Cancellation rules
To unsubscribe from a resource or service, follow the procedure below:
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Check eligibility for unsubscription
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You can unsubscribe from prepaid products. Depending on the subscription period and usage, you may receive a full refund or a partial refund.
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Postpaid products do not require unsubscription. To stop billing for pay-as-you-go products like ECS, back up your data and then release the resources in the console.
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Submit an unsubscription request
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Go to the Expenses and Costs > resource unsubscription page. Submit an unsubscription request for the desired order, verify the refund amount, and confirm.
ImportantUnsubscriptions are irreversible. Review order details carefully to prevent mistakes. After an unsubscription, the related resources are deleted. Back up your data beforehand.
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Check the refund status
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The refund amount is calculated as: cash paid - consumed amount.
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After you successfully unsubscribe, we typically process the refund within two business days. By default, we refund to the original payment method. If this fails, we automatically credit the refund to your Alibaba Cloud account balance.
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Unsubscription rules
Cloud product and resource plan cancellation
Based on criteria like resource attributes, subscription duration, and usage, there are several unsubscription scenarios for cloud products and resource packages, including 5-Day Unconditional Refund, partial refund, and unsubscription from an inactive renewal order. These may result in a full or partial refund. The following table shows which common products are eligible for these unsubscription scenarios. indicates eligibility, while indicates ineligibility.
The following table details the rules and conditions for unsubscribing from cloud products and resource packages.
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Refund scenario |
Applicable conditions |
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5-Day Unconditional Refund |
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Full refund for unused or not-yet-effective resources |
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Inactive renewal order |
Note
If the resource configuration has been modified, you must unsubscribe from both the resource and the renewal order together. You cannot unsubscribe from the renewal order separately. |
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Refund for physical goods |
For physical goods that are delivered offline and are still within the return window, submit a ticket. |
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Standard Partial Refund |
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Refund for resource downgrade |
If a subscription instance supports a configuration downgrade, a refund is automatically calculated and issued based on the price difference between the old and new configurations. For more information, see Refund Rules for Downgrades. |
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Subscription to pay-as-you-go conversion |
If a product supports changing the billing method, the remaining value of the subscription is automatically calculated and refunded upon conversion. For more information, see Refund Rules for Subscription to Pay-as-you-go Conversion. |
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Savings plan cancellation rules
Effective April 3, 2026, Alibaba Cloud supports self-service cancellation for Savings Plans. The following conditions and limitations apply:
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Condition |
Description |
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Eligible plans |
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Payment type limitations |
Self-service cancellation is only available for Savings Plans with the All Upfront payment type. This feature is not supported for Partial Upfront or No Upfront payment types. |
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Ineligible plans |
Savings Plans that have generated deductions are not currently eligible for self-service cancellation. |
For more information, see the Announcement on the Launch of Self-Service Cancellation for Savings Plans.
Scenarios ineligible for unsubscription
You cannot unsubscribe or get a refund in the following cases:
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Outstanding unpaid orders: You cannot unsubscribe from a resource instance that has unpaid orders. You must cancel all unpaid orders for the instance before you can unsubscribe.
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Upgraded resources: You cannot unsubscribe from upgrade orders separately. You must unsubscribe from the entire instance.
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Transferred resources: Refunds are not issued for unsubscriptions or downgrades after a resource transfer.
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Promotional restrictions: The resource was purchased as part of a promotion with rules that explicitly prohibit refunds.
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You cannot unsubscribe from an ECS instance in the following cases:
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The ECS instance is using a paid image. You must switch to a free image before you can unsubscribe.
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Subscription ECS instances have a monthly refund quota. Once this limit is reached, you cannot request further refunds within that month. The quota is displayed on the ECS unsubscription page and resets on the first of each month. For more details, see Limitations.
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Anomalous account activity: Refunds are not granted for security reasons, such as when an account, or multiple accounts from the same user, repeatedly unsubscribes from a resource within 30 days of its ICP filing approval.
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Product-specific rules prohibit unsubscription: See the following table for common products that are ineligible for unsubscription.
Ineligible products
Refund calculation
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If you purchased a subscription product with a coupon, the coupon is refunded proportionally to the original payment structure upon unsubscription. However, refunds resulting from a downgrade are not eligible for coupon refunds.
