Billing FAQ

About resource plans

Why are fees still charged after I purchase a resource plan?

The amount of the resource package that is offset within the applicable scope and during the effective period and does not exceed the quota. Please follow these steps to troubleshoot:

1. Confirm the billing items and usage time.

   Login Expenses and Costs > bills> bill details> details, select video on demand for product name, select details for statistical period, and view the confirmed billing items and usage time by hour.

2. Confirm that the billing item has purchased the corresponding resource package.

   Billing Item	Deductible resource packages
   Acceleration traffic	VOD traffic package, need to be purchased by accelerated region.
   Storage Outflow	Only the general traffic package in mainland China can be deducted on a pro rata basis. Deduction Ratio See Resource plans.
   Storage capacity	VOD storage package
   Transcoding Duration	Video on Demand Transcoding Time Package

3. Confirm that the usage occurs within the effective period of the resource package.

   Check the effective time of each resource package in the VOD console> Data Center> Resource Package Management. There is usually a delay in the deduction of fees (that is, the bill that comes out at 10 o'clock may be generated at 7 o'clock or 8 o'clock or even earlier). If it is a newly purchased resource package, you can observe whether there are still fees after the purchase of the resource package takes effect. You can view the effective time of each resource package by using the ApsaraVideo for VOD console> Data Center> Resource Package Management.

4. Confirm that the usage does not exceed the resource package quota.

   Check the total amount and remaining amount of each resource package by using VOD console> Data Center> Resource Package Management.

Why am I still charged for traffic after purchasing an ApsaraVideo VOD data transfer plan?

When the VOD traffic package is used to offset the acceleration traffic, the acceleration domain name must be configured, and the billing method of the acceleration service is pay-by-traffic. When playing or downloading directly through the storage address (OSS address), the storage outflow traffic is generated: the general traffic package in mainland China can offset the storage outflow traffic in mainland China at a ratio of 1:3, and the traffic package in other acceleration areas cannot offset the storage outflow traffic. For details, please refer to Resource plans. The usage that exceeds the traffic package quota will be charged according to the volume and a post-paid bill will be generated. When generating traffic deduction, please confirm whether the following conditions exist:

• An accelerated domain name is configured

  • If an accelerated domain name is not fully configured, resource plans cannot offset fees. For example, you may have added the domain name but not configured a CNAME record. Ensure the domain name is in the Running state. ApsaraVideo VOD Quick Start.

  • The billing method for the current acceleration service is pay-by-peak-bandwidth or pay-by-95th-percentile-bandwidth. Switch the billing method to Traffic. Switch billing methods.

  • If you use the direct OSS address instead of the accelerated domain name to access resources, storage outbound traffic fees are incurred. Billing of storage outbound traffic.

  • Check whether your usage exceeds the plan capacity. ApsaraVideo for VOD traffic packages do not support renewal. You can purchase a new traffic package and use the new traffic package in superposition with the existing traffic package. For details, see Purchase a new resource plan.

• No accelerated domain name is configured

  If you do not configure an accelerated domain name in ApsaraVideo VOD, the service returns an OSS origin URL by default. Playing or downloading resources from ApsaraVideo VOD using this type of URL generates storage outbound traffic fees.

After I purchase an ApsaraVideo VOD resource plan, can I use it for CDN or OSS?

No. ApsaraVideo for VOD is the 1 independent billing product. ApsaraVideo for VOD resource packages (traffic package, storage package, transcoding duration package, and audit duration package) can only offset the usage generated in ApsaraVideo for VOD products, and cannot offset the costs of other products such as CDN, OSS, and Media Processing (MPS).

Why is the transcoding fee not deducted after purchasing the transcoding duration package?

Please troubleshoot in the following order:

1. Confirm the product to which the expense belongs: View the product name of the fee in the billing details of the Expenses and Costs. If the product is media processing (MPS), the transcoding is initiated through media processing, and the transcoding duration package of video on demand cannot be deducted. You need to purchase a resource package of media processing.

2. Confirm the resource package type: The transcoding fee can only be deducted by using the transcoding duration package, and the transcoding fee cannot be deducted by using the video on demand traffic package and storage package. The narrowband HD 1.0 transcoding duration package can only offset the narrowband HD 1.0 transcoding.

3. Confirm the deduction ratio: The transcoding duration package is deducted according to the output specification and service area. For example, the H.264 SD specification in mainland China is deducted at 1:1.5, so the actual consumption amount will be greater than the transcoding duration. For the deduction ratio, please refer to the general transcoding duration package deduction ratio.

