Resource plan refund

Updated at:

This topic describes the rules, methods, and destinations for OSS resource plan refunds.

Before you begin

  • Before you request a refund, make sure you understand the relevant rules and limitations. For more information, see Refund Rules and Process.

  • The pay-as-you-go billing method is not eligible for refunds. If you no longer need to use OSS, you can release your OSS resources at any time based on your business requirements. After you release the resources, you are no longer charged. For more information, see How do I deactivate OSS or stop being charged for resources?.

  • Refunding a resource plan does not affect your stored data. After you refund a resource plan, if you have no other active plans to cover usage, your resources are billed on a pay-as-you-go basis.

  • If you used a coupon to purchase the resource plan, a portion of the coupon is refunded when you unsubscribe. For more information, see Updates to resource plan unsubscription rules.

Refund methods

OSS supports unsubscribing from active resources and canceling renewals. For active resources, you can request a full refund for unused resources or a partial refund. Choose the method that fits your needs. For more information about the rules, see Unsubscription rules and Updates to resource plan unsubscription rules.

The following table describes the unsubscription methods supported by different OSS products.

Product

Unsubscribe from active resources

Cancel renewal

Full refund

Partial refund

OSS resource plan

Supported

Supported

Supported

OSS reserved capacity

Supported

Not supported

Supported

OSS region-agnostic reserved capacity

Supported

Not supported

Supported

The following sections detail the conditions and procedures for each self-service unsubscription method.

Full refund for unused

  • Conditions

    To be eligible for a full refund for unused resources, you must meet all of the following conditions:

    • The resource plan is still active and has not expired.

    • The resource plan has not been used.

    • The resource plan was not purchased through an upgrade.

  • Procedure

    If your resource plan meets these conditions, follow these steps:

    This example shows how to unsubscribe from an OSS resource plan.

    1. Log on to the Billing Management console.

    2. In the navigation pane on the left, choose Orders > Resource Unsubscription.

    3. On the Unsubscribe tab, select Resource plan. For Product Name, select OSS resource plan. For Type, select Full Refund for Unused Resources. Then, click Unsubscribe next to the resource plan that you want to unsubscribe from.

      Note

      To unsubscribe from an OSS reserved capacity or an OSS region-agnostic reserved capacity, select the corresponding product from the Product Name drop-down list.

    4. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

Partial refund

  • Conditions

    To be eligible for a partial refund, the following condition must be met:

    • The resource plan is still active and has not expired.

  • Procedure

    1. In the navigation pane on the left, choose Orders > Resource Unsubscription.

    2. On the Unsubscribe tab, select Resource plan. For Product Name, select OSS resource plan. For Type, select Partial refund. Then, click Unsubscribe next to the resource plan that you want to unsubscribe from.

    3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

Cancel renewal

  • Conditions

    If you have renewed a resource, you can cancel the renewal order before the new subscription period takes effect.

  • Procedure

    If your resource meets these conditions, follow these steps to cancel the renewal.

    This example shows how to cancel the renewal for an OSS resource plan.

    1. In the navigation pane on the left, choose Orders > Resource Unsubscription.

    2. On the Unsubscribe Renewal That Does Not Take Effect tab, for Product Name, select OSS resource plan. Then, click Unsubscribe from Renewal next to the resource plan whose renewal you want to cancel.

      Note

      To cancel the renewal for an OSS reserved capacity or an OSS region-agnostic reserved capacity, select the corresponding product from the Product Name drop-down list.

    3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

Refund destination

After the unsubscription succeeds, the refund typically arrives within two business days. Sign in to **Transactions**, search for Transaction type = Refund to view the detailed unsubscription information.

Refunds generally follow the original payment channel. If the original-channel refund fails, the refund is typically transferred to the Alibaba Cloud account balance automatically. The following table shows the original-channel refund timeframe for each payment method.

Payment method

Original-channel refund timeframe

Description

Alipay

Within 18 months (548 days) after payment

If the timeframe is exceeded or the original-channel refund fails, the funds are returned to the Alibaba Cloud account balance.

Online Banking

Within 90 days after payment

The actual arrival time may be slightly delayed due to the bank's processing speed.

Alibaba Cloud account balance

-

-

Other payment methods

(such as UnionPay QuickPass)

The specific timeframe depends on the rules of each payment channel

If the original-channel refund fails, the funds are returned to the Alibaba Cloud account balance.

If an invoice has been issued before you request the refund, the refund path for the invoiced order depends on the invoiceable quota in your account:

  • If the refund amount ≤ Invoiceable Amount+Unavailable Amount This Month, the system first attempts the original-channel refund. If that fails, the funds are returned to the account balance.

  • If the refund amount > Invoiceable Amount+Unavailable Amount This Month, to comply with tax regulations, the refund goes directly to the Alibaba Cloud account balance.

You can request a withdrawal of funds returned to the account balance. For details, see: Balance withdrawal.

If the refund in your account cannot be withdrawn, you may have an invoice shortfall. Resolve the shortfall before withdrawing. An invoice shortfall occurs when a refund is issued on an order that already has an invoice, so the actual consumed amount is less than the invoiced amount, and the refunded portion is frozen. For details, see: Manage invoice deficits.