When your subscription resources are about to expire, renew them promptly to avoid service interruptions or resource releases that could disrupt your business. For pay-as-you-go resources, you must ensure that your account has a sufficient balance to continue using the service. No renewal is required.
Status changes after resource expiration
If a subscription resource is not renewed after it expires, its service is stopped. The system eventually releases the resource automatically. After a resource is released, all its data is permanently deleted and cannot be recovered.
Most cloud products go through three stages after expiration: grace period, suspension, and release and deletion:
Grace period: Usually 1 to 15 days. The resource continues to provide service during this period.
Suspension: Service is stopped, but the resource and its data are retained.
Release and deletion: The system automatically releases the resource and permanently deletes all data.
Some cloud products are released immediately after expiration. For example, fixed-quota OSS resource plans are released immediately upon expiration. You can continue to use Object Storage Service, and your billing method automatically switches to pay-as-you-go.
For the specific expiration rules, see the documentation for each product. The following table shows the status changes for common cloud products after expiration:
Common products | Grace period | Suspension | Release and deletion |
ECS/Simple Application Server | Within 15 days of expiration | After 15 days, the instance is suspended, but data is retained. | 15 days after suspension, the instance is automatically released. Data cannot be recovered. |
ApsaraDB RDS | None | From day 1 to day 7 after expiration, the instance is locked and cannot be accessed. | From day 8 to day 15 after expiration, compute resources are released, but data backups are retained. Starting on day 16 after expiration, data is no longer retained. |
Tair (Redis-compatible) | Within 15 days of expiration | From day 16 to day 30 after expiration, the instance is Disabled and cannot be accessed. From day 31 to day 37, the instance status is Released, but data is retained. | On day 38, the instance is completely destroyed. Data is no longer retained and cannot be recovered. |
PolarDB | Within 15 days of expiration | 15 days after expiration, the instance enters a suspended and locked state and cannot be accessed. | 15 days after suspension, the cluster is released. Basic backups are deleted, but off-site data backups are kept. |
Edge Security Acceleration (ESA) plan | None | 15 days | The resource is released 15 days after the plan expires. |
Web Application Firewall | None | Within 15 days of expiration, protection stops, but the instance configuration is retained. | On day 16 after expiration, the instance is automatically released. |
How to renew
For Domain Names and Enterprise Mailbox, you must renew them in their respective consoles.
You can renew a resource before it is released. The instance status and service period vary depending on when you renew the resource:
Renew before expiration: The new service period starts at the end of the previous subscription period.
Renew after expiration:
If the resource is not yet suspended, the new service period starts at the end of the previous subscription period.
If the resource is suspended, the new service period starts after the renewal is successful. You are not charged for the suspension period.
You can use manual renewal or auto-renewal.
Renewal method | When to perform | Execution policy |
Manual renewal | Before the resource is released | Initiate the renewal manually. The resource's validity period is extended immediately after successful payment. |
Auto-renewal | No later than 14 days after resource expiration | Set a renewal period in advance. The resource is automatically renewed at the specified time before it expires. The system attempts to deduct payment for renewal 3 days before, 1 day before, on the day of, 6 days after, and 14 days after expiration. If a deduction fails, the system tries again at the next scheduled time. If the payment is still unsuccessful 14 days after expiration, the system stops all attempts. You must then renew the resource manually within the time allowed by the product. You can cancel auto-renewal at any time after you enable it. |
Pay-as-you-go resources do not need to be renewed. Ensure your account has a sufficient balance to continue using them.
When you use auto-renewal, confirm that your payment method is active to ensure a successful payment deduction.
To renew third-party products from Alibaba Cloud Marketplace, log on to the Alibaba Cloud Marketplace console to view details, or contact Marketplace customer service.
By default, an Alibaba Cloud account has renewal permissions. Before a Resource Access Management (RAM) user can perform renewal operations, the Alibaba Cloud account must grant the RAM user the required permissions, such as AliyunBSSFullAccess or AliyunBSSRenewFullAccess.