4. Confirm the effective time: The transcoding fee is delayed, and the resource package can only offset the usage generated after the purchase takes effect.

The offset duration of an ApsaraVideo VOD transcoding plan does not match the actual usage duration

Troubleshoot with the following steps:

• Understand the billing rules for ApsaraVideo VOD transcoding.

  • Billing is based on the duration and specifications of the transcoded output file.

  • If you initiate multiple transcoding tasks for the same video, each task is billed.

  • If you initiate transcoding for the same video into multiple specifications, each specification is billed.

• The transcoding specification in a template may differ from the billing specification, because billing is determined by the output resolution. Media transcoding.

  For example, if the output specifications in a transcoding template are set to H.264, Standard Definition (LD), and a resolution of 960×540, the transcoding is billed based on the H.264 SD (1280 x 720) and lower tier. In the VOD console, this usage is recorded as SD transcoding on the Consumption Trend or Usage page.

• Deduction ratios vary by transcoding specification. Deduction ratios for general-purpose transcoding plans and Deduction ratios for Narrowband HD 1.0 transcoding plans.

• The transcoding duration on the Overview or Usage page shows actual duration without resource plan deductions. Refer to your Expenses and Costs bill for final charges.

Why does the used storage capacity displayed in the ApsaraVideo VOD console not match the total remaining amount of the ApsaraVideo VOD storage plan?

ApsaraVideo VOD storage packages are fixed-quota packages. A fixed amount is allocated at the start of each billing cycle (every hour). Any amount not used within a billing cycle expires, and a new amount is allocated for the next cycle.

• On the Overview page of the ApsaraVideo VOD console, the resource package section in the lower-right corner might show that the total remaining amount of a storage package is 500 GB. This means the package can deduct up to 500 GB of storage usage. As long as your total storage in ApsaraVideo VOD stays within 500 GB during the package's validity period, you will incur no extra storage fees.

• On the Overview page, the resource usage section shows that the currently used storage space is 261.37 GB. This value is the total size of all your media assets, such as audio, video, and images, stored in ApsaraVideo VOD.

• To confirm that your storage resource package is being used for deductions, click Use details in the resource package section on the right of the Overview page. On the Use details tab of the Resource Instance Management page, search for the resource package using its instance ID to view its deduction details.

What if the purchased storage package type does not match the bucket and cannot be deducted?

Storage packages are distinguished by redundancy type. The standard-local redundancy storage package cannot offset the usage generated by the standard-local redundancy storage bucket, and vice versa. The resource package region must be consistent with the business storage region. If the wrong type of purchase:

• If the unsubscription conditions are met, the purchase of a resource package with the same bucket type takes effect automatically.

• Or change the bucket to the redundancy type corresponding to the resource package (local redundancy cannot be changed to local redundancy, please operate with caution).

Can RAM sub-accounts purchase VOD resource packages separately?

Yes. You can purchase resource packages after granting AliyunBSSFullAccess permissions to a RAM account. You can unsubscribe when you meet the unsubscription conditions.

The resource package has expired and has not been used up. Can it be postponed?

Only VOD storage packages support renewal. Other resource packages do not support renewal. After expiration, the unused quota automatically expires.

• VOD storage package: supports renewal before expiration. Renewal only extends the service life and does not change the specification.

• ApsaraVideo for VOD traffic package, transcoding duration package, and audit duration package: renewal is not supported. Please purchase a new resource package before expiration or exhaustion. The newly purchased resource package is used in superposition with the existing resource package. When there are multiple resource packages, the resource package that expires first is deducted first.

After the resource package expires or is exhausted, the service will not be interrupted, and the excess will be automatically converted to pay-as-you-go. For more information, see Renew a resource plan.

Bills

How do I investigate a bill if I have questions about the charges?

Troubleshoot by performing the following steps:

1. View the billing details to identify the billable items, generation time, and other information for the bill in question.

   • View billing details: Query bills.

   • Billable item details: What are the billable items in a bill and how are they generated?.

2. Analyze the possible reasons for the fees.

   Abnormal traffic fees with an accelerated domain name configured

   1. Use the statistical analysis dashboard to analyze possible causes of abnormal traffic.

      Check the Popular URLs or Top Rankings dashboards for the relevant time period to identify access behaviors or videos causing unusual traffic. Playback Data Statistics.

