial refund, and unsubscription of renewal orders that have not taken effect. The following table shows the applicability of various unsubscription scenarios to common products. In the table, indicates that a scenario is supported, and indicates that it is not supported.
The following table details the rules and eligibility conditions for unsubscriptions:
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Unsubscription scenario |
Eligibility conditions |
Common products |
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Full refund for unused or unactivated subscriptions |
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Unsubscription of unactivated renewal orders |
Note
If you have reconfigured the resource, you can only unsubscribe from the resource and the renewal order together. You cannot unsubscribe from only the renewal order. |
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Partial refund for unsubscription |
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Refund for configuration downgrade |
If a subscription instance supports configuration downgrades, a refund is automatically calculated based on the price difference between the previous and new configurations. For detailed rules, see Refund rules for configuration downgrades. |
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Refund for converting from subscription to pay-as-you-go |
If a product supports switching billing methods, the remaining fee for the subscription period is automatically refunded upon conversion. For 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 allows self-service unsubscription for Savings Plans under the following conditions:
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Condition |
Description |
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Eligible types |
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Payment type limits |
Self-service unsubscription is only available for All Upfront Savings Plans. This option is not supported for the Partial Upfront and No Upfront payment types. |
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Not eligible |
Savings Plans to which discounts have already been applied are not eligible for self-service unsubscription. |
The Savings Plan self-service unsubscription announcement covers full eligibility details.
Unsupported unsubscriptions
Unsubscriptions or refunds are not available in these situations:
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Unpaid orders: Cancel all unpaid orders for the instance before unsubscribing.
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Resource upgrades: Upgrade orders cannot be unsubscribed separately. Unsubscribe from the entire instance instead.
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Resource transfers: No refunds are provided for unsubscriptions or downgrades after an instance is transferred to another account.
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Promotional restrictions: Orders explicitly marked as "non-refundable" in a promotion cannot be unsubscribed.
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ECS-specific conditions: You cannot unsubscribe from subscription ECS instances in the following situations:
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The instance uses a paid image. Switch to a free image before unsubscribing.
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The monthly refund quota has been reached. Subscription ECS instances have a monthly refund quota that resets on the first day of each month. The specific quota is displayed on the ECS Refunds page. For quota details, see Limits.
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Billing currency mismatch: You cannot unsubscribe from an order if its historical billing currency does not match the current billing currency of your account.
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Unsubscriptions are not supported for reseller accounts.
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Product-specific policies.
Refund calculation
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If you apply a voucher to a subscription purchase, a proportional amount of the voucher is refunded upon unsubscription. However, vouchers are not refunded for downgrades. The Public Cloud subscription refund rule update notice covers this policy.
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You can receive a full refund for an unused resource plan if you unsubscribe from it within its validity period. If you used a voucher for the purchase, a proportional amount of the voucher is refunded upon unsubscription. Related policy announcements: Extended window for full refunds on unused public cloud resource plans and Public cloud resource plan refund rule update notice.
Full refund
Refund amount = Amount paid. This refers to the total payment for the order, including cash and any applied vouchers.
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Unsubscription type |
Example |
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Full refund for an unused resource plan |
You purchase a new resource plan for USD 200, paid with USD 150 in cash and a USD 50 voucher. If you unsubscribe within the validity period without using the plan, you are refunded USD 150 in cash and the USD 50 voucher. |
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Unsubscribe from an unstarted renewal order |
You have an existing ECS instance and pay for a renewal order with USD 300 in cash. If you unsubscribe from this renewal order before it takes effect, you are refunded USD 300 in cash. |
Partial refund
Partial refunds apply in three scenarios: regular partial unsubscription, downgrade refunds, and refunds for converting a subscription to pay-as-you-go.
Partial unsubscription
Refund amount = Amount paid - Amount consumed
The amount consumed is calculated based on the duration of use. The system calculates this amount using the best discount applicable to your usage duration, and in some cases, applies a multiplier. The following table describes the calculation rules for the amount consumed for common cloud products.
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Product type and duration of use |
Calculation rule |
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ECS (subscription) Cloud Firewall |
Duration of use < 30 days |
(Daily unit price × Duration of use × Applicable discount for the duration of use) × 1.5 |
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Duration of use ≥ 30 days |
Daily unit price × Duration of use × Applicable discount for the duration of use |
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Model Studio Provisioned Throughput Units (PTU) (daily) |
(Daily unit price × Duration of use × Applicable discount for the duration of use) × 1.5 |
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Edge Node Service (ENS) |
Duration of use < 28 days |
(Daily unit price × Duration of use × Applicable discount for the duration of use) × 1.5 |
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Duration of use ≥ 28 days |
Daily unit price × Duration of use × Applicable discount for the duration of use |
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Web Application Firewall |
(Daily unit price × Duration of use × Applicable discount for the duration of use) × 1.5 |
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Other products (per product documentation) |
Daily unit price × Duration of use × Applicable discount for the duration of use |
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resource plan |
quota-based |
Quantity used × Unit price per quantity × Applicable discount for the quantity used |
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period-based |
Periods used × Unit price per period × Applicable discount for the periods used |
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Calculation example
You purchase a Simple Application Server for a 3-year term. The list price is USD 140/month or USD 5,040 for 3 years. You receive a 45% discount for the 3-year term and pay USD 2,772. You decide to unsubscribe after 1 year (365 days) of use.
