How to reduce charges to $0 while in the Free Tier plan

Question

How to reduce charges to $0 while in the Free Tier plan

yzr 50

I recently joined the Cloud Free Tier plan. I have no prior experience with Azure. I am in the process of learning the slightly different terminology and UI (from AWS and GCP).

Yesterday I managed to create my first virtual machine. I took the suggested free tier defaults, thinking that during this Free Tier period (12 months max), I will incur $0 charges.

I didn't install anything yet on the virtual machine. I only let it run for several hours, to track charges because the moment I created the VM, I was already charged $0.01 which baffled me: Is any of the options I selected not free?

After letting it run for several hours (nothing of my own installed on the VM whatsoever), I checked the charges and was surprised to discover that it grew to $0.15, with the following breakdown:

User's image

I tried to consult Copilot to understand how I can make those $0, but the answer I received was general and couldn't point me to what I mistakenly configured or misunderstood:

As you can see, the charges are primarily related to Virtual Network and Storage services. The charges for these services account for 86.67% of the total charges. To bring the charges to $0, you can consider the following steps:

Review the usage of the Virtual Network and Storage resources to identify any unnecessary or unused resources that can be deleted or scaled down.

Optimize the storage usage by removing any unnecessary files or data.

Monitor and manage the network traffic to minimize bandwidth consumption.

I am not familiar with the subtleties that make the difference between exactly $0 and $0.01 for resources that I understood to be free during the Free Tier plan period.

Would you be able to help me, please, to figure this out?

Thank you

yzr 50 Reputation points

2024-11-11T08:51:20.2833333+00:00

Thank you Abiola for your answer. I am looking for more specific details about my own resources that surprised me with charges. For example, I know that in my VM:

Most of the charges are related to storage and networking:

But I don't see anything in my configuration that could hint on non-free charges.

Where should I be looking?

To clarify, the only used resources are listed in the following screenshot:

They all have the status "Unlikely to exceed".

My question: To exceed what? The $200 credit that I received upon creating this Free Tier account? AFAIK, at the rate I am being charged right now, this will far exceed the $200. What am I missing?
Abiola Akinbade 29,490 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2024-11-11T16:01:18.9666667+00:00

could be some of those resources move beyond the threshold. Ensure that the services and tiers you’re using are included in the Free Tier. For instance, using premium storage or higher-tier VMs not covered by the Free Tier will result in charges.
I would recommend for more insight into your environment you reach out to the billing team. This service is free. You can create the ticket here and they will help you.
https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/support/create-ticket
Do remember to mark it 'Accept Answer' and 'Upvote' if this helped you
yzr 50 Reputation points

2024-11-11T16:20:30.0866667+00:00

Thanks again Abiola. That's the kind of answer I was looking for.

For instance, using premium storage or higher-tier VMs not covered by the Free Tier will result in charges.

Indeed, during the creation of my first VM ever on Azure, I had no clue that the premium storage isn't covered by the Free Tier.

For example, I think that I read somewhere that storage is free up to 5GB, but during the selection of the disk, there is no option to select a size of less than 30GiB:

or when selecting the OS disk type, nowhere can I see each type's associated cost:

Thanks for the link Azure's support ticket creation. I think that I need it.
yzr 50 Reputation points

2024-11-11T16:38:59.1933333+00:00

@Anonymous Thank you so much for the details about Premium Disks, Public IP Address (etc.) which are the likely causes for my unexpected charges.

I wish there were a table that summarizes such caveats or "gotchas". The way the pricing information is organized is very confusing. The best I've been able to find is https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/ and specifically https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/#Pricing-by-product. Still, those tables don't show which options makes the "charge clock" not tick in the Free Tier.

Even after deleting my VM entirely, I continued to be charged (in smaller amounts). As I continued to explore, I discovered that these charges were for network monitoring resources that were automatically created unbeknownst to me, depicted in the following screenshot:

I am currently relying on this $0 Free Tier to study and gain some experience in Azure before using it to generate enough income to justify charges.

BTW, there is no way I was exceeding the 15GB of free outbound data per month, because I only created the VM yesterday and I didn't install anything on it yet.
Anonymous

2024-11-14T18:12:01.1766667+00:00

Hi yzr,
Are there any resources present in the existing resource groups within your subscription? If no resources are present delete that resource group, and you have created a virtual machine, you should manually delete the VM's associated disks to avoid incurring ongoing charges. Simply deleting the VM does not automatically remove the disks, and they will continue to incur charges.