Manual renewal
You can renew resources in the console by following these steps.
New console
Go to the Resource Renewal page. Click the Manual Renewal tab. Select the products to renew and click Renew. You can select multiple instances of the same cloud product to batch renew them in a single order.
On the renewal details page, select a renewal duration. The new expiration date appears on the page. Then, click Confirm Order or Buy Now.
On the Payment page, confirm that the order information is correct, and then complete the payment.
You can also select Export Renewal Checklist before manual renewal to download a list of fees for price inquiries or funding requests.
Old console
Go to the Renewal page. Click the Manual Renewal tab. Select the products to renew and click Renew. You can select multiple instances of the same cloud product to batch renew them in a single order.
On the renewal details page, select a renewal duration. The new expiration date appears on the page. Then, click Confirm Order or Buy Now.
On the Payment page, confirm that the order information is correct, and then complete the payment.
You can also select Export Renewal Checklist before manual renewal to download a list of fees for price inquiries or funding requests.
You can also manually renew instances using an API. To do so, call the RenewInstance operation.
This API does not support the renewal of ECS, RDS, or Redis instances. You must use the dedicated renewal APIs for these products.
Auto-renewal
You can select the auto-renewal option when you purchase a subscription resource.
New console
Log on to the Resource Renewal page. On the Manual Renewal tab, select one or more products to renew, and then click Enable Auto Renewal.
On the Enable Auto Renewal page, configure the Unified Auto Renewal Cycle, and then click Enable Auto Renewal. After auto-renewal is enabled, you can view the renewal details on the Auto Renewal tab.
Go to the Auto Renewal tab. You can perform operations such as cancel or resume manual renewal for instances for which auto-renewal is enabled.
• Renew: Immediately renew an instance that is set for auto-renewal. After a successful renewal, the system performs auto-renewal based on the configured rules before the new expiration date.
• Modify Auto Renewal: Change the auto-renewal period.
• Do Not Renew: Do not renew the instance after it expires.
Old console
Log on to the Renewal page. On the Manual Renewal tab, select one or more products to renew, and then click Enable Auto Renewal.
On the Enable Auto Renewal page, configure the Unified Auto Renewal Cycle, and then click Enable Auto Renewal. After auto-renewal is enabled, you can view the renewal details on the Auto Renewal tab.
Go to the Auto Renewal tab. You can perform operations such as modify, cancel, or resume manual renewal for instances for which auto-renewal is enabled.
• Renew: Immediately renew an instance that is set for auto-renewal.
• Modify Auto Renewal: Change the auto-renewal period.
• Do Not Renew: Do not renew the instance after it expires.
• Resume Manual Renewal: Switch an instance from auto-renewal back to manual renewal.
Enabling auto-renewal does not immediately renew the resource. This action only sets the renewal period, and the setting takes effect the next day.
If your resource instance expires the next day, auto-renewal is not performed. You must renew it manually.
You can also call the SetRenewal operation to enable auto-renewal for an instance.
Enabling auto-renewal does not immediately renew the resource. This action only sets the renewal period, and the setting takes effect the next day.
If your resource instance expires the next day, auto-renewal is not performed. You must renew it manually.
After a successful renewal, you can log on to the Resource Renewal page. Click the Manual Renewal tab to view all instances that are set for manual renewal. Click the Auto Renewal tab to view all instances for which auto-renewal is enabled.
If you have enabled multi-account management, the administrator of the management account can view the resources of member accounts on the Resource Renewal page but cannot perform operations on them.
Renewal recommendations
Follow expiration and renewal reminders
The system sends reminders by internal message and email 7 days, 3 days, and 1 day before expiration, on the day of expiration, and one day before the resource is released. You can log on to Message Center - Subscriptions to manage your notification settings.
