What happens to AWS Free Tier resources after the 12-month period ends?
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VelvetMango42
I'm having trouble distinguishing AWS services that include an ongoing free allowance from services covered only during the 12-month introductory period. Is there an official, clearly filtered list showing each Always Free service and its monthly limits, such as Lambda requests, DynamoDB storage, or CloudFront data transfer? Also, when the introductory period ends, what happens to existing resources and data? Are they deleted, or does the account simply move to normal pay-as-you-go pricing for anything no longer covered? Do any ongoing free allowances remain available afterward, and how do the rules differ for newer accounts created under updated Free Tier terms?
Answers
An allowance labeled Always Free generally continues after the introductory period, but only within its stated monthly limits and eligibility rules. It isn’t a blanket promise that the whole service is free—storage, requests, transfer, attached resources, and related services can each be billed separately. Also check the terms for your account’s creation date, since newer Free Tier plans may use different credits, durations, or eligibility rules.
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The official Free Tier page has filters for the type of offer. Select the option for ongoing offers to see services that currently have an Always Free allowance, then check each service’s pricing page for the exact limits and conditions. AWS changes these offers from time to time, so the current documentation is safer than an old list or presentation.
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For the traditional 12-month offer, the account normally isn’t deleted and AWS doesn’t automatically remove your instances, databases, buckets, or data when the year ends. Resources that were free only during the introductory period start accruing standard usage charges. The same applies if you exceed a monthly free allowance during the trial, so billing alerts and usage budgets are worth setting up.
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