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The unsubscription rules for resource packages have been updated. An unused resource package is eligible for a full refund within its validity period. If a coupon was used for the purchase, it can be refunded proportionally to the payment structure of the original order upon unsubscription. For more information, see: Extension of the Full Refund Period for Unused Public Cloud Resource Plans and Notice on the Upgrade of Refund Rules for Public Cloud Resource Plans.
Full refund
Refund amount = Amount paid for the order. This is the actual amount you paid for the order.
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Unsubscription type |
Example |
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Five-day unconditional full unsubscription |
You purchase a new ECS instance for a total of CNY 500 (CNY 300 cash and a CNY 200 coupon). If you unsubscribe three days later, you will be refunded CNY 300 in cash and the CNY 200 coupon. |
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Full unsubscription for unused resources (resource package) |
You purchase a new NAS resource package for CNY 150 in cash. If you unsubscribe three days later without using it, you will be refunded CNY 150 in cash. |
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Unsubscribe from a renewal order that has not taken effect |
You have an existing ECS instance and pay CNY 300 in cash for a renewal order. If you request to unsubscribe from this renewal order before it takes effect, you will be refunded CNY 300 in cash. |
Partial refund
Partial refunds include three types: partial unsubscription, refund for a downgrade, and refund for converting a subscription to pay-as-you-go.
Partial unsubscription
Refund amount = Amount paid for the order - Consumed amount
The consumed amount is calculated based on the usage duration, a corresponding short-term discount, and a refund coefficient. The following table describes the rules for calculating the consumed amount for common cloud products.
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Product type and usage duration |
Calculation rule |
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Usage duration < 30 days |
(Daily unit price * Usage duration * Applicable discount for usage duration) * 1.5 |
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Usage duration ≥ 30 days |
Daily unit price * Usage duration * Applicable discount for usage duration |
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Usage duration < 30 days |
(Daily unit price * Usage duration * Applicable discount for usage duration) * 1.2 |
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Usage duration ≥ 30 days |
Daily unit price * Usage duration * Applicable discount for usage duration |
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Model Studio provisioned throughput (subscription-per-day) |
(Daily unit price * Usage duration * Applicable discount for usage duration) * 1.5 |
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Usage duration < 28 days |
(Daily unit price * Usage duration * Applicable discount for usage duration) * 1.5 |
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Usage duration ≥ 28 days |
(Daily unit price * Usage duration * Applicable discount for usage duration) |
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Web Application Firewall (WAF) 3.0 |
(Daily unit price * Usage duration * Applicable discount for usage duration) * 1.5 |
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Other products (see the product documentation for details) |
Daily unit price * Usage duration * Applicable discount for usage duration |
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Resource package |
total amount-based |
Used amount × Unit price × Applicable discount for used amount |
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periodic usage-based |
Number of used periods × Periodic unit price × Applicable discount for used periods |
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Calculation examples
The following scenarios are for illustrative purposes only. For actual prices and discounts, refer to the purchase page.
Scenario 1: You purchase a new 3-year subscription for a 2-core 4 GB ECS instance. The list price is CNY 5,040. A 3-year subscription receives a 45% discount (you pay 55% of the list price), so the actual payment is CNY 2,736.
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Example 1: Unsubscribe after 1 year (365 days) of use
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Usage duration: 365 days.
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Applicable discount: Calculated based on a 1-year subscription, which is assumed to qualify for a 15% discount (you pay 85% of the list price).
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Daily unit price:
CNY 5,040 / (365 days * 3) = CNY 4.6027/day. -
Consumed amount:
CNY 4.6027/day * 365 days * 0.85 = CNY 1,428. (No processing fee is charged for usage over 30 days.) -
Final refund amount:
CNY 2,736 - CNY 1,428 = CNY 1,308.
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Example 2: Unsubscribe after 10 days of use
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Usage duration: 10 days.
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Applicable discount: No discount for a 10-day usage duration (discount factor is 1.0).
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Daily unit price:
CNY 4.6027/day. -
Consumed amount:
(CNY 4.6027/day * 10 days * 1.0) * 1.5 = CNY 69.05. (Calculated at 1.5 times the rate for usage under 30 days.) -
Final refund amount:
CNY 2,736 - CNY 69.05 = CNY 2,666.95.