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Days used: 365 days.
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Applicable discount: A 15% discount (factor: 0.85) applies, based on a 1-year purchase term.
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Daily unit price:
USD 5,040 / (365 days × 3) = USD 4.6027/day. -
Amount consumed:
USD 4.6027/day × 365 days × 0.85 = USD 1,428. -
Final refund amount:
USD 2,772 - USD 1,428 = USD 1,344.
Downgrade refund
When you downgrade a subscription instance, a refund is calculated based on specific rules. No refund is provided if the calculated amount is zero or less. For specific calculation rules and formulas, see Refund rules for configuration downgrades.
Subscription to pay-as-you-go refund
If the cloud product you purchased supports conversion from a subscription to pay-as-you-go, the system calculates a refund for the remaining subscription fee based on the conversion rules. No refund is provided if the calculated amount is zero or less. For specific calculation rules and formulas, see Refund policy for converting from Subscription to Pay-as-you-go.
Unsubscription impact
Unsubscription irreversibly affects your resources and data. Review the following before proceeding:
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Data and resource changes
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The system releases the associated resource and permanently deletes its data. Back up your data before unsubscribing.
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Resource plan unsubscription takes effect in the next billing cycle. Hourly plans remain active through the current hour, then switch to PAYG. Monthly plans remain active through the current billing cycle. Ensure sufficient account balance to avoid service interruptions.
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Promotions and benefits: After unsubscription, promotions applied at purchase are forfeited and associated benefits (such as vouchers) are voided.
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Unsubscribing from an unstarted renewal order reverts the resource's expiration date to what it was before renewal. Back up or migrate your data before the resource expires.
Refund routing
Refund processing and bank transfers take time. Funds typically arrive in your account within 30 business days. We prioritize refunds to the original payment method.
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Payment method |
Refund destination |
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Credit card |
If you unsubscribe within 5 months (150 days) of payment, we issue the refund to the original credit card. If you unsubscribe after 5 months, we credit the refund to your Alibaba Cloud account balance. |
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PayPal |
If you unsubscribe within 6 months (180 days) of payment, we issue the refund to the original PayPal account. If you unsubscribe after 6 months, we credit the refund to your Alibaba Cloud account balance. |
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Alibaba Cloud account balance |
We credit the refund directly to your Alibaba Cloud account balance. |
If a refund to the original payment method fails for reasons such as a canceled bank card or channel restrictions, we ultimately credit the funds to your Alibaba Cloud account balance.
Unsubscribe
To unsubscribe, sign in to the Expenses and Costs console and go to the Resource UnsubscriptionResource Unsubscription page. For detailed instructions, see Unsubscribe.
Unsubscription FAQ
Why is the refund amount zero?
According to the calculation rule for a regular partial refund (Refund amount = Amount paid - amount consumed), if the amount consumed is greater than the amount you paid, the refund amount is zero.
Why aren't coupons returned with refunds?
This may happen for the following reasons:
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Refunds for products with fixed-fee installments do not support the return of vouchers.
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For products that do support coupon refunds, only vouchers are returned. Threshold-discount coupons and percentage-discount coupons are not refunded.
How is usage duration calculated with upgrades and renewals?
When a subscription instance undergoes a sequence of operations such as upgrade/downgrade, automatic renewal, and unsubscription near its renewal date, the order of operations determines the order status, the refund calculation, and the starting point for the "duration of use".
Scenario 1: Upgrade/downgrade, then auto-renew, then unsubscribe
The instance is first upgraded or downgraded, then automatically renewed, and then unsubscribed. The upgrade/downgrade and renewal are recorded as two separate orders.
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Remaining duration of the upgrade/downgrade order: Covers only the remaining duration of the original period (from the time of upgrade/downgrade to the expiration of the original period).
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Renewal order: The auto-renewal is calculated independently for the entire new renewal period.
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Starting point for "duration of use" upon unsubscription: The calculation starts from the start date of the new renewal period.
Scenario 2: Auto-renew, then upgrade/downgrade, then unsubscribe
The instance is first renewed, then upgraded or downgraded, and then unsubscribed. In this case, the upgrade/downgrade order covers both the remaining duration of the original period and the entire renewal period.
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Remaining duration of the upgrade/downgrade order: Covers the time from the moment of upgrade/downgrade to the expiration date after renewal.
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Refund calculation basis: The refund is calculated based on the single upgrade/downgrade order.
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Starting point for "duration of use" upon unsubscription: The calculation starts from the day of the upgrade/downgrade.
The refund amount will differ between these two scenarios due to the different starting points for calculating the duration of use.
Why can't I find my instance to unsubscribe from?
On the self-service unsubscription page, enter the instance ID and search again.
How to stop pay-as-you-go billing?
Pay-as-you-go products do not require unsubscription. To stop billing, log in to the product console, find the instance or service, and release or delete it. Back up your data before proceeding.
If you encounter any issues during the unsubscription process, review this FAQ. If you cannot find an answer to your question, please contact support.