Resource Renewal FAQ

What is the "Do Not Renew on Expiry" feature on the Renewal Management page?

The "Do Not Renew on Expiry" feature is typically used in two scenarios:

• Scenario 1: Alibaba Cloud instances generally notify customers three times before suspension (the number of notifications may vary by product type). For an instance that you plan not to renew after expiry, if you do not want to receive multiple notifications, set "Do Not Renew on Expiry" so that Alibaba Cloud notifies you only once.

• Scenario 2: After reaching important agreements with Alibaba Cloud, a customer can request that instances under their account not be suspended after expiry. However, some instances may still need to be suspended after expiry. Setting "Do Not Renew on Expiry" meets this requirement.

To completely turn off SMS, email, or phone (voice) reminders for Alibaba Cloud product expiry, log on to the Alibaba Cloud Message Center and follow these steps:

• Turn off SMS and email reminders: Under Basic Notification Settings > Product Messages > Product Expiry Notifications, clear the SMS and email check boxes.

• Turn off phone (voice) reminders: Under Voice Notification Settings > Product Messages > Product Expiry Notifications, clear the voice check box.

Why can't I see my resource instance in the Renewal Management interface?

Scenario 1: Only resource instances that can be renewed appear in the Renewal Management interface. If an instance cannot be renewed, it is not shown in the resource instance list. Common cases where instances cannot be renewed include:

• Instances that have already been released cannot be renewed.

• Some instances do not support renewal, such as Apsara Conference tickets.

• For some cloud product instances, you need to click the specific product entry in the upper-right corner of the Renewal Management page to go to the corresponding console for renewal, as shown below:

  The product entries in the upper-right corner include Other Products Renewal, Domain Names, Enterprise Email, Cloud Web Hosting, Website Building, Tools & Services, and Help Documentation.

• Resource plan instances are currently renewed separately on the Resource Plans page, as shown below:

  On this page, select Resource Package as the resource dimension, switch to the Instance Summary tab, and click Renew in the Actions column of the instance list.

• Some special cloud products support renewal only in the console, such as IoT SIM card services.

Scenario 2: If you have gone through Scenario 1 and still cannot find the product you purchased, confirm that the account you are logged on to is the same account you used to purchase the product. You can retrieve your logon name via Reset a forgotten password.

For ECS instances, you can also log on to the ECS console directly and check whether a corresponding order exists under the current account. If the instance is not displayed in the console, the current logon account may differ from the account used at purchase. Switch to the account you used to purchase the instance and check again.

About instance name display: If a Redis or Tair instance already has a custom name (InstanceName) set in the console but the name does not appear on the renewal page, confirm that the name has been correctly edited and saved in the instance list. If it still does not appear after saving, the billing system data synchronization may be delayed; refresh the page later and the name should display normally.

Can I only renew after a trial expires?

No. The following describes different situations:

• Subscription (prepaid) products: You can renew a subscription trial instance at any time. After renewal, the instance validity period is automatically extended from the day the trial period ends.

• Pay-as-you-go (postpaid) products: Pay-as-you-go trial instances do not need to be renewed. After the trial ends, as long as your account has a balance, the system automatically deducts fees based on usage. When the balance is insufficient to cover the fees, your account goes into arrears. Therefore, keep your balance sufficient to avoid affecting your business. If you no longer need the instance resources, release them manually in time to avoid additional charges, and back up your data before release.

If I renewed the wrong product, can I get a refund?

If you accidentally renewed the wrong product, follow these steps to request a refund:

1. Log on to the Resource Unsubscription page.

2. Check whether the renewal order has taken effect.

   • If the order is under the Unsubscribe Renewal That Does Not Take Effect tab, the renewal order has not yet taken effect, and you can apply for a full refund of the cash portion (coupons are not included).

   • If the order is under the Unsubscribe Resource tab, the order has already taken effect, and the remaining fee is refunded according to the non-full refund rules.

   For detailed refund rules, see Cancellation rules.

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

How do I apply for an invoice after renewal?

For the invoice application process, see Issue an invoice.

Do free and trial products support auto-renewal?

Free products provided by Alibaba Cloud, such as free virtual hosting, free enterprise email, and free trial products, do not support auto-renewal. We recommend that you renew them manually.

Will delayed release incur additional fees?

If you configured automatic release and the actual release time is later than the time you set, fees are charged based on the release time you configured. No additional fees are incurred.

After a subscription instance expires and is released without renewal, will traffic fees continue to be charged?

No. After a subscription instance expires, if it is not renewed, it goes through a suspension stage and is then released. After release, no further fees are incurred, including traffic fees. Instance data is no longer retained after the resource is released, so back up your data in advance.

Will products without auto-renewal configured automatically stop renewing after expiry?

