I'm trying to set up an Azure tenant using the 30-day free trial, but I hit a snag when I tried to create a virtual machine. It quoted me about $150 a month, even though I'm under the 'Free Trial' offer. From what I've read, the tenant itself is free, but it seems like the moment I start adding resources—like a virtual machine—I'm on the hook for charges. Is this how it really works? Can I use any resources without getting charged immediately, or is there something I'm missing?
2 Answers
Remember, during the 30-day trial you get a $200 credit to spend. However, if your project—like setting up a VM with Azure Firewall—exceeds that amount, you’ll have to cover the extra costs. It's definitely a bummer if your plans go over the free trial limit, but that’s how their pricing works.
Not all Azure resources qualify for the free tier, so it's possible that the VM you're trying to create isn’t covered by the free trial. If you’re using a standard Windows Server image, that should typically be included, unless there are extra add-ons or features that aren't part of the free offer. You might want to double-check that you're not accidentally selecting anything that requires payment.
I was indeed making a standard VM with Windows Server 2022 Datacenter, but it still showed a $150 charge. So even if it asks for payment info, are you saying it won’t charge me right away?
Yeah, that really limits what I can do. I was hoping to test out migrating tenants between firewalls, but that setup will easily surpass the $200.