FAQ
This topic answers common questions about resource plans.
Purchasing questions
When does a resource plan take effect?
A resource plan takes effect immediately after payment.
Can I purchase multiple resource plans?
You cannot stack storage plans, but you can stack other types of resource plans.
For storage plans, you can purchase only one plan for the same period. If you need a higher specification or a longer term, you can upgrade your existing storage plan or renew it by purchasing a new plan with a different term.
What happens when a resource plan expires?
If a resource plan expires without renewal, the system automatically switches to pay-as-you-go billing. This does not affect service availability. To renew a plan, see Renew a resource plan.
How is the upgrade fee calculated for a resource plan?
Upgrading a resource plan does not change its expiration date. The fee is calculated based on the price difference for the remaining validity period. The final price is subject to the actual price and discounts shown on the order confirmation page.
Resource plan for Search Index
Select a resource plan based on your billing mode.
In CU mode (formerly pay-as-you-go mode), purchase a reserved CU plan and a high-performance storage plan.
In VCU mode (formerly reserved mode), you only need a high-performance storage plan (deducted at a 3:1 ratio).
Resource plan for the timestream model
Select a resource plan based on your billing mode.
In CU mode (formerly pay-as-you-go mode), purchase a pay-as-you-go read CU plan, a pay-as-you-go write CU plan, a capacity storage plan, and a high-performance storage plan.
In VCU mode (formerly reserved mode), you only need to purchase a capacity storage plan and a high-performance storage plan.
Can I get a refund for a resource plan?
A resource plan is eligible for a refund if it meets specific conditions. For more information, see Refund policy.
Usage questions
Resource plan binding
No. Resource plans are not bound to specific instances.
Usage exceeding quota
When your usage exceeds the resource plan's quota, the overage is charged at pay-as-you-go rates.
For example, if you purchase a 100 GB capacity storage plan and your storage usage exceeds 100 GB, the excess amount is charged hourly at pay-as-you-go rates.
Read/write plan quota: monthly or total?
The quota for a read/write plan is a monthly allowance. If you purchase a multi-month plan, the quota resets to its full amount at the beginning of each calendar month. Any usage that exceeds the monthly quota is charged at pay-as-you-go rates.
For example, if you purchase a six-month write plan with a quota of 1 billion write units, the plan's quota resets to 1 billion units on the first day of each month and is used for cost deduction. If you use 1.2 billion write units in a given month, the excess 200 million write units are billed at pay-as-you-go rates.
Unexpected charges for capacity instances
Possible causes:
You are using Search Index. The index data consumes additional storage and queries consume read throughput. For more information, see Search Index billing.
You are using the timestream model. The storage and read/write operations for timeline metadata are billed as high-performance usage. For more information, see Timestream model billing.
Accessing the instance over the public network generates outbound traffic, which cannot be offset by Tablestore resource plans.
Unexpected charges for high-performance instances
Possible causes:
You are using the timestream model. The read/write operations for timeline data, as well as the storage and read operations for analytical stores, are billed as capacity usage. For more information, see Timestream model billing.
Accessing the instance over the public network generates outbound traffic, which cannot be offset by Tablestore resource plans.