Subscription issue for Azure Databricks

Question

My subscription overview shows I have $180.11 promotional credit remaining and is Active. However, Azure Databricks refuses to start any cluster and reports that my available credits are exhausted. Other Azure resources such as Storage Account, SQL Database, and Azure Data Factory are working normally. Please verify whether my promotional credit is still valid for Azure Databricks compute.

Answer 1

Azure promotional credits are not valid for all services. Azure credits apply to eligible Azure services billed as standard Azure consumption, but some offerings are billed separately and do not consume promotional credits.

For Azure credits, the documented exclusions include:

• Partner-provided products or services and non-Microsoft Marketplace products
• Azure support plans
• Software subscriptions or licenses that are not billed as Azure consumption

For Azure Sponsorship credits specifically, some AI models are also excluded.

Because Storage Account, SQL Database, and Azure Data Factory are still working while Azure Databricks cluster startup reports exhausted credits, the practical next step is to open a billing/support request in Azure Portal to confirm whether the Databricks compute charges in that subscription are covered by the promotional credit allocation.

In Azure Portal:

1. Go to Help + Support.
2. Select Create a support request.
3. Choose Billing.
4. Select the affected subscription.
5. If suggested solutions appear, scroll down to Contact support and continue creating the request.

If the issue is cluster startup rather than billing coverage, also check the Databricks cluster event log for the exact termination error. If the event shows a quota or permission-related failure, review:

• Subscriptions > Usage + quotas for VM family quota exhaustion
• Azure activity logs for permission or policy failures
• Service principal permissions on the resource group
• Subscription state and recent policy changes

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References:

• Track Your Azure credit balance for a Microsoft Customer Agreement
• Best Ways to Use Startup Credits
• Understanding Azure Usage and Billing
• Classic compute termination error codes
• Refund or Invoice Issues - Microsoft Q&A