The cost summary estimates that this month will cost $58.20, while the Bills section currently shows $29.69. I still have some promotional credits available, but I also used an instance that does not qualify for the free tier. Which amount should I expect to pay, and how can I verify whether the credits are being applied to that instance?
3 Answers
A difference of roughly $30 could easily be the remaining credits offsetting your instance charges. Check the Bills line items for promotional credits, discounts, and the Elastic Compute Cloud charge. The final invoice is the authority, but when credits are visibly applied there, the Bills total is generally the better indication of what you will owe.
Those figures may be measuring different stages of billing. The cost estimate often projects raw usage through the end of the billing cycle, while the Bills page reflects charges after credits, discounts, and eligible free-tier adjustments. If the Bills page lists promotional credits or shows the compute charge being offset, the $29.69 figure is probably closer to your eventual amount, although the final invoice can still change as usage continues.
The $58.20 number is best treated as a forecast, not a final charge. The $29.69 is the amount currently recorded on the bill after adjustments so far. These numbers should become closer as the month ends. To project the remaining cost, use Cost Explorer and filter by the instance ID, then review the hourly usage and the unblended or amortized cost.
I checked the credits section and it shows that credits are being applied to the compute charges too. Since the instance itself is not free-tier eligible, I was unsure whether the estimate or the Bills amount would be more accurate.