ENS supports refunds for subscription resources only. If you no longer need a subscription resource, unsubscribe from it to receive a refund for the unused portion. For pay-as-you-go resources, billing stops as soon as you release or delete the resource in the Alibaba Cloud Management Console — no refund applies.
Refund eligibility
The following scenarios qualify for a refund:
Partial refund (before instance expiry): Request a partial refund for an unexpired subscription instance. For details, see Unsubscription rules.
Subscription not yet in effect: Cancel a renewal order that has not taken effect. For details, see Unsubscription rules.
Configuration downgrade: When your subscription instance specifications exceed your actual requirements, downgrade the instance in real time. The refund is calculated based on the applicable refund rules. For details, see Refund rules for configuration downgrades.
Billing method change (subscription to pay-as-you-go): After changing an instance's billing method from subscription to pay-as-you-go, the remaining subscription fee is refunded. For details, see Refund rules for changing the billing method from subscription to pay-as-you-go.
The following are not eligible for refunds:
Pay-as-you-go resources
Amounts paid with coupons or vouchers
Disks created with instances
Subscription system disks and data disks cannot be separately released or refunded. To get a refund, unsubscribe from the ENS instance. The system disk is then released and refunded together with the instance.
After an instance is released or refunded, all data on the system disk is permanently deleted and cannot be restored.
Refund calculation
The refundable amount is calculated as:
Refundable amount = Paid amount − Consumed amount
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Paid amount | The amount you actually paid, excluding coupons and vouchers. |
| Daily unit price | Order price ÷ Order duration. |
| Usage duration | Refund time − Order start time. Rounded up to the nearest day (any partial day counts as a full day). |
| Order duration | Order end time − Order start time. Rounded down. |
| Consumed amount | See formulas below. |
Consumed amount formulas:
Used for less than 28 days: Consumed amount = Daily unit price × Usage duration × Discount for the usage duration × 1.5
Used for 28 days or more: Consumed amount = Daily unit price × Usage duration × Discount for the usage duration
FAQ: What happens to the 1.5× penalty if I unsubscribe due to a machine failure?
The standard refund rule — where the consumed amount is multiplied by 1.5 when the usage duration is less than 28 days — applies to normal unsubscription scenarios initiated by the user.
If you need to unsubscribe due to an ENS machine failure (such as GPU card drop-out or other hardware issues) that is not caused by the user, you may apply for an exemption from the 1.5× penalty through a special approval process.
Important notes for special approval refunds:
The refund amount is subject to what is displayed on the dedicated refund link page provided during the approval process.
Amounts paid with vouchers cannot be refunded.
The instance is released immediately upon refund completion, and all data becomes permanently unrecoverable. Back up your data in advance.
The refund is typically credited to your account within 2 business days.
The eligible invoicing amount will be automatically reduced accordingly.
Any promotional benefits or credits associated with the instance will be voided and cleared.