The default billing method for Object Storage Service (OSS) resources is pay-as-you-go. Compared with the pay-as-you-go billing method, resource plans can be more cost-effective. To reduce costs, we recommend that you purchase resource plans. Resource plans can be used to offset resource fees, such as storage and traffic fees. If a resource plan expires or the actual resource usage exceeds the quota of the resource plan, the pay-as-you-go billing method is automatically used.
OSS provides free resource quotes for you to try the specified features free of charge. For more information, see Free OSS resource plans.
Resource plan types
Resource plan | Description |
Storage plan | Offsets the storage fees of OSS objects. |
Standard (LRS) storage plan | Offsets the storage fees of Standard locally redundant storage (LRS) objects. |
IA (LRS) storage plan | Offsets the storage