To reduce costs, rather than deleting individual VMs, you can delete the entire resource group, as this will remove all associated resources, including the VM and its disks.

If the information is helpful, please consider by clicking the "Upvote" on the post.
Thank you.
yzr 50 Reputation points

2024-11-14T19:07:06.5333333+00:00

@Anonymous AFAIK, I don't have any resources, yet I see the "charge clock" ticking:

Earlier today, when I saw that the "charge clock" is ticking even after deleting the VM with all of its associated resources, I noticed that I had the following resource (that I never asked to enable), named NetworkWatch_westus2:

I deleted it but I continue to see the "charge clock" ticking.

I really don't understand the Azure charge system works.
Anonymous

2024-11-15T10:05:38.7333333+00:00

Hi yzr,
Thank you for your patience!
This issue needs deeper investigation and Azure technical support team will be able to help with this. I would recommend you open an azure support case. If you don't have the ability to open a technical support ticket,
please let me know and I can help you further with this.
yzr 50 Reputation points

2024-11-17T06:29:24.6533333+00:00

After deleting the last resource, NetworkWatch_westus2, and leaving my account free of any VM or resources, I tracked the account for a day and the charge rate went down to $0. This tells me that there is some delay (hours) between the moment I make a change in my account's resources and the time I see this reflected in cost analysis.

An Azure account without any VM, however, isn't very useful to me and so I intend to follow your advice and contact Azure support. Thank you @Anonymous for your help.
yzr 50 Reputation points

2024-11-18T11:49:30.4666667+00:00

@Anonymous I just managed to create an Azure support request, through Support + troubleshooting (it wasn't simple). My goal is understanding which options do I need to select (and how) to create $0 VM while running.

For example, in the free services, a 5GB disk is included, but there is no option to select a 5GB disk... (see screenshot in my earlier comment).

I am posting here the current configuration for my only running VM:
Anonymous

2024-11-20T09:31:23.5833333+00:00

Hi yzr,

You can create a support case by following the instructions provided in this link: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-portal/supportability/how-to-create-azure-support-request.
Anonymous

2024-12-14T17:44:08.5+00:00

Hi yzr,
I Hope you are doing well!!

The free services simplify the process by offering a pre-configured VM included in Azure's free tier benefits. Creating the VM takes just three steps, streamlining the setup with predefined settings. This VM will likely remain within Azure's free services.

Alternatively, the standard creation process involves manual configuration across nine steps. This method allows for full customization, including VM size, operating system, network settings, and other options.

Thank you.
yzr 50 Reputation points

2024-12-15T07:18:43.4533333+00:00

A truly helpful answer should be the answer I posted on Dec 12, 2024, 11:01 AM -- precise details without being too general or ambiguous. The answer I posted on Dec 12, 2024, 11:01 AM should be the accepted answer.

Accepted answer

3 additional answers

Your answer

yzr 50 Reputation points

2024-11-11T08:51:20.2833333+00:00

Thank you Abiola for your answer. I am looking for more specific details about my own resources that surprised me with charges. For example, I know that in my VM:

Most of the charges are related to storage and networking:

But I don't see anything in my configuration that could hint on non-free charges.

Where should I be looking?

To clarify, the only used resources are listed in the following screenshot:

They all have the status "Unlikely to exceed".

My question: To exceed what? The $200 credit that I received upon creating this Free Tier account? AFAIK, at the rate I am being charged right now, this will far exceed the $200. What am I missing?
Abiola Akinbade 29,490 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2024-11-11T16:01:18.9666667+00:00

could be some of those resources move beyond the threshold. Ensure that the services and tiers you’re using are included in the Free Tier. For instance, using premium storage or higher-tier VMs not covered by the Free Tier will result in charges.
I would recommend for more insight into your environment you reach out to the billing team. This service is free. You can create the ticket here and they will help you.
https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/support/create-ticket
Do remember to mark it 'Accept Answer' and 'Upvote' if this helped you
yzr 50 Reputation points

2024-11-11T16:20:30.0866667+00:00

Thanks again Abiola. That's the kind of answer I was looking for.

For instance, using premium storage or higher-tier VMs not covered by the Free Tier will result in charges.

Indeed, during the creation of my first VM ever on Azure, I had no clue that the premium storage isn't covered by the Free Tier.

