The default billing method for Object Storage Service (OSS) resources is pay-as-you-go. Compared with the pay-as-you-go billing method, resource plans are more cost-effective. To reduce costs, we recommend that you purchase resource plans. Resource plans can be used to offset resource fees, such as storage and traffic fees. If a resource plan expires or the actual resource usage exceeds the quota of the resource plan, the pay-as-you-go billing method is automatically used.
Resource plan types
| Resource plan | Description |
|---|---|
| Storage plan | Used to offset the storage fees of OSS objects. |
| Standard (LRS) storage plan | Used to offset the storage fees of Standard locally redundant storage (LRS) objects. |
| IA (LRS) storage plan | Used to offset the storage fees of Infrequent Access (IA) LRS objects. |
| Data transfer plan | Used to offset OSS traffic fees. |
| Outbound traffic plan | Used to offset the traffic fees generated when data is transferred from OSS to the client over the Internet. |
| Transfer acceleration plan | Used to offset the traffic fees generated when OSS is accessed by using acceleration endpoints. |
| DDoS protection basic plan | Used to offset the fees that are generated when Anti-DDoS Pro or Anti-DDoS Premium instance resources are reserved. |
Purchase suggestions
Suggestion 1: Select resource plans based on your business scenarios
In most cases, storage plans and outbound traffic plans are purchased. Storage plans are used to offset the storage fees of OSS objects. Outbound traffic plans are used to offset the fees that are generated when OSS objects are accessed over the Internet.
| Scenario | Resource plan |
|---|---|
| OSS is used to store text, images, audio files, and videos as Standard (LRS) objects. | Standard (LRS) storage plan |
| OSS objects are browsed or downloaded over the Internet. | Outbound traffic plan |
For information about the use scenarios of all resource plans, see Resource plan types.
Suggestion 2: Select resource plans based on specific billable items in your bill
You can select resource plans based on specific billable items on the Details tab of the Bills page.
For example, if the billable item is the storage usage of Standard (LRS) objects, you can purchase Standard (LRS) storage plans to offset the storage fees.
Suggestion 3: Select resource plans based on your resource usage
You can select resource plans based on the usage of specific billable items on the Details tab of the Bills page.
For example, if the storage usage of Standard (LRS) objects is 40 GB per hour, you can purchase a Standard (LRS) storage plan that has a capacity of 40 GB to offset the storage fees.
Suggestion 4: Purchase resource plans based on the reasons why existing resource plans are not used to offset fees and the pay-as-you-go billing method is used
- You can view the types of billable items and the usage and consumption time of resources on the Details tab of the Bills page.
- You can view the types, number, and effective time of resource plans that are in effect on the Resource Packages tab of the Manage Reserved Instances page.
- Compare the billable items and resource plans.
Sample issue Solution The bill contains outbound traffic over the Internet (NetworkOut), but the resource plan list does not contain outbound traffic plans. Purchase outbound traffic plans. The bill contains the storage usage of Standard (LRS) objects, but the resource plan list does not contain Standard (LRS) storage plans. Purchase Standard (LRS) storage plans. The storage usage of Standard (LRS) objects in the bill is 100 GB per hour, but the Standard (LRS) storage plan in the resource plan list has a capacity of 40 GB. Increase the capacity of the Standard (LRS) storage plan to 100 GB. The bill is generated before you purchase resource plans. None.
Offset limits
- Resource plans can be used to offset only the fees for the current Alibaba Cloud account and cannot be used across accounts.
- OSS resource plans can be used to offset only the resource fees of OSS.
- Resource plans can be used to offset only the fees generated after the resource plans are purchased.
- Resource plans of a specific type can be used to offset only the fees for billable items that are specific to the resource plans. For more information, see Resource plan types.
- Region-specific resource plans can be used to offset only the fees for billable items supported by the resource plans in specific regions. Resource plans for the Chinese mainland can be used to offset fees for billable items supported by the resource plans in multiple regions in the Chinese mainland. For more information, see Regions.
