Renew expiring resources

Resources can be renewed before they're released. The instance status and service cycle differ depending on whether you renew before or after expiration:

• Renewal before expiration: The new service cycle starts from the end time of the previous order.

• Renewal after expiration:

  • If the resource hasn't been shut down, the new service cycle starts from the end time of the previous order.

  • If the resource has been shut down, the new service cycle starts after the renewal succeeds. No fees are charged during the shutdown period.

Perform the following steps to renew resources in the console:

1. Log on to the Expenses and Costs console. Go to the Resource Renewal page, click the Manual Renewal tab, select the products to renew, and then click Renew. Multiple instances of the same cloud product support Batch Renewal, which generates a single order.

2. On the renewal details page, select Renewal Duration. The page displays the Expiration Time (After Renewal). Then select Confirm Order or Buy Now.

3. On the Payment page, verify the order information and complete the payment.

You can call an API to renew instances. For more information, see RenewInstance.

You can also change instance configurations during the extended validity period through renewal with upgrade/downgrade (available for some cloud products). The fee is based on the specifications of the changed instance (displayed on the page).

Different cloud products support different renewal-with-upgrade/downgrade formats. For specific operations, go to the product console. For example, subscription ECS instances support Renewal with Downgrade and Renewal with configuration change.

You can set up auto-renewal in the Expenses and Costs console.

• Log on to the Renew Resources page. On the Manual Renewal tab, select one or more products to renew, and then click Enable Auto-renewal.

• On the Enable Auto-renewal page, configure the Auto-renewal cycle and click Enable Auto-renewal to complete the auto-renewal setup. After the setup, view the renewal details on the Auto-renewal tab.

• By default, the system performs auto-renewal 9 days before expiration. You can change this setting in the upper-right corner of the Resource Renewal page under Set Auto-renewal Amount Deduction Date. The earliest setting is 3 days before expiration.

  Note

  • Setting auto-renewal doesn't trigger an immediate renewal — it only sets the renewal cycle, which takes effect the next day. After it takes effect, the payment is attempted at 08:00 on day 9 before expiration. If the payment fails, the system retries the next day until the payment succeeds or until 1 day before expiration.

  • For some products, the earliest payment time is 1 day before expiration. Even if you configure an earlier renewal time, the actual payment runs 1 day before expiration.

• On the Auto-renewal tab, you can perform operations such as Renew, Modify Auto-renewal Settings, Nonrenewal, and Enable Manual Renewal for auto-renewed instances.

  • Renew: Immediately perform a manual renewal for an auto-renewed instance. After the renewal succeeds, auto-renewal continues to run according to system rules before the new renewal expiration date.

  • Modify Auto-renewal Settings: Change the auto-renewal cycle.

  • Nonrenewal: Set an auto-renewed instance to not renew after expiration.

  • Enable Manual Renewal: Change the current auto-renewed instance back to manual renewal.

If the payment keeps failing until 1 day before the instance expires, the system automatically reverts the renewal status to manual renewal and notifies you by SMS or email. Common reasons include insufficient account balance, invalid payment method, and instance specification change. Go to the Resource Renewal page to re-enable auto-renewal or perform a manual renewal.

Pay attention to expiration and renewal reminders

The system automatically sends renewal reminders by internal message, email, and SMS at 7 days, 3 days, 1 day, and 0 days before expiration, and 1 day before release. For ECS and RDS instances, you can subscribe to reminders 15 or 30 days before expiration, or change the recipient phone number. Log on to the Message Center - Basic Message Settings to manage your subscriptions. For specific steps, see Set renewal reminders.

If you've enabled auto-renewal, pay attention to low-balance notifications to avoid renewal failures. The Account Funds Messages category on the Message Center - Basic Message Settings page includes notifications for low account balance, insufficient credit limit, refunds, remittance arrival, and vouchers. The Internal message, SMS, and Email channels are enabled by default.

Regularly check expiring resources

Log on to the Renew Resources page. Filter by Expiration time, Region, or other conditions to find expiring resources, or enter a specific instance ID and search by Instance status to renew.

Align ECS expiration dates for centralized renewal

Use the aligned expiration feature to renew ECS instances to the same day of each month. The new billing cycle starts from the renewal day, which simplifies management. For more information, see Align the expiration dates of subscription ECS instances.

Set resources to not renew to reduce notifications

If you no longer need a resource after expiration, perform the following steps to set it to not renew after expiration to reduce expiration reminders. Back up your data before expiration to prevent business impact.

1. Log on to the Expenses and Costs console and go to the Renew Resources page.

2. On the Manual Renewal, Auto-renewal tab, find the resources you don't want to renew.

3. In the Actions column on the right, click Nonrenewal, or batch-select the same cloud product and click Set as Nonrenewal.

4. Switch to the Nonrenewal upon Expiration tab to view resources set to not renew after expiration.

I received an SMS reminder to renew a resource. Where can I do this?

Log on to the Renew Resources page. Filter by expiration time, region, or other conditions to find expiring resources, or enter a specific instance ID and search by instance status to renew. For Domains, DirectMail, and Web Hosting, go to the corresponding console to perform the operation.

How do I request an invoice after renewal?

After the renewal succeeds, go to the Invoice page to find the renewal order and request an invoice. For the invoicing process, see Issue an invoice.

Why can't I find the instance I want to renew on the renewal page?

1. Resource instances that don't support renewal aren't displayed in the list on the renewal page. Common types include:

   • Pay-as-you-go instances, which don't require renewal.

   • Instances that have been released. These can't be renewed.

2. Resource plan instances are currently renewed on the Resource Plans page.

3. Some special cloud products support renewal only in their own consoles, such as IoT connectivity management.

4. For domains, DirectMail, and web hosting, click the link in the upper-right corner of the renewal management page to go to the corresponding console.

I renewed the wrong resource. Can I get a refund?

Log on to the Unsubscribe Resources page to check whether the renewal order has taken effect:

For detailed refund rules, see Unsubscription rules.

When I renew for one month, why is the duration sometimes 29, 30, or 31 days?

When you renew for 1 month, the expiration time is extended to 00:00 on the corresponding day of the next month. Examples:

• If the resource expires at 00:00 on January 31, after a 1-month renewal, the new expiration time is February 29 (or February 28). Every subsequent renewal continues to use the 29th (or 28th).

• If the resource expires at 00:00 on February 1, after a 1-month renewal, the new expiration time is 00:00 on March 1 (equivalent to 24:00 on February 29 or 24:00 on February 28), which adds 29 or 28 days.

• If the resource expires at 00:00 on May 21, after a 1-month renewal, the new expiration time is 00:00 on June 21, which adds 31 days.

• If the resource expires at 00:00 on June 1 (equivalent to 24:00 on May 31), after a 1-month renewal, the new expiration time is 00:00 on July 1 (equivalent to 24:00 on June 30), which adds 30 days.

Can I still get a discount when renewing an ECS instance purchased for CNY 99?

During the campaign period, an individual-verified user can hold only one "CNY 99 e-instance" at a time, and an enterprise-verified user can hold only one "CNY 99 e-instance" or one "CNY 199 u1-instance" at a time. After the instance expires, you can continue to renew it at the low price during the campaign period. Additional purchases are charged at the regular official price. This discount can't be combined with coupons or vouchers.

The discount applies to renewals only if none of the specified instance configurations have been changed. For detailed rules, log on to the Campaign page and refer to the campaign rules.