For example, I think that I read somewhere that storage is free up to 5GB, but during the selection of the disk, there is no option to select a size of less than 30GiB:

or when selecting the OS disk type, nowhere can I see each type's associated cost:

Thanks for the link Azure's support ticket creation. I think that I need it.
yzr 50 Reputation points

2024-11-11T16:38:59.1933333+00:00

@Anonymous Thank you so much for the details about Premium Disks, Public IP Address (etc.) which are the likely causes for my unexpected charges.

I wish there were a table that summarizes such caveats or "gotchas". The way the pricing information is organized is very confusing. The best I've been able to find is https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/ and specifically https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/#Pricing-by-product. Still, those tables don't show which options makes the "charge clock" not tick in the Free Tier.

Even after deleting my VM entirely, I continued to be charged (in smaller amounts). As I continued to explore, I discovered that these charges were for network monitoring resources that were automatically created unbeknownst to me, depicted in the following screenshot:

I am currently relying on this $0 Free Tier to study and gain some experience in Azure before using it to generate enough income to justify charges.

BTW, there is no way I was exceeding the 15GB of free outbound data per month, because I only created the VM yesterday and I didn't install anything on it yet.
Anonymous

2024-11-14T18:12:01.1766667+00:00

Hi yzr,
Are there any resources present in the existing resource groups within your subscription? If no resources are present delete that resource group, and you have created a virtual machine, you should manually delete the VM's associated disks to avoid incurring ongoing charges. Simply deleting the VM does not automatically remove the disks, and they will continue to incur charges.

To reduce costs, rather than deleting individual VMs, you can delete the entire resource group, as this will remove all associated resources, including the VM and its disks.

If the information is helpful, please consider by clicking the "Upvote" on the post.
Thank you.
yzr 50 Reputation points

2024-11-14T19:07:06.5333333+00:00

@Anonymous AFAIK, I don't have any resources, yet I see the "charge clock" ticking:

Earlier today, when I saw that the "charge clock" is ticking even after deleting the VM with all of its associated resources, I noticed that I had the following resource (that I never asked to enable), named NetworkWatch_westus2:

I deleted it but I continue to see the "charge clock" ticking.

I really don't understand the Azure charge system works.
Anonymous

2024-11-15T10:05:38.7333333+00:00

Hi yzr,
Thank you for your patience!
This issue needs deeper investigation and Azure technical support team will be able to help with this. I would recommend you open an azure support case. If you don't have the ability to open a technical support ticket,
please let me know and I can help you further with this.
yzr 50 Reputation points

2024-11-17T06:29:24.6533333+00:00

After deleting the last resource, NetworkWatch_westus2, and leaving my account free of any VM or resources, I tracked the account for a day and the charge rate went down to $0. This tells me that there is some delay (hours) between the moment I make a change in my account's resources and the time I see this reflected in cost analysis.

An Azure account without any VM, however, isn't very useful to me and so I intend to follow your advice and contact Azure support. Thank you @Anonymous for your help.
yzr 50 Reputation points

2024-11-18T11:49:30.4666667+00:00

@Anonymous I just managed to create an Azure support request, through Support + troubleshooting (it wasn't simple). My goal is understanding which options do I need to select (and how) to create $0 VM while running.

For example, in the free services, a 5GB disk is included, but there is no option to select a 5GB disk... (see screenshot in my earlier comment).

I am posting here the current configuration for my only running VM:
Anonymous

2024-11-20T09:31:23.5833333+00:00

Hi yzr,

You can create a support case by following the instructions provided in this link: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-portal/supportability/how-to-create-azure-support-request.
Anonymous

2024-12-14T17:44:08.5+00:00

Hi yzr,
I Hope you are doing well!!

The free services simplify the process by offering a pre-configured VM included in Azure's free tier benefits. Creating the VM takes just three steps, streamlining the setup with predefined settings. This VM will likely remain within Azure's free services.

Alternatively, the standard creation process involves manual configuration across nine steps. This method allows for full customization, including VM size, operating system, network settings, and other options.

Thank you.
yzr 50 Reputation points

2024-12-15T07:18:43.4533333+00:00

A truly helpful answer should be the answer I posted on Dec 12, 2024, 11:01 AM -- precise details without being too general or ambiguous. The answer I posted on Dec 12, 2024, 11:01 AM should be the accepted answer.

