FAQs for billing and usage

What is a GB-hour?

Runtime and container usage is charged based on the following variables:

• How much memory your runtime or container uses, in gigabytes (GB).
• The duration that memory is used.

Multiply the two values together, and the result is the GB-hour.

How are bandwidth overage charges calculated for Bare Metal Servers and Virtual Servers?

IBM Cloud systems monitor all inbound and outbound traffic for a server regardless of the type of traffic. Based on the allocated bandwidth for a server, overages are assessed for excess traffic, which is monitored at the network switch level. Monitor your bandwidth usage with bandwidth graphs. For more information, see Viewing bandwidth graphs.

How do I prevent bandwidth overages?

If you provision multiple servers, you can potentially reduce future bandwidth overage charges by pooling your servers' bandwidth. For more information, see Optimizing your bandwidth usage. Contact an IBM Cloud Sales representative to request a quote for more server bandwidth.

What's the difference between a Pay-As-You-Go and a Subscription account?

With Pay-As-You-Go accounts, you're billed monthly for your resource usage. Your resource usage consists of recurring and fluctuating costs. This account type is a good fit for developers or companies that want to explore the entire IBM Cloud catalog but have low-volume or variable workloads. You pay only for what you use or commit to on a monthly basis, with no long-term contracts. Usage consists of products, services, and resources.

With Subscription accounts, you buy a subscription for an amount of credit to spend on resource usage within a certain time period. In exchange for this spending commitment, you get a discount on your usage costs. For more information about the differences between account types, see Account types.

What happens if my Lite plan instance reaches the monthly quota?

When you reach any quota for Lite plan instances, the service for that month is suspended. Quotas are based per org and not per instance. New instances that are created in the same org show any usage from previous instances. The quota resets on the first of every month.

Can I use PayPal as a payment method?

As of 31 March 2023, PayPal is no longer accepted.

Can I update my credit card?

Updating your credit card is just like adding a new one. Go to the Payments page in the IBM Cloud console. In the Add Payment Method section, enter the billing information for your new card, and click Add credit card.

To switch to a different payment method, select Pay with Other, and click Submit change request. A support case to change your payment method is then created for you.

If your payments are managed outside of the console, go to IBM® and log in to the Manage Payment Method application to update your credit card. For more information, see How do I add a credit card when the option isn't available through the console?.

How do I change my payment method?

For a Pay-As-You-Go account, you must have an active credit card on file. Our Subscription and IBM Cloud Enterprise Savings Plan account types might enable you to use other payment options. Contact an IBM Cloud Sales representative to inquire about payment options.

How do I pay an invoice?

Use the Payments page in the IBM Cloud console to make a one-time payment and to manage your payment methods for recurring monthly charges. Or for some account types, you manage payments by going to IBM® Billing. For more information, see Managing payments.

To make your payment outside of the console, complete these steps:

1. Go to Invoices, and log in with the same IBMid and password that you use to log in to IBM Cloud.

2. Select Pay for the invoice that is to be paid.

3. Select the credit card option or ACH.

4. Enter your credit card information or ACH, and click Pay.

   An option to save this information for future use is available.

A confirmation and a transaction number is displayed when the transaction is complete.

The credit card payment option is available only for the US and Canada.

Why didn't my credit card process?

Protecting your identity is a priority for us, so we take credit card verification seriously.

If your credit card did not process successfully, contact us by calling 1-866-325-0045 and selecting the third option. For more information, see Credit Card error messages.

You might manage your payment method on a separate billing platform, IBM Billing. For more information about that process, see Managing your payment method outside of the console.

Can I check the status of my account's updated payment method?

Yes, you can. When you request to change your payment method, a support case is created automatically. Go to the Manage cases page in the IBM Cloud console to view the status of your request.

Can I delete my credit card?

For Pay-As-you-Go accounts, you must have an active credit card on file. You can replace an existing credit card with a new one.

• If you're using a new US-based Pay-As-You-Go account with credit card billing, you can add a new credit card in the Monthly Payment Method form on the Payments page.
• For all other accounts, you can remove a credit card and switch to a different payment method by clicking Pay with Other > Submit change request. To complete the change, review and update the support case that is created for you.
• If you manage your payment method on a separate billing platform, you can remove your credit card by going to IBM Billing. For more information, see Managing your payment method outside of the console.

How do I change the invoice currency from US Dollars to my local currency?

Invoicing in your local currency might be possible if you have a subscription or IBM Cloud Cloud Enterprise Savings Plan account type. Contact IBM Cloud Cloud Sales for more information.

