Resource renewal FAQ

What is the purpose of the "Non-renewal upon expiration" feature?

The "Non-renewal upon expiration" feature applies in two scenarios:

• Reduce notifications. Alibaba Cloud sends multiple renewal reminders before an instance stops (the number of reminders may vary by product). To suppress them, set the instance to "Non-renewal upon expiration". You then receive only one final notification.

• Enforce standard expiration. Some partnership agreements prevent Alibaba Cloud from stopping instances upon expiration. Use this setting to override the account-level policy and apply the standard lifecycle to a specific instance.

Why can't I find my instance on the Renewal page?

Scenario 1: The resource is not eligible for renewal from this page. The Renewal page lists only renewable resources. Possible reasons:

• The instance has already been released and cannot be renewed.

• Some products, such as tickets for the Apsara Conference, do not support renewal.

• Some products must be renewed in their respective consoles. In the upper-right corner of the Renewal page, click the product link to access its renewal console.

• Resource Plan instances must be renewed separately on the Resource Plan page.

• Some products, such as IoT SIM cards, can only be renewed from their dedicated console.

Scenario 2: You are logged in to the wrong account. If none of the above apply, verify that you are logged in to the account used for the purchase. Use Reset password to retrieve your logon name.

Can I renew a trial instance before it expires?

Yes. The renewal process depends on the instance's billing method:

• Subscription (pre-paid) products: You can renew at any time. The new service period starts after the trial ends.

• Pay-as-you-go (post-paid) products: No renewal needed. After the trial, charges are deducted from your account balance based on usage. Ensure sufficient balance to avoid interruptions. Release unused instances to stop charges, and back up data before releasing.

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

To request a refund for a wrong renewal:

1. Log on to the Resource Unsubscription page.

2. Check if the renewal order has taken effect.

   • If the order is on the Unsubscribe Renewal That Does Not Take Effect tab, the renewal is pending. Cancel it for a full cash refund. Coupons are non-refundable.

   • If the order is on the Unsubscribe Resource tab, the renewal is already active. You receive a partial refund based on the non-full refund rules.

   Unsubscription rules.

3. For products that do not support self-service unsubscription, submit a ticket for manual review.

How do I request an invoice after a renewal?

Follow the steps in Request an invoice.

Does auto-renewal work for free or trial products?

Auto-renewal is not available for free or trial products such as free Cloud Web Hosting and free Alibaba Mail. Renew these products manually.

Will I be charged for a delayed release?

No. Billing stops at the scheduled release time, even if the actual release completes later.

My auto-renewal failed. Why did this happen and what should I do?

• Reason: Auto-renewal schedules a renewal but does not process payment immediately. The failure likely resulted from insufficient account balance. The system makes the first deduction attempt 9 days before the instance expires. If this attempt fails, it retries once a day until 1 day before expiration or until the renewal is successful. If all attempts fail due to an insufficient account balance by 1 day before the expiration date, the renewal fails.

• Solution: Renew the instance manually to avoid service interruption.

Does manual renewal affect auto-renewal?

No. Manual renewal updates the expiration date, and the system recalculates the next auto-renewal date accordingly.

Example: An ECS instance expires at 00:00 on March 30. You manually renew for one month on February 14, extending expiration to April 30. The original auto-renewal is canceled. The next auto-renewal attempt is rescheduled to 9 days before April 30, at 08:00:00 on April 21.

Does exporting a renewal list trigger a renewal?

No. Exporting generates a price quote (resource name, duration, and cost) but does not execute the renewal. To renew, click Renew or Batch Renew and complete payment.

Why does a 'one-month' renewal duration vary?

A one-month renewal extends service to the same calendar date the following month. Duration in days varies because months differ in length:

• If an instance expires at 00:00 on June 1, renewal sets the new expiration to 00:00 on July 1 (30 days).

• If an instance expires at 00:00 on May 21, renewal sets the new expiration to 00:00 on June 21 (31 days).

• If an instance expires at 00:00 on February 1, renewal sets the new expiration to 00:00 on March 1 (28 or 29 days, depending on leap year).

Why does the expiration date change for end-of-month renewals?

This occurs when an instance expires near the end of a month and the following month is shorter. The new expiration date becomes the last day of the shorter month. This applies to both manual and auto-renewals:

• Scenario 1: An instance expiring on January 31 is renewed for one month. The new expiration becomes February 28 (or 29 in a leap year). Subsequent monthly renewals anchor to this date.

• Scenario 2: An instance expiring on May 31 is renewed for one month. The new expiration becomes June 30. Subsequent renewals anchor to the 30th until a renewal period crosses February, which may shift the date as in Scenario 1.

Why is the fee for canceling a pending renewal order 0 CNY?

A refund of 0 CNY occurs when no cash was paid for the order. Possible reasons:

• Promotional offer: The renewal was a free extension from a promotion. Canceling does not produce a cash refund.

• Coupons or vouchers: A coupon or voucher covered the full renewal cost. Because cash payment was 0 CNY, the refund is also 0.

What are the renewal deadlines for expired HiChina products?

Auto-renewal rules for domain and website products

• With auto-renewal enabled and sufficient account balance, the system deducts the renewal fee 15 days before expiration.

• You can enable or disable auto-renewal only if the service expires in 20 or more days.

• You cannot enable or disable auto-renewal if the service expires in less than 20 days.

• Manual renewal is available even with auto-renewal enabled. The auto-renewal setting is retained after manual renewal.

• If auto-renewal fails due to insufficient balance or network issues, the system retries until the service expires. You receive email notifications when auto-renewal is enabled, disabled, or when your balance is insufficient.

• Auto-renewal is not supported for services submitted by reseller customers under AC or through APIs.

Where is the renewal page for HiChina products?

Log on to the Expenses and Costs console. Go to Order > Resource Renewal, then click the link for other cloud products to access the HiChina renewal platform.

Why can't I enable auto-renewal?

You may not be able to enable auto-renewal for these reasons:

• Your service expires in less than 20 days.

• Auto-renewal is already enabled for your service. To change the renewal duration, click Modify Auto-Renewal.

Can I manually renew an auto-renewing service?

Yes. If you renew manually before the auto-renewal date, the system recalculates the next auto-renewal date based on the new expiration.

Why can't I disable auto-renewal?

You cannot disable auto-renewal if your service expires in less than 20 days.

Auto-renewal with an insufficient balance

If your balance is insufficient, the system sends an email notification to your registered address prompting you to add funds. After you top up, the auto-renewal processes the next day.