Regularly check for expiring resources
Log on to the Resource Renewal page. You can find expiring resources by filtering by Expiration Date, Region, or other conditions. You can also search for a specific instance ID or instance status to find and renew resources.
Unify ECS expiration dates for centralized renewal
You can use the Unify Expiration Date feature to align the expiration dates of all your ECS instances to the same day of the month. The new billing cycle starts on the renewal date. This simplifies unified management. For more information, see Unify the expiration dates of subscription ECS instances.
Set resources to not renew to reduce reminders
If you no longer need a resource after it expires, you can follow these steps to configure it not to renew. This reduces the number of expiration reminders you receive. Make sure to back up your data before the expiration date to prevent business disruptions.
Log on to the Expenses and Costs console and go to the Resource Renewal page.
On the Manual Renewal/Auto-renewal tab, find the resources that you do not want to renew.
In the Actions column, click Nonrenewal. Alternatively, select the check boxes next to multiple resources of the same product type and click Set as Nonrenewal.
Switch to the Nonrenewal upon Expiration tab to view the resources that are set not to renew.
FAQ
Why can't I find the resource instance I want to renew on the renewal page?
If a resource instance does not support renewal, it does not appear in the list on the renewal page. Common examples are as follows:
Pay-as-you-go instances, which do not require renewal.
Instances that have already been released, which cannot be renewed.
Resource plan instances. These are renewed on the Resource Plan page.
Domain Names, Enterprise Mailbox, and similar products. These products must be renewed in their respective consoles.
I enabled auto-renewal. Why did the renewal fail?
Enabling auto-renewal only sets the renewal period. It does not trigger an immediate renewal. The system attempts to deduct the renewal payment at several points: 3 days before, 1 day before, on the day of, 6 days after, and 14 days after expiration. If a deduction fails, the system tries again at the next scheduled time. Your renewal may have failed because your account balance was insufficient, which caused all deduction attempts to fail. In this case, you must top up your account balance and renew the resource manually.
I renewed the wrong resource. Can I get a refund?
Whether you can receive a refund depends on whether the renewal order has taken effect. You can log on to the Unsubscribe page to check the status of your renewal order:
If the order is on the Renewals Not Yet In Effect tab, the renewal has not yet started. You can apply for a full refund.
If the order is on the Unsubscribe From Resources tab, the renewal has already taken effect. A partial refund will be issued for the remaining service period based on the partial refund rules.
For more information about the refund rules, see Unsubscription rules.
When I renew for one month, why is the actual duration sometimes 29, 30, or 31 days?
When you renew for one month, the new expiration date is 00:00 on the same day of the following month. For example:
If an instance expires at 00:00 on January 31 and you renew it for one month, the new expiration date is February 29 (or February 28 in a non-leap year). Subsequent renewals will also expire on the 29th (or 28th).
If an instance expires at 00:00 on February 1 and you renew it for one month, the new expiration date is 00:00 on March 1. The renewal duration is 29 days (in a leap year) or 28 days.
If an instance expires at 00:00 on May 21 and you renew it for one month, the new expiration date is 00:00 on June 21. The renewal duration is 31 days.
If an instance expires at 00:00 on June 1 and you renew it for one month, the new expiration date is 00:00 on July 1. The renewal duration is 30 days.
If I don't want to use an instance after it expires, I can just not renew it. What is the "Do Not Renew Upon Expiration" feature for?
The "Do Not Renew Upon Expiration" feature is typically used in two scenarios:
Scenario 1: Alibaba Cloud typically sends three notifications before suspending an instance (the number of notifications may vary by product). If you plan not to renew an instance and do not want to receive multiple notifications, you can configure it not to renew. Alibaba Cloud will then send only one notification.
Scenario 2: After reaching a significant partnership agreement with Alibaba Cloud, a customer might request that their instances are not suspended upon expiration. However, if some specific instances must be suspended as usual, configuring them not to renew fulfills this requirement.
For other renewal issues, see Resource Renewal FAQ.