An account that is invoiced in a currency other than US Dollars can't be converted to US Dollar invoicing.

What is Business Continuity Insurance?

Business Continuity Insurance is insurance that protects you from illegitimate charges against your servers. You can request this insurance through IBM Cloud Cloud Sales to avoid overage charges if a documented network attack occurs against a covered server. IBM Cloud credits back any overages incurred on the affected server.

To receive the credits for illegitimate charges against your servers, contact IBM Cloud Support and open a support case.

What's the difference between promo codes and feature codes?

Promo codes are for Pay-As-You-Go and Subscription accounts and give you limited-time credits toward your account and IBM Cloud products. The codes are typically short phrases, like PROMO200. For more information about promo codes, see Managing promotions.

Feature codes provide enhancements for an account, such as an unlimited number of organizations or creating a trial account. Feature codes are typically provided for online courses and certain events, such as educational sessions or conference workshops. They're typically random alphanumeric codes, like a1b2c3def456. For more information about feature codes, see Applying feature codes.

Where can I get a promo code?

Promo codes are provided on a limited basis by IBM Cloud sales to customers with Pay-As-You-Go and Subscription accounts. Promotions provide specific discounts for a set amount of time. For more information, see Applying promo codes.

Where can I get a feature code?

Feature codes are provided by IBM Cloud sales and educational providers on a limited basis. Feature codes are meant for select groups and are typically given out at hackathons, conferences, and other events. If you are taking a course through an educational provider and need more resources to complete the course, contact your educational provider to determine whether a feature code is applicable.

How do I apply a promo code?

To apply your promo code, go to the Promotions page in the console, enter your promo code, and click Apply. For more information, see Applying promo codes.

You might be looking for information on feature codes and subscription codes. For more information, see Applying feature codes and Applying subscription codes.

If you can't apply a promo code that you received from IBM Cloud Sales or an educational provider, contact sales or the provider for more help.

Why did I get invoiced when I have remaining promotion credits?

If you think your invoice didn't include your promotion credits, first determine that the credits are still active on your account by using the following steps:

1. In the IBM Cloud console, go to Manage > Billing and usage, and select Promotions and credits.
2. Click a promotion to expand the table and view the amount of each promotion, the duration of each promotion and the product it applies to.
3. Check the following to make sure that your promo code is still applicable:
   • Verify the maximum value of the promo code per month. Some monthly recurring promo codes have a monthly limit. If your usage exceeded that limit, you're billed for the remaining amount.
   • Compare the date of your invoice to the start and end dates of the promo code. If you applied the promo code after the invoice was issued, it was not applied to that month's invoice.
   • If you didn't use the products that are impacted by the promo code before it expired, you don't receive the promotion credits.

After you complete these steps, if you still believe that the invoice amount is an error, create a support case. Go to the Support Center and click Create a case.

How do I apply a feature code?

Feature codes add more capabilities in an account and are typically provided for educational initiatives or special events. To redeem your code, go to the Account settings page in the console, and click Apply code. You can also apply your code to a new account by clicking Register with a code when you sign up for a new account.

You might be looking for information about promo codes and subscription codes, which are available for certain account types. For more information, see Managing promotions and Applying subscription codes.

Why did my account get billed for additional services charges?

As the account owner, you're responsible for all charges that are incurred by users in your account, including invited users. Ensure that each user is assigned only the level of access that is required to complete their job, including the ability to create new instances that might incur additional charges in your account. For more information, see Managing access to resources.

Resources and applications that remain running in an account are subject to charges based on the pricing and description of the product. For example, this includes buildpacks, Platform as a Service, and Infrastructure as a Service.

If you believe that charges on your invoice are incorrect, contact Support within 30 calendar days of the invoice due date or use the contact information that is found on your invoice.

Why did I get billed for a resource I deleted?

A resourceA physical or logical component that can be provisioned or reserved for an application or service instance. Examples of resources can include storage, processors, memory, clusters, and VMs. is anything that you can create from the catalog that is managed by and contained within a resource group. You're billed for resources in your account until you cancel them. If you deleted a resource or have resources in your account that are no longer used, make sure to cancel all billing items associated with those resources. Billing items can't be recovered after they are canceled. For more information, see Cancelling your billing items.

Can I add a tax identification number to my account?

If you are not subject to tax, you can provide us with a tax identification number by using the contact information that is found on your most recent invoice. After your tax identification number is accepted, you are not charged taxes on any future invoices. The removal of tax charges from your account is not retroactive and can't be refunded.