   2. Analyze operation logs to identify potential abnormal users or access behaviors.

      View logs for a specific time period or URL. Download logs. If you find abnormal users (identified by the access IP field), use Referer and IP blacklists and whitelists to restrict requests. Blacklists and whitelists.

   Abnormal transcoding fees

   1. Understand the billing rules for ApsaraVideo VOD transcoding.

      ApsaraVideo VOD transcoding is billed per output file based on its specifications and duration. Transcoding the same video into multiple specifications or initiating multiple tasks results in separate charges. To avoid unnecessary fees, It is recommended that you initiate transcoding on demand: remove unnecessary definition from the transcoding template group. If transcoding is not required, select the template group not to be transcoded when uploading. Modifying or deleting a transcoding template only affects subsequent uploads.

   2. After identifying the transcoding specifications and time from the bill, analyze whether the tasks initiated during that period were necessary.

      Manage transcoding template groups: Manage templates.

   Other fee abnormalities

   1. Understand the billing rules for each billable item.

      Billable items.

   2. Check if the usage matches the actual consumption.

      Query resource usage.

How do I deactivate ApsaraVideo VOD or stop billing?

ApsaraVideo VOD does not provide a one-click deactivation feature to prevent business interruptions.

Use one of the following alternatives to stop billing:

• If you no longer need ApsaraVideo VOD, perform these operations to stop all future charges:

  • Delete all media files from the system storage bucket

    Important

    Resources cannot be restored after they are deleted. Back up important resources before you delete them.

    • Manually delete media files: Delete media files.

    • Release system storage in one click: Manage storage buckets.

  • Delete the configured accelerated domain name

    Important

    To prevent service interruptions, migrate traffic away from an accelerated domain name before you disable or delete it. The following are common migration methods:

    • Add a new accelerated domain name and direct your users to it. This will gradually reduce traffic on the old domain to zero.

    • Update the DNS record for the accelerated domain name to point to the origin server's address instead of the CNAME address.

    1. Log on to the ApsaraVideo VOD console.

    2. In the left-side navigation pane, choose Configuration Management > CDN Configuration > Domain Names.

    3. On the Domain Names page, find the target domain name, disable the domain name, and then delete it. You can follow the prompts on the page to perform identity verification and complete the operation.

• For unused media files (over 30 days) that you want to retain, change the storage class from Standard to Infrequent Access, Archive, or Cold Archive to reduce costs by approximately 30%–80%. Change the storage class of a media asset.

Player billing FAQ

After ApsaraVideo Player SDK officially starts charging, how do I determine if my license will be affected?

The Player SDK is subject to fees starting February 14, 2025. Player SDK billing. If you have an existing license, refer to the following table for impact and recommendations by SDK version.

If the Standard Edition in the console is within its validity period, do I need to worry about being affected?

If you are using Standard Edition playback control features, you are not affected during its validity period. However, if you upgrade to version 7.0.0 or later and need Professional Edition features, you must purchase a Professional Edition license.

If I do not need Professional Edition features, can I just not upgrade to new versions?

Upgrading is not mandatory. However, new versions include the latest features and bug fixes. The Alibaba Cloud technical team provides support only for SDK versions released within the last six months. Older versions must be upgraded to ensure compatibility.

What are the reasons and solutions for the "Pricing plan not found" or "auto-renewal failed" error messages?

If the player product price is adjusted, you may encounter an "auto-renewal failed" error. Use the following solution:

1. Go to the SDK Management > My License page in the ApsaraVideo VOD console, and find the Order Instance tab. Click the Purchase License button.

   

2. You are redirected to a new page to purchase the SDK. Place an order for a new SDK.

3. After you complete the order, click the Activate License button on the order instance page.

   

   Important

   • Refresh the console after the purchase.

   • The verification fails if the application information is modified.

   

   Confirm that the application information is correct and click Confirm. This resolves the license renewal issue.

4. After the license is successfully bound, the SDK validity period is extended. Check the Validity Period field.

   

   Important

   • The console still displays the license instance expiration time. However, you only need to check the "Validity Period" in the preceding screenshot.

   • The application's license certificate is not affected. However, you should update the certificate in your next application release.

Are there rules for reducing or waiving ApsaraVideo Player SDK fees?

Yes. You can apply for a free Player SDK of a specific edition based on the gift rules. Gift upon reaching the threshold.