Clarification on Usage of Azure $200 Free Credit for Virtual Machines and Computing Instances

Question

Hello,

I recently signed up for Azure and received the $200 free credit. I have a few questions about using this credit specifically for virtual machines (VMs) and computing instances:

1. Can I use the $200 credit for all types of virtual machines and computing instances, or are there any limitations or restrictions in terms of instance types or regions?
2. Are there specific configurations (e.g., CPU, memory) that the credit does not cover?
3. What happens to the virtual machine or computing instance if the $200 credit is exhausted? Will the instance automatically stop, or will I begin incurring charges?
4. Is there a way to track how much of the $200 credit is being consumed in real-time while using a computing instance?

Thank you for your assistance!

Answer 1

Hello Mohammed Sali,

For details understanding on Free Trial offer. Please refer this link for reference- https://azure.microsoft.com/en-in/pricing/offers/ms-azr-0044p/

Answer 2

@Mohammad Sali Jauhari Please see answers below for the above questions.

Can I use the $200 credit for all types of virtual machines and computing instances, or are there any limitations or restrictions in terms of instance types or regions?

This is governed by the list of free services that are available with the free credit. See this link. If you are requesting for a service that is below the limit you should be able to create, however there are soft limits and quota assigned to a subscription. See the quota page from Azure ML portal to check if any of the limits are applied in a specific region.

Are there specific configurations (e.g., CPU, memory) that the credit does not cover?

See the quota page from Azure ML portal to check if any of the limits are applied in a specific region.

What happens to the virtual machine or computing instance if the $200 credit is exhausted? Will the instance automatically stop, or will I begin incurring charges?

See the FAQ section on this page at the bottom. Yes, it will stop if credit is used up. As a best practice schedule shutdown of your compute instance or enable it to shutdown after a certain idle time.

Is there a way to track how much of the $200 credit is being consumed in real-time while using a computing instance?

If you sign up for an Azure free account, you can see your remaining credit under Microsoft Cost Management in the Azure portal.

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