I've recently started using Azure for the first time, taking advantage of the $200 free credit. After entering my payment info, I set up a virtual machine that cost around $109, and I decided to utilize an 8TB disk for storage. Within the first half of the month, the deployed service failed, prompting me to upgrade to retrieve my data, which I knew would incur charges. After quickly saving my data, I attempted to shut down the VM and all associated services, but I found some services were tricky to completely disable. Ultimately, I deactivated the entire subscription, aware that it would take three days to delete it. I checked the estimated bill, and it shocked me—over $200 per month! I set a spending limit on my card, but overnight there was a charge attempt of over $95. I'm struggling to reach support; it feels like I'm just getting canned responses. Should I ignore the charge attempt? I don't want to deal with account blacklisting issues if I don't pay. I just need a clearer understanding of how Azure's billing works and if I should be worried about these charges.
2 Answers
I see you're in a tough spot. If you’ve set a spending limit, that's a smart move, but ignoring the charge probably isn’t the best idea. Azure might blacklist you or refuse service if they can’t collect payment. Instead, focus on checking your actual usage; you might have stuff running that you're not aware of. Keep in mind that managed disks will still incur charges until you delete them completely, so double-check that everything you don't need is fully shut down. Otherwise, you could be billed for the virtual machine and the disk continuously.
First things first, you need to dive into the cost management feature on Azure. Make sure you're looking at the right scope for your reporting and analytics. Once you do that, check the cost analysis section—it might reveal services you didn't realize were still active. Sometimes there can be a lag in the display, so give it a bit of time before panicking too much about the charges. But if you're confident there are no running services, that’s a good sign!
Thanks for the tip! I checked and the cost analysis was still showing forecasts as if the services were running, even though the copilot confirmed nothing was active. I guess I’ll wait until tomorrow to see if it updates, right?
You're right! I deleted the 8TB disk and disabled that whole subscription. I don’t plan on using Azure anymore unless I can resolve this billing issue first.