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Scenario 2: The list price for an SMS resource package is CNY 1 per message. A 10% discount (you pay 90%) applies for purchasing 500 messages, and a 20% discount (you pay 80%) for 1,000 messages. The package is valid for one year. You purchase a 1,000-message SMS resource package, paying 1,000 messages * CNY 1/message * 0.8 = CNY 800.
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Example: Unsubscribe after using 500 messages.
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Used amount: 500 messages.
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Unit price: CNY 1/message.
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Applicable discount for used amount: A 10% discount (factor of 0.9) applies.
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Consumed amount:
500 messages * CNY 1/message * 0.9 = CNY 450. -
Final refund amount:
CNY 800 - CNY 450 = CNY 350.
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Refund for a downgrade
When you downgrade the specifications of a subscription instance, the system may automatically refund a portion of the fee based on the rules. No refund is issued if the calculated refund amount is zero or less. For specific calculation rules and formulas, see Refund rules for downgrades.
Refund for converting to pay-as-you-go
If your cloud product supports converting from a subscription to a pay-as-you-go billing method, the system may automatically refund the remaining subscription fee based on the conversion rules. No refund is issued if the calculated refund amount is zero or less. For specific calculation rules and formulas, see Refund rules for converting a subscription to pay-as-you-go.
Impact of unsubscription
Unsubscribing irreversibly affects your resources and data. Review the following information before you proceed:
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Data and resource changes
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When you unsubscribe from a resource or instance, it is automatically released, and its data is permanently deleted. Back up your data in advance.For products like ECS and web hosting, resources are stopped and retained for 15 days before automatic release.
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Unsubscribing from a resource plan takes effect in the next billing cycle. For a resource plan with hourly deductions, you can continue to use it for the current hour. Starting from the next hour, the corresponding product automatically switches to the pay-as-you-go billing method. For a resource plan with monthly deductions, it expires the following month. Maintain a sufficient account balance to prevent service interruptions or overdue payments.
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Discounts and benefits: When you unsubscribe, you forfeit any promotional offers available at the time of purchase. All benefits included with the order, such as coupons, are also forfeited.
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If you unsubscribe from a renewal order that is not yet active, the resource's expiration date reverts to its previous state. Back up or migrate your data before the resource expires.
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Changes to invoice quota: After a successful refund, your available invoice quota automatically decreases. To avoid a negative invoice quota, which could affect withdrawals, do not request an invoice for the refunded order.
Refund process
After you unsubscribe, your refund is typically processed within two business days. To view details, go to Billing Details and search for the refund transaction type.
Refunds are generally issued to the original payment method. If this process fails, the refund is automatically credited to your Alibaba Cloud account balance. The following table lists the time limits for a refund to the original payment method for various payment methods.
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Payment method |
Refund time limit |
Description |
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Alipay |
Within 18 months (548 days) of payment |
If the time limit is exceeded or the refund to the original payment method fails, the funds are credited to your Alibaba Cloud account balance. |
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Online banking |
Within 90 days of payment |
Your refund may be delayed depending on your bank's processing time. |
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Alibaba Cloud account balance |
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Other payment methods (such as UnionPay app) |
The time limit depends on the rules of each payment channel. |
If the refund to the original payment method fails, the funds are credited to your Alibaba Cloud account balance. |
If an invoice was issued for an order before you requested a refund, the refund method for the invoiced order depends on your account's invoicing quota:
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If the refund amount is less than or equal to the sum of your Invoiceable Amount+Unavailable Amount This Month, the refund is issued to the original payment method. If this fails, the funds are credited to your Alibaba Cloud account balance.
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If the refund amount is greater than the sum of your Invoiceable Amount+Unavailable Amount This Month, the refund is credited directly to your Alibaba Cloud account balance to comply with tax regulations.
You can withdraw funds that are refunded to your Alibaba Cloud account balance. For details, see Balance withdrawal.
If you are unable to withdraw a refund from your account, it may be due to an invoice amount arrears. You must resolve the arrears before you can withdraw. An invoice amount arrears occurs when a refund for an invoiced order makes your actual consumption lower than the invoiced amount. The refunded portion is then frozen. For more information, see Handle invoice amount arrears.
Unsubscription
In the Expenses and Costs console, go to the Resource UnsubscriptionResource Unsubscription page. For detailed instructions, see Unsubscribe from a resource.
