FAQ about corporate bank transfers
How can enterprise users request a renewal contract for company payment requests?
On the instance list page, click Renew. After an unpaid order is generated, go to the Contract Management page to request a renewal contract. Select the unpaid order. For more information, see Contract Management.
How long does a corporate bank transfer usually take to arrive?
Transfers from China Merchants Bank typically arrive in 1 to 2 business days. Inter-bank transfers take 3 to 5 business days. The actual arrival time depends on the bank.
Why was my ECS instance not renewed after a successful bank transfer?
After a successful bank transfer, the funds are added to your Alibaba Cloud account balance. You must then renew the ECS instance and use your account balance to complete the payment.
For more information, see FAQ about corporate bank transfers.
How do I request an invoice after a successful renewal?
After a successful renewal, go to the Invoice Management page to request an invoice. On this page, select one or more renewal orders. For more information, see Issue an invoice.
What should I do if I selected the wrong renewal term or instance after a successful renewal?
Go to the Expenses and Costs console and choose . In the Actions column of the target renewal order, click Details. Check the start and end times to see if the order is active.
If the renewal order is not yet active, check if it is eligible for a refund. If it is, request a refund and place a new order.
If the renewal order is active, you cannot receive a refund for only the renewal. You can only receive a refund by unsubscribing from the entire ECS instance. Proceed with caution.
How do I request a renewal extension for an ECS instance?
If you cannot renew an instance before it expires due to reasons such as internal financial processes, you can request a 1-day extension.
Why can't I purchase an ECS instance?
Common reasons why you cannot purchase an Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instance include the following:
Incomplete identity verification: If you want to purchase an ECS instance in the Chinese mainland, you must first complete identity verification.
vCPU core quota exceeded: The total number of vCPU cores for your selected instance type might exceed your account's quota limit.
Regional sales limit reached: The selected region may have reached its sales limit for ECS instances, which temporarily disables purchases. You can try to purchase the instance again later. You can also go to Available Regions for ECS Instances to check instance availability.
Can I purchase an ECS instance without completing identity verification?
No, you cannot. You must complete identity verification before you can place an order.
How do I get an invoice for an ECS instance?
Invoices are issued based on monthly settlement bills. A monthly bill cannot be split into multiple invoices. Go to Invoice Management in the Alibaba Cloud Management Console to request an invoice.
Invoices are issued based on monthly settlement bills. A monthly bill cannot be split into multiple invoices. Go to the User Center in the Alibaba Cloud Management Console to request an invoice.
Will the system notify me if my account balance is insufficient? When are notifications sent?
If your available credit (including Alibaba Cloud account balance and vouchers) is less than the pending bill amount, your account is determined to be overdue.
The notification rules are as follows:
Low balance alert. If your available credit, which includes your Alibaba Cloud account balance and any coupons, falls below the alert threshold you set, you will receive a low balance alert by text message or email.
Instance release notification. Alibaba Cloud sends you a text message and an email notification when an instance is released due to expiration or an overdue payment.
If you enable auto-renewal, the first payment attempt is usually made at 08:00, nine days before the resource expires. If this attempt fails due to an insufficient balance, the system retries the payment daily until it succeeds or until the day before the resource expires. To avoid service interruptions due to overdue payments, monitor your account balance and alerts to ensure you have sufficient funds.
Make sure your contact information is correct so you can receive notifications.
Even with auto-renewal enabled, an insufficient balance can cause payment failures and disrupt your service.
If my account balance is insufficient, will the data on my pay-as-you-go instances be affected?
If your available credit (including Alibaba Cloud account balance and vouchers) is less than the pending bill amount, your account is determined to be overdue.
If your account has an overdue payment, you cannot use your ECS resources until you top up your account, pay the outstanding bill, and restart the resources. Your instances are stopped immediately when a payment becomes overdue. Billing for the affected ECS resources is paused while they are suspended. Data retention for pay-as-you-go instances depends on the resource type. For more information, see Overdue payments.
Alibaba Cloud provides the extended suspension-free benefit. When a pay-as-you-go resource is overdue, you can continue to use cloud services for a certain amount or duration. Normal fees apply during the extended period. For more information, see Extended Suspension-Free Benefit.
Is 100-fold compensation supported?
No, it is not. For information about compensation, see the Elastic Computing Service (ECS) Service Level Agreement (SLA).
I requested a refund immediately after purchasing an ECS instance. Why was I still charged?
If your ECS instance does not qualify for the five-day unconditional refund, you will receive a partial refund for the remaining term. For more information, see Refund rules and procedures.