Startup credits draining for deleted E16 v3/E16s v3 VM – two weeks and counting

Question

Hi everyone,

Hoping the community can shed some light on this.

Timeline: Two weeks ago I de-allocated and deleted an E16 v3/E16s v3 virtual machine.

Current state: There are zero VMs of that series left—no orphaned disks or IPs either.

Problem: My Startup/Sponsorship credits keep shrinking every day as if the VM were still running.

Support: Last Friday I emailed mscredit@microsoft.com (per Azure’s support guidance). Aside from the auto-reply with a case ID, I haven’t heard back, and the credit leak continues.

Has anyone else seen compute charges linger after a clean de-allocate + delete? Any tips to get billing to look at it sooner—or at least stop the metering while they investigate?

Thanks in advance for any insight!

Answer 1

Hi Luis Pacheco

Even after deleting a VM, certain resources like managed disks, public IPs, or network interfaces may still exist and incur charges. Since you've confirmed there are no orphaned disks or IPs, this might not be the issue, but it's worth double-checking for any remaining network interface or a load balancer linked to the VM. Additionally, if you have snapshots, backups, or managed disk snapshots enabled, those could still charge even after VM deletion.

Azure billing operates on a cycle and sometimes charges from previous usage continue to appear for a short period after deletion. If your VM was running before deletion, some charges might still be processing.

If you're using Startup/Sponsorship credits, be aware that some services might follow different billing rules. Additionally, certain reserved instances or licensing fees could still apply even after deletion.

Navigate to Billing Subscriptions for checking billing details -> Cost Management + Billing -> Select your subscription then review the Cost Analysis filtering by resource type and service.

In the Usage + Charges section, try to isolate the charge to a specific VM or resource to see if something is still running that you missed.

Additional References:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/understand/plan-manage-costs#review-estimated-costs-in-the-azure-portal

Meanwhile, could you please share the Case ID so I can check internally.

Hope this helps!

Please Let me know if you have any queries.

Answer 2

Thanks for the reply, Durga.

1. Orphaned resources: I’ve checked every blade in the portal—disks, IPs, NICs, load balancers, dependency map—and there’s nothing left tied to the deleted VM.
2. Snapshots / backups: No snapshots or backup-vault items exist for that VM.
3. Billing delay: Usage entries keep posting daily—14 days after the de-allocate (14 Apr) and, as of today (6 May), 15 days after. That’s well beyond the normal 24- to 48-hour lag.

The charges showing up are for compute usage under E16 v3/E16s v3—not for disks, IPs, or any other resources, and none of those exist anyway.

The spend isn’t in Cost Analysis; it appears in the Sponsorship Usage portal, where the “Virtual Machines – E16 v3/E16s v3” meter is still burning through startup credits—about €90 a day—even though no resource of that type exists.

I emailed [mscredit@microsoft.com] last Friday and sent another follow-up yesterday. Apart from the auto-acknowledgment, I still haven’t heard anything, and the credit leak continues.

Any guidance on escalating metering issues for Sponsorship subscriptions—or on forcing a refresh so the charges stop—would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again for helping.

Answer 3

Hi Luis Pacheco

Since you've already contacted mscredit@microsoft.com, you might also consider opening a formal support request in the Azure Portal > Help + Support for a faster resolution.

In the Azure portal, navigate to Help + Support -> Click Create a support request -> If needed, switch to classic experience.

Select Billing as the issue type, then choose the relevant billing issue category (e.g., Subscription management or Billing). Select the subscription and click on contact support, then create a support request by providing the necessary details.

When creating a support request, you can ask for a metering reset or cache clearance to force an update in Azure’s billing system.

By opening the ticket through the portal, you can track it more easily and have the option to escalate the case if there is no resolution within 48 hours.

You can also use Live Chat or Phone Support in the Azure portal. On the Support Request page, look for "Contact Support" options. Depending on your subscription and region, you may see: Live chat or Phone support. If it is unavailable, try Microsoft Support Contact Page: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/contactus

Hope this helps!

Please Let me know if you have any queries.