I joined the Microsoft for Startups program through a startup referral from Barclays Eagle Labs and received $100,000 in Azure credits. I have been contacting support for several days because I need permission to create GPU-based virtual machines, but my requests keep being rejected. Support has given me several different explanations, including issues with the credits, billing card, unpaid charges, phone verification, and the subscription type. What is the best way to escalate this or find out the real reason for the denial?
3 Answers
GPU capacity is extremely limited in many Azure regions, and even established paying customers can have trouble getting it. Startup credits do not necessarily guarantee access to GPU virtual machines, so the request may be failing because of quota or regional capacity rather than the credit balance itself. Try requesting a different GPU family or checking several regions.
A $100,000 credit grant is not the same as a committed annual spend, so it may not receive the same priority as production customers with paid contracts. If GPU access is essential to the business plan, consider using multiple regions or another cloud provider while waiting for capacity and quota approval.
The explanations you received sound inconsistent, but they may correspond to separate automated checks for billing, subscription status, identity, and quota. Ask support to provide the exact rejection reason, the affected subscription and region, and whether the block is caused by quota, capacity, billing validation, or eligibility. Keeping all of that in one support case should make escalation easier.
They have separately told me that they cannot see my credits, that there is a card problem, that I have unpaid bills, that they cannot reach me by phone, and that I am using a free subscription. The explanation changes each time I contact support, so I am trying to find a reliable escalation path.