Answer 1

Hi yzr,

I'm glad to know that you were able to resolve your issue and thank you for posting your solution so that others experiencing the same thing can easily reference this! Since the Microsoft Q&A community has a policy that "The question author cannot accept their own answer. They can only accept answers by others ", I'll repost your solution in case you'd like to "Accept " the answer.

Issue:

How to reduce charges to $0 while in the Free Tier plan.

Solution:

To create a truly free VM, on the https://portal.azure.com/#home page, click the Free services icon, instead of clicking the Virtual machines icon:
User's image

By clicking the Free services icon, a 3-step creation process started, instead of the 9-steps process via the 'Virtual machines' icon.
If you have any other questions or are still running into more issues, please let me know. Thank you again for your time and patience throughout this issue.

Please remember to "Accept Answer" if any answer/reply helped, so that others in the community facing similar issues can easily find the solution. User's image

Thank you.

Answer 2

Hi yzr,
Based on the screenshot, your usage is indeed within the limits for each Free Tier service, as all entries show "Unlikely to exceed."
However, here are some possible reasons why you might still see charges:

Networking Costs: The Free Tier includes 15GB of free outbound data per month; any additional outbound data beyond this limit will incur charges. Ensure your VM isn’t generating significant outbound traffic that exceeds this limit.

Storage Charges: Azure provides limited free storage for specific types, but:

Additional Disks: Only the default OS disk is covered by the Free Tier. Any extra disks will incur charges.

Premium Disks: Ensure you’re using Standard HDD or SSD, as Premium disks are not included in the Free Tier.

Snapshots and Backups: Snapshots or backup storage created for your VM may lead to extra costs.

Public IP Address: A static public IP assigned to your VM can result in charges, even within the Free Tier.

Ensure VM is within Free Tier Limits: Confirm that your VM size qualifies for the Free Tier. See the Azure Free Account - Virtual Machines for eligible VM types.

Stop the VM: If you’re not actively using the VM, stop it to avoid compute charges (note that storage costs for the OS disk still apply).

Delete Unused Resources: If you no longer need the VM, delete it along with any associated resources (like disks or IPs) to prevent future charges.
Please refer the below document for more information
Azure subscription and service limits, quotas, and constraints
View your usage summary details and download reports for EA enrollments
If you have any further queries, do let us know in the comment.
Thank you.

Answer 3

yzr 50

To create a truly free VM, on the https://portal.azure.com/#home page, click the Free services icon, instead of clicking the Virtual machines icon:

User's image

By clicking the Free services icon, a 3-step creation process started, instead of the 9-steps process via the 'Virtual machines' icon.

That's it. It's that simple.

yzr 50 Reputation points

2024-12-15T07:15:51.1833333+00:00

A truly helpful answer should be the answer I posted on Dec 12, 2024, 11:01 AM -- precise details without being too general or ambiguous. This should be the accepted answer.
Anonymous

2024-12-17T15:52:52.7733333+00:00

Hi yzr,
Thank you for sharing information. Since the Microsoft Q&A community has a policy that "The question author cannot accept their own answer. They can only accept answers by others ", I'll repost your solution in case you'd like to "Accept " the answer.
yzr 50 Reputation points

2024-12-17T21:42:11.42+00:00

Thank you, @Anonymous . Yes, please. I would like my answer to be the accepted answer, mainly because from the day I submitted the ticket to Azure support (November 19, 2024) until I received the reply that finally helped me understand what I was missing (December 4, 2024), neither Azure support nor I could pinpoint this very simple solution. Note how long the first answer's thread is without identifying the exact root cause. I hope that my straightforward explanation can help other Azure newbies like me.

Answer 4

Only certain tiers within a service are included for free. So you will need to review deployed resources and see what causes the costs and if they are in the free tier. This may include storage type, networking and others. For VMs:

For windows VMs 750 hours each of B1s, B2pts v2 (Arm-based), and B2ats v2 (AMD-based) burstable VMs

While for Linux VMs 750 hours each of B1s, B2pts v2 (Arm-based), and B2ats v2 (AMD-based) burstable VMs

See all free services here: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/purchase-options/azure-account?icid=azurefaq#free-services

To learn about services included with your free account, see the Azure free account FAQ.

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/purchase-options/azure-account?icid=azurefaq

You can mark it 'Accept Answer' and 'Upvote' if this helped you

Regards,

Abiola

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How to reduce charges to $0 while in the Free Tier plan

3 additional answers

Your answer