Unsubscription FAQ
Can I unsubscribe from a domain?
Domain names are registered immediately, and the process is irreversible. After a successful registration, a domain name generally cannot be modified, deleted, or refunded, though a few top-level domains (TLDs) support paid deletion during a grace period. According to industry rules, fees paid for new registrations, renewals, redemptions, and transfers are non-refundable.
How to view refund records?
After a successful unsubscription, your refund is typically processed within two business days. You can go to the Billing Details page and set the Transaction Type to Refund to see how your refund was issued. You can also view order details on the My Orders page.
Why is my refund 0?
According to the calculation rules for a partial refund (Refund Amount = Amount Paid - Consumed Amount), if the consumed amount exceeds the amount you paid, the refund amount is 0.
Refund not returned to the original payment method
In the following cases, we credit the refund to your Alibaba Cloud account balance instead of returning it to the original payment method:
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Time limit exceeded: You requested the unsubscription after the payment provider's deadline for refunds to the original payment method.
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Original payment account issue: An issue with your original payment account, such as a canceled bank card or frozen account, prevented the refund.
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Invoice restrictions: The order was already invoiced before you requested the refund, and the refund amount is greater than the current invoiceable amount.
Why can't I withdraw my refund?
If you are unable to withdraw a refund from your Alibaba Cloud account, it may be due to invoice arrears. You must settle the arrears before you can make a withdrawal. Invoice arrears occur when a refund is issued for an invoiced order, causing the consumed amount to be less than the original invoiced amount. For more information, see Settle Invoice Arrears.
Coupon not returned after a refund
A coupon might not be returned for the following reasons:
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Products such as Wuying Workspace, Communication as a Service (CaaS) products, and web hosting do not currently support coupon refunds.
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For products that support coupon refunds, we only return cash coupons upon unsubscription. We do not return spend-and-save or discount coupons.
Why can't I use a returned coupon?
If a coupon returned after an unsubscription has expired, you can no longer use it. We recommend that you check the usage rules and validity period of the coupon on the Coupons page.
Why did costs increase after unsubscription?
After you unsubscribe from a resource plan, any products previously covered by the plan immediately switch to the pay-as-you-go billing method. If these products are still running, they will begin to generate pay-as-you-go bills.
Calculating usage duration after upgrades or renewals
When you perform operations such as upgrade/downgrade, auto-renewal, and unsubscription on a subscription instance near the renewal date, the order of these operations determines the order status, refund calculation rules, and the starting point for the "usage duration" in the refund formula.
Scenario 1: Upgrade/downgrade first, then auto-renew, then request refund
The instance is first upgraded or downgraded, then automatically renewed, and finally unsubscribed. The upgrade/downgrade and renewal are processed as two separate orders and are not combined.
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Remaining duration of the upgrade/downgrade order: Covers only the remaining duration of the original cycle (from the time of upgrade/downgrade to the end of the original cycle).
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Renewal order: Auto-renewal is calculated independently for the entire new renewal cycle.
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"Usage duration" start point for unsubscription: Starts on the start date of the new renewal cycle.
Scenario 2: Auto-renew first, then upgrade/downgrade, then request refund
The instance is first renewed, then upgraded or downgraded, and finally unsubscribed. In this case, the upgrade/downgrade order covers both the remaining duration of the original cycle and the entire renewal cycle.
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Remaining duration of the upgrade/downgrade order: Covers the period from the time of the upgrade/downgrade to the expiration date after renewal.
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Order for refund calculation: We process the refund against the single upgrade/downgrade order.
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"Usage duration" start point for unsubscription: Starts on the day of the upgrade/downgrade.
The refund amount will differ between these two scenarios because the usage duration is calculated differently.
Instance not found on the unsubscription page
On the self-service unsubscription page, enter the instance ID and search again.
Unsubscription for common cloud products
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ECS (subscription): Unsubscription instructions
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Wuying Workspace: Monthly purchase - Unsubscription and refund
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ApsaraDB RDS: Refund instructions
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SSL Certificates Service, Private Certificate Authority (PCA), and HTTPS-accelerated gateway: Refund for SSL Certificates Service
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Short Message Service (SMS) package refund: Refund instructions
For more questions, see: Unsubscription FAQ.