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CloudFront Security Savings Bundle applies to your entire activation month

3 minute read
Content level: Intermediate
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Customers evaluating the CloudFront Security Savings Bundle often ask whether activating mid-month means losing the discount on usage already incurred that month, or whether they should wait until the next billing cycle to purchase. This uncertainty can delay a commitment and leave eligible usage undiscounted. This article documents how the activation month is treated so you can time a purchase with confidence and avoid needlessly deferring savings.

Summary

When you purchase a CloudFront Security Savings Bundle (CFSSB), the commitment term begins on the first day of the calendar month in which you activate it, not the day you click purchase. As a result, ​the bundle's discount applies to all eligible CloudFront pay-as-you-go usage for that month (CFSSB savings do not apply to distributions enrolled in CloudFront flat-rate pricing plans). This includes usage that already occurred earlier in the month before you bought the bundle. The first month is not prorated from the purchase date.

This article explains the behavior, shows where to confirm it in the console, and calls out what it means for when you choose to activate.

How the activation month works

CFSSB is a 1-year commitment billed as a consistent monthly amount. The detail many customers miss is the start date: a bundle purchased during a given month always starts on the 1st of that month. Because the monthly commitment covers the full calendar month, the up-to-30% discount is effectively retroactive to the beginning of the activation month.

Practical implications:

  • You don't lose the early-month usage. If you have already run significant CloudFront usage during the month, activating the bundle before month-end still discounts that usage. You do not need to wait for the next month to "start clean."
  • Late-in-the-month activation still covers the whole month. Activating on, for example, the 28th applies the commitment and discount to the full month, not just the final days.
  • The first monthly commitment charge is for the full month. It is not reduced based on how many days remained when you purchased.

Where to confirm it in the console

On the Bundle options page of the purchase flow, the Start Month field shows the first of the current month labeled "(this month)". This is the date your term, and your discount coverage, begins.

Figure: The purchase flow sets the Start Month to the current calendar month, so the commitment covers the entire activation month

Figure: The purchase flow sets the Start Month to the current calendar month, so the commitment covers the entire activation month.

What this means for timing your purchase

  • If you have been running pay-as-you-go CloudFront usage this month and decide to commit, activate the bundle any time before the month ends to capture the discount on the full month's eligible usage.
  • Size your monthly commitment against your typical monthly pay-as-you-go CloudFront spend. Usage beyond what the commitment covers is billed at standard rates. The bundle is a 1-year commitment with no mid-term cancellation option documented in the standard terms, so estimate against a representative month rather than a single spike. You can opt in to auto-renew before the term expires, or let it lapse at the end of the year.

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