IBM Cloud complies with all tax regulations. Taxes are assessed based on the laws that correspond to the address on your account.

How can I monitor spending?

You can view your monthly runtime and service usage by clicking Manage > Billing and usage > Usage. Learn more in Viewing your usage.

Can I receive notifications when my spending reaches specific levels?

You can set separate spending thresholds for the account, container, runtime, all services, and specific services. You automatically receive notifications when your monthly spending reaches 80%, 90%, and 100% of those thresholds. To set spending notifications, click Manage > Billing and usage and select Spending notifications. For more information, see Setting spending notifications.

Spending notifications don't stop charges from incurring. You continue to incur charges if your usage exceeds 100% of the spending threshold.

Does the price of the product that I'm ordering reflect the discounted price?

Yes, if your account includes any discounts, the price of the product that is displayed in your infrastructure order summary does reflect the discounted price of that product.

How do I confirm that I received an expected credit?

Credit might take a few hours to appear in your account. To see whether a credit was added, go to Manage > Billing and usage, and select Usage. The credit might be listed in the Active subscriptions and credits section.

If the credit isn't on the Usage page, go to Invoices and click link with the date for your next recurring invoice. If you don't see the credit on the next recurring invoice, it is not yet added to your account. Check back later to verify that you received the credit.

How do I get answers to my Startup with IBM questions?

Startup with IBM Program, which was formerly the IBM Global Entrepreneur Program (GEP), is available by going to the Startup with IBM Program. The awarding and extension of credits through this IBM corporate program isn't directly supported by IBM Cloud Support. If your application to the program is approved, credits might be referred to as the Technology Incubator Program on an IBM Cloud Invoice.

Where can I find my credits for IBM corporate programs?

Credits for IBM corporate programs, such as Startup with IBM and PartnerWorld, are available within the applicable invoice in IBM Cloud. To view the credits, complete the following steps:

1. In the IBM Cloud console, go to Manage > Billing and usage, and select Invoices.
2. Select an applicable invoice.
3. Find the name of the program listed in the Current Payment Method section to see the monthly credit, applied credit, and remaining credit information.

How can I get help with billing and usage?

Go to the Support Center page by clicking the Help icon > Support center from the console menu bar. From there, review the list of common FAQs. If you don't find the answers that you need, review the Contact Support section. For more information on account types and support products, see Basic, Advanced, and Premium Support plans.

Where can I view the billing address for my account?

You can view the primary contact and address that is associated with an account by going to Manage > Account in the IBM Cloud console, and selecting Company profile.

How can I ensure that my account is secure to avoid charges due to unauthorized access?

As a self-managed platform, the security of an account is the responsibility of the account owner and all users with access to the account. Any charges that result from unauthorized access are the responsibility of the account owner.

To prevent unauthorized access, change your password regularly and require the use of multifactor authentication by all users on your account. These options include the use of time-based one-time passcode authentication, security questions, third-party authentication mechanisms, and password expiration rules. For more information, see Enabling and managing verification methods and MFA.

You can regularly review the list of account users and remove users who don't need access to the account. For more information, see Removing users from an account.

Can I use my Pay-As-You-Go account to create an enterprise?

Pay-As-You-Go accounts that sign up with a credit card on cloud.ibm.com can create an enterprise. When you upgrade a Pay-As-You-Go account to an enterprise, you keep the Pay-As-You-Go billing model. For more information, see Creating an enterprise.

Does my Enterprise Savings Plan discount apply to third-party products?

No, the discount that you receive with an Enterprise Savings Plan doesn't apply to non-IBM products. For example, if you have a third-party pricing plan with term or reserved commitments with services like Skytap, Dizzion, or Bespoken, your Enterprise Savings Plan discount doesn't apply to those services.

Can I have a service-level commitment for third-party products?

No. Contact an IBM Cloud Sales representative to learn more about the IBM Cloud services that qualify for a service-level commitment.

What is a manual credit?

A manual credit is a credit that you receive from IBM Cloud as part of a special program, reimbursement from an illegitimate charge, or other reasons unrelated to a promotion. Manual credits are issued by IBM Cloud and no customer action is necessary. You can view any manual credits that are applied to your account completing the following steps:

1. In the IBM Cloud console, go to Manage > Billing and usage, and select Promotions and credits.
2. From the Type dropdown, select Manual credit.

Why did I receive multiple invoices in one month?

You might receive multiple invoices if you have an Enterprise Savings Plan and service-level commitment on different orders. If you have a service-level commitments at multiple sites, you receive separate invoices for each site.