Azure unexpected charges

Question

Azure unexpected charges

joey putsoedi 0

I was hosting an asp.net core project on azure. the project was for my portfolio website as i was job hunting. i made sure the i was using the free tier for everything and a month later azure billed me money i don't have. i'm still job hunting. i don't have the money to pay off these services and trying to find support on the azure website in unhelpful. i tried their twitter page too not so helpful aswell any suggestions?

Bharath Y P 5,755 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-20T22:58:22.4666667+00:00
Hello joey putsoedi, it sounds like you're facing some unexpected charges while using Azure for your ASP.NET Core project, even though you intended to stick to the free tier. That can definitely be stressful, especially while job hunting! Here are some steps you can take to understand and resolve the issue:

Review Your Subscription: First, double-check that your Azure free account hasn't transitioned to a pay-as-you-go account without your knowledge. After 30 days or after using up the $200 credit, you could start incurring charges if you didn’t upgrade to a pay-as-you-go account correctly. Here’s more information on how the free account works: Azure Free Account FAQ.

Analyze Charges: Use the Cost Analysis feature in the Azure portal. This will help you see what services are causing charges. You can follow these steps:

Go to Subscriptions.

Select your subscription and then choose Cost analysis.

Identify any services with unexpected costs. You can filter by service name, which might help pinpoint where the charges are coming from. For more info on analyzing costs, check out this guide: Analyze Unexpected Charges.

Download Usage Data: This can help you get a detailed look at your consumption. You can download your usage data by going to your subscription's billing section. More info on how to do this can be found here: Download Azure Usage Data.

Inspect Your Resources: Sometimes, charges can occur if you have resources that are not part of the free tier:

Unattached disks might incur costs if they exceed the free limits.

Ensure that your virtual machines are correctly configured to avoid extra charges. For instance, deleting a VM does not automatically delete its disks, which can lead to ongoing charges.

Cancel Any Unwanted Services: If you find services that you're not using, consider deleting or stopping those services to prevent further charges. Here’s a guide on managing services: Plan and Manage Costs.

If you're still unsure about the charges after taking these steps, it might be beneficial to create a billing support request. You can do this through the Azure portal, and they will be able to provide more specific guidance regarding your account and any unexpected charges.

Kindly check the below documentation for more details: How to create an Azure support request - Azure supportability | Microsoft Learn

I hope this helps you get to the bottom of your charges! If you have more questions, feel free to ask. Thanks

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If you are experiencing unexpected charges while using Azure, it is important to first understand why these charges occurred. Here are some steps you can take:

Review Your Usage: Check if you exceeded the limits of the free services offered by Azure. The free tier has specific quotas, and any usage beyond those limits will incur charges. You can find details about your free service usage and limits in the Azure portal.
Analyze Your Invoice: Look at your invoice to identify which services are generating charges. This can help you pinpoint any unexpected usage.
Use Cost Analysis Tools: Utilize Azure's cost analysis features to review your charges in detail. This can provide insights into what services were used and how costs accumulated.
Contact Support: If you still have questions or believe the charges are incorrect, create a support request through the Azure portal. This is often the most effective way to get help with billing issues.
Monitor Future Usage: To avoid unexpected charges in the future, consider setting up budgets and alerts within Azure to keep track of your spending.

If you are unable to resolve the issue through these steps, reaching out to Azure support directly through the portal is recommended.

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Azure unexpected charges

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