Setting up Azure Free Account

Vikhyat Jagawat 20 Reputation points
2025-08-23T10:51:48.44+00:00

I had just created my free azure account, and I am not able to see my free credits under billing options as mentioned. Where can I check ? Or do I have to do something to claim those credits ?

Cost Management
Cost Management

A Microsoft offering that enables tracking of cloud usage and expenditures for Azure and other cloud providers.

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Michele Ariis 7,315 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
2025-08-23T12:30:56.78+00:00

Hi, first, check that you're in the right directory (avatar in the top right → Switch directory); then go to Subscriptions: if you see Free Trial (or "Azure subscription 1" with a credit banner), you have the credit; if you see Pay-As-You-Go, you don't have the free credit. To see how much you have left: Cost Management + Billing → in the left column, choose the Billing scope of your subscription → Credits / My credits (shows remaining amount and expiry of ~30 days). If you don't see your credits: a) onboarding not complete (phone/card not verified) or you need to wait ~15–60 minutes; b) you've already used a free trial in the past (you are no longer eligible); c) you created PAYG by mistake (cannot be converted to a Free Trial); d) you are a CSP/EA tenant or in another directory. What to do: Verify/switch directory, close and reopen InPrivate session, if it's PAYG, cancel and open a new account with another eligible Microsoft account, or open a Billing ticket and request eligibility/activation verification. In the meantime, set a budget in Cost Management to avoid charges, and remember that the Free Trial has a spending cap (no charges beyond the credit).

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  1. Anurag Rohikar 3,190 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-08-26T12:42:36.6133333+00:00

    Hello Vikhyat Jagawat, Thanks for reaching out on Microsoft Q&A ! We really appreciate your patience while you get started.

    The answer shared by the external MVP Michele Ariis is spot on.

    To quickly recap:

    1. Check the directory you’re in (top-right avatar → Switch directory).
    2. Go to Subscriptions to confirm whether you see Free Trial (or "Azure subscription 1" with credit banner) versus Pay-As-You-Go.
    3. To see remaining credits: navigate to Cost Management + Billing → select your subscription’s Billing scope → choose Credits / My credits.
    4. If credits are missing, typical reasons include: onboarding not completed, prior Free Trial already consumed, or a Pay-As-You-Go subscription was created instead.

    Additional Points you may find helpful:

    1. Spending Cap Behavior: The Free Trial subscription automatically has a spending limit enabled. This means once your $200 free credit runs out, services stop rather than incurring charges. You can remove the cap by upgrading to Pay-As-You-Go.
    2. Expiration: The free credits expire 30 days from activation, regardless of whether you’ve fully used them or not.
    3. Credit Visibility Delay: Sometimes it may take a little while (up to an hour) for the credits to show in the portal after initial setup.
    4. Student Accounts: If you’re a student and signed up using an Azure for Students offer instead of a Free Trial, the free credits (usually $100) are tracked under that subscription type instead.

    Documentation References:

    If you still don’t see credits after verifying the above, I’d suggest raising a support request via Azure Portal → Help + Support → Billing so the Microsoft billing team can double-check eligibility and activation.

    Hope this helps, and please let us know if you have any further questions. Thank you!

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