Method
| Method | Resource plan | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed total capacity | Storage plan | A fixed quota is available every hour. If the fixed quota is not exhausted within one hour, the unused quota cannot be transferred to the next hour. For example, a resource plan that has a capacity of 10 TB can be used to offset fees for storage usage of up to 10 TB per hour.
|
| Monthly subscription | Outbound traffic plan | A fixed quota is available every month. The full quota is restored on the first day of the next month. The unused quota cannot be transferred to the next month. For example, if you purchase an outbound traffic plan that has a capacity of 100 GB and a validity period of six months, you can use the traffic plan to offset fees for 100 GB of download traffic over the Internet per month within six months. The excess part is billed on a pay-as-you-go basis. |
| Decreasing total capacity | Transfer acceleration plan | Transfer acceleration plans are used to offset the fees of actual resource usage until the balance in your account is cleared or until the plans expire. For example, if you purchase a transfer acceleration plan that has a capacity of 5 TB and a validity period of three months, you can use the plan to offset fees for 5 TB of transfer acceleration traffic within three months. The excess part is billed on a pay-as-you-go basis. |
Regions
When you purchase resource plans, you must select the region in which you want to use the resource plans. You do not need to select a region when you purchase a DDoS protection basic plan because this plan takes effect in all regions. Region-specific resource plans are available only in specific regions.
| Region type | Description |
|---|---|
| All regions | Offset resource usage fees in all regions. |
| Specific regions ① | Offset resource usage fees only in selected regions. ② |
| Regions in the Chinese mainland ① | Offset resource usage fees in multiple regions in the Chinese mainland. ③ |
| Transfer acceleration regions | Offset traffic fees generated when you use an acceleration endpoint to accelerate uploads or downloads. The acceleration endpoint can be used to access OSS buckets across different regions. |
| Transfer acceleration M2M | Offset transfer acceleration fees generated when you use an acceleration endpoint to accelerate uploads (AccM2MIn) or downloads (AccM2MOut). The acceleration endpoint can be used to access OSS buckets across regions in the Chinese mainland. |
| Transfer acceleration M2O_O2M | Offset transfer acceleration fees generated when you use an acceleration endpoint to accelerate uploads (AccM2OIn or AccO2MIn) or downloads (AccM2OOut or AccO2MOut). The acceleration endpoint can be used to access OSS buckets in regions in the Chinese mainland from regions outside the Chinese mainland or in regions outside the Chinese mainland from regions in the Chinese mainland. |
| Transfer acceleration O2O | Offset transfer acceleration fees generated when you use an acceleration endpoint to accelerate uploads (AccO2OIn) or downloads (AccO2OOut). The acceleration endpoint can be used to access OSS buckets in regions outside the Chinese mainland from regions outside the Chinese mainland. |
① You can purchase resource plans for the Chinese mainland and region-specific resource plans at the same time. Region-specific resource plans are preferentially used to offset fees. After the quota is exceeded, fees are offset based on resource plans for the Chinese mainland. If the actual usage still exceeds the quota of resource plans for the Chinese mainland, you are billed for the excess usage on a pay-as-you-go basis.
② For example, resource plans for the China (Qingdao) region can be used to offset only the resource usage fees that are generated in the China (Qingdao) region.
③ For more information about the regions in the Chinese mainland that are supported by resource plans for the Chinese mainland, see Regions supported by the resource plans for the Chinese mainland.
Supported operations
| Resource plan | Purchase | Upgrade | Renew | Purchase of multiple resource plans of the same type | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard (LRS) storage plan | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | × | ✓ |
| IA (LRS) storage plan | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | × | ✓ |
| Outbound traffic plan | ✓ | × | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Transfer acceleration plan | ✓ | × | × | ✓ | ✓ |
| DDoS protection basic plan | ✓ | × | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
FAQ
Purchase and unsubscribe resource plans
- When do I need to purchase a resource plan?
- Which resource plans are commonly used?
- When does a resource plan take effect after I purchase the resource plan?
- Do I need to manually initiate the connection to automatically offset fees from the resource plan?
- What do I do if I cannot find the resource plan of a specification that I require on the OSS Resource Plan page?
- Can I change resource plans?
- Can I request a refund for a resource plan?
Use resource plans
- Can different types of resource plans be applied to the same billing item?
- Can resource plans be shared among multiple Alibaba Cloud accounts?
- How is my 3-month, 100 GB resource plan deducted?
- Why is the remaining quota of a resource plan displayed as - or remains unchanged?
- Do resource plans support auto-renewal?
- How am I charged if the usage exceeds the quota of a resource plan?
- Why am I unable to view the expired resources plans?
- Does the remaining quota expire at the end of the month if I purchase an outbound traffic plan on the 20th of the month?
View the details of resource plans
- How do I view records such as resource plan renewal or upgrade?
- How do I view offset records of resource plans?
- Why am I still in arrears after I purchase a resource plan?