When does the AWS Free Tier start on my account and when does it expire?

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AWS Free Tier provides new customers with credits to try over 30 AWS services at no cost for up to 6 months. When you sign up, you choose either a Free plan (credit-based, no charges until you upgrade) or Paid plan (pay-as-you-go with full access). Always Free offers are available to all AWS customers regardless of plan type.

When you create a new AWS account, choose either a Free plan or Paid plan. For more information on the different plans, see Choosing an AWS Free Tier plan.

Note: Accounts that are part of an AWS organization or AWS Control Tower landing zone aren't eligible for AWS Free Tier plan benefits.

Your Free plan can't access any AWS services or offerings that immediately consume the entire AWS Free Tier credit amount or require hardware purchases. To see which AWS services are available under the Free plan, see AWS Free Tier.

Your Free plan isn't eligible for other promotional credits or incentive offers. To remove these limitations, upgrade to a Paid plan.

Earn additional credits through onboarding activities

You can earn up to an additional $100 in AWS credits by completing onboarding activities.

Note: Credits expire 12 months after you create your account. AWS automatically applies credits toward usage of services beyond Always Free limits and toward services that don't have a free usage tier.

Understand what happens when the trial expires

When your Trial plan expires (after 6 months or when you deplete credits), the following occurs:

1. AWS closes your account and you lose access to your resources and data.
2. AWS retains your content for 90 days after the trial expires.
3. During the 90-day period, you can opt in to pay-as-you-go billing to reactivate your account.
4. After the 90-day period, AWS automatically closes your account and deletes all resources.

To continue using AWS, upgrade to a Paid plan before or after the Trial plan expires (within the 90-day retention window).

Check AWS Free Tier eligibility

All new customers that sign up for an account online are eligible for AWS Free Tier benefits. This applies regardless of whether they select a Trial or Standard plan.

The following actions make your account ineligible for Trial plan benefits or initiate an automatic upgrade to the Standard plan:

• Joining or creating an AWS organization.
• Setting up an AWS Control Tower landing zone.

Understand Always Free offers

Always Free offers have no time limits or expiration dates. You can use these services indefinitely within their specified monthly limits, regardless of your account plan type or how long you've had your account. For a complete list of Always Free offers, see the AWS Free Tier page and filter by Always Free.

Understand the transition from the legacy AWS Free Tier program

If you created your account before July 15, 2025, then the legacy AWS Free Tier program applies to your account:

• Legacy accounts have a 12-month free usage period from the account creation date.
• After the 12-month period expires, standard pay-as-you-go rates apply for usage beyond Always Free limits.
• Existing customers who signed up within 12 months before the AWS Free Tier v2 launch continue to receive their remaining 12-month AWS Free Tier benefits.
  Note: The credit-based AWS Free Tier (launched July 15, 2025) applies only to accounts created on or after that date.

Related information

AWS Free Tier FAQs

Tracking your AWS Free Tier usage

What is an AWS account?

Free account plan