The system does not renew them automatically and does not deduct any fees automatically. For a subscription instance without auto-renewal enabled, the system performs no renewal operation after expiry. The instance enters a suspension stage after expiry, and if it remains unrenewed beyond the retention period, it is automatically released and its data is no longer retained. We recommend that you back up or migrate your data in advance and renew manually in time, or enable auto-renewal for important instances, to avoid data loss.

When does auto-renewal become invalid after a product stops supporting renewal?

After a cloud product publishes an announcement to stop supporting renewal, the auto-renewal service that you have configured officially becomes invalid on the date specified in the announcement (the exact invalidation date is subject to the product's official announcement, and is usually 30 days after the announcement is published). Before the invalidation date, the configured auto-renewal is still processed and deducted normally. After the invalidation date, auto-renewal stops and renewal is no longer possible. The resource can continue to be used until the end of the current service cycle, after which the service stops. We recommend that you pay attention to the official announcements of the relevant cloud products to stay informed about the exact timing for stopping renewal.

After enabling auto-renewal, does canceling a subscription or disabling passwordless payment affect purchased quotas or resources?

No. The normal usage rights of purchased resources are not affected by the cancellation. After you cancel a subscription or disable Alipay passwordless payment, purchased resources such as Lingdou credits are not affected. Canceling a subscription or disabling passwordless payment only stops subsequent auto-renewal from being processed, and does not affect any resources that you have already purchased.

Why is the renewal price different from before, or why can't I renew at the promotional price (such as ¥99 or a new-user discount)?

A change in the renewal price may be caused by the following reasons:

1. You performed a configuration change (downgrade or scale-out): An instance that participated in a promotional activity (such as the ¥99 plan or the new-user discount of ¥38/year) no longer meets the activity rules after a configuration change such as a downgrade or scale-out, and the renewal price reverts to standard pricing. To restore the promotional price, first change the configuration back to the original specifications (the configuration change may incur additional fees).

2. Renew first, then scale out: If you did not perform any upgrade during the renewal validity period, you can still renew at the promotional price. If you performed an upgrade such as a scale-out during the renewal validity period, subsequent renewals no longer support the promotional price.

3. The first-purchase or limited-time promotional price has expired: A new-user discount or limited-time promotional price applies only to the first purchase or a specific promotional period. After the promotional period ends, renewals are charged at standard pricing. For example, the new-user first-purchase price for Simple Application Server is about ¥38/year, while the actual renewal price is about ¥400 to ¥500/year.

4. Certain promotions do not support renewal after they expire: Some promotions (such as the ¥99 plan for database products) do not support renewal at the original promotional price after they expire. The actual renewal price is subject to the amount displayed in real time on the payment page.

I have set up auto-renewal. Why did renewal fail, and what should I do?

• Reason for failure: Setting up auto-renewal only configures the renewal cycle; it does not renew immediately. The system first attempts to deduct the renewal fee 9 days before the instance expires. If the deduction fails, it retries once per day until 1 day before expiry or until the renewal succeeds. Your account balance may be insufficient, causing renewal to keep failing until 1 day before expiry.

• Resolution: Process a manual renewal.

If I manually renewed before the auto-renewal deduction date, will auto-renewal still proceed?

If you manually renew before the auto-renewal deduction date, the system recalculates the next renewal date based on the new expiry date after the manual renewal.

Example: An ECS instance expires at 00:00 on March 30. The user manually renews for one month on February 14, so the ECS instance expiry date is updated to April 30. ECS auto-renewal starts deducting the fee 9 days before the instance expires, so the system starts the auto-renewal deduction at 08:00:00 on March 21.

Does exporting a renewal list mean the renewal has been processed?

Exporting a renewal list only queries the renewal price for the specified resources and exports information such as the renewal resources, duration, and fees. It does not renew the specified resources. To renew, you must click Renew or Batch Renew and complete the payment as prompted.

What should I do if renewal payment fails, is intercepted by risk control, or the page is abnormal?

Refer to the following methods based on your specific situation:

1. Risk control interception (error code RISK_REJECT): The payment request may have triggered the risk control mechanism. Use the self-service diagnostic tool to submit the required supporting materials (such as bank statements) for an appeal, and retry the payment after the review is approved.

2. Payment QR code expired or no code-scan option available: We recommend that you switch to a computer, and on the Order Management page select another payment method (such as balance payment, Alipay redirect payment, or online banking payment) to complete the renewal. You can also complete the payment directly in the Alipay mobile app.

3. Page fails to load or a button is unresponsive: Try clearing the browser cache, switching to the Chrome browser, or switching devices (PC, mobile, or the Alibaba Cloud app) and retry.

4. Abnormal price after voiding an order: After you void the original order and place a new one, the price may be briefly abnormal due to a system delay. We recommend that you wait about 2 hours and retry, or directly pay the original unpaid order (to avoid placing duplicate orders and incurring multiple charges).

5. A newly purchased instance cannot be renewed: There is a delay in synchronizing data of newly purchased instances to the renewal system. We recommend that you refresh the page or retry the next day.

How do I confirm that renewal was successful and view renewal order records?

Confirm whether the renewal succeeded:

• Log on to the Billing and Cost console and check on the Resource Renewal page whether the instance expiry date has been updated to a new date. If the expiry date has been extended, the renewal succeeded.

• You can also query the renewal order status on the Order page. A status of Paid indicates that the renewal succeeded.

After renewal, the expiry date shown in the console may be briefly delayed. Refresh the page to update it.

View historical renewal orders:

• On the Resource Renewal page or the Order page, you can view historical renewal orders and fee details.

• A one-click export of the renewal list for all products is currently not supported. To export, export by product type separately and then consolidate the results.

I renewed for one month. Why is the actual renewal duration sometimes different—31 days, 30 days, or fewer than 30 days?

Renewing for one month extends the expiry to the day before the corresponding date in the next month of the current expiry date. For example:

• Expiry at 00:00 on June 1 (that is, 24:00 on May 31): after a one-month renewal, the new expiry is 00:00 on July 1 (that is, 24:00 on June 30), which is 30 days.

• Expiry at 00:00 on May 21: after a one-month renewal, the new expiry is 00:00 on June 21, which is 31 days.

• Renewal at 00:00 on February 1: after a one-month renewal, the new expiry is 00:00 on March 1 (that is, 24:00 on February 29 or 24:00 on February 28), which is 29 or 28 days.

My instance's expiry date is the 31st of the month. Why does it change to the 30th, 29th, or 28th after renewal?

Because different months have different numbers of days, this issue generally occurs when you renew an instance whose expiry date falls on the last three days of a month. It can happen with both manual and automatic renewal. Using one month as the renewal cycle, the following examples illustrate this:

• Case 1: Instance A expires on January 31. After a one-month renewal, it extends to February 29 (or February 28). Every subsequent renewal then falls on the 29th (or 28th).

• Case 2: Instance B expires on May 31. After a one-month renewal, it extends to June 30, and every subsequent renewal falls on the 30th, until the expiry date becomes January 30. After that, the subsequent renewal logic follows Case 1.

Why is the refund for an ineffective renewal order 0 yuan?

The refund amount for an ineffective renewal order is 0 yuan, which may be related to the following reasons:

• Promotional factor: Your renewal order was gifted when you purchased the instance (for example, as part of a promotion or discount activity). In this case, no refund is issued upon unsubscription.

• Use of coupons or vouchers: You used coupons or vouchers to offset part of the fees in your renewal order, so the actual cash amount paid may already be 0 yuan.

Why are there no charges for some months when an instance uses annual auto-renewal?

This is normal. An instance with annual auto-renewal generates only one renewal order per year. The renewal month produces an annual-fee bill, while the other months have no deductions, so the renewal fee for those months appears empty in the bill.

To confirm the renewal cycle or check the auto-renewal settings, log on to the Billing and Cost console and view the instance's auto-renewal configuration and next renewal time on the Resource Renewal page.

Is there a time limit for renewing expired Wanwang products?

What are the auto-renewal rules for domain names and website products?

• For a service that has auto-renewal successfully configured and a membership account balance greater than the renewal amount, the system automatically deducts the next cycle's fee 15 days before the service expires.

• If the service is 20 or more days from expiry, you can set or cancel auto-renewal.

• If the service is less than 20 days from expiry, you cannot set or cancel auto-renewal.

• After setting auto-renewal, you can still renew manually. After a manual renewal, the auto-renewal setting is retained.

• If auto-renewal fails because your membership account balance is insufficient or due to network issues, the system keeps attempting to renew until the renewal succeeds or the service becomes invalid. You receive email reminders when you set or cancel auto-renewal and when the account balance is insufficient.

• Auto-renewal does not support services submitted by agency clients (AC) or via the API.

Where is the renewal entry for enterprise service products (Wanwang)?

Log on to the Billing and Cost console. On the Order > Resource Renewal page, click the other cloud products link to go to the enterprise service products (Wanwang) renewal platform.

Why can't I set auto-renewal?

Reasons why you cannot set auto-renewal:

• Your service is less than 20 days from expiry, so auto-renewal cannot be set.

• Your service already has auto-renewal configured. To change the auto-renewal duration, click Modify Auto-Renewal.

I have set up auto-renewal. Can I still manually renew in advance?

You can manually submit a renewal at any time for a service that has auto-renewal configured. If you manually renew before the auto-renewal deduction date, the system recalculates the next auto-renewal date based on the latest service expiry date.

Why can't I cancel auto-renewal for my service?

Because your service is less than 20 days from expiry, you cannot cancel auto-renewal.

My membership account has no cash balance but has services with auto-renewal configured. What should I do?

If the balance in your membership account is 0 or insufficient to renew a service, the system sends an email to the mailbox associated with your membership account, notifying you to add funds. After you successfully add funds, the auto-renewal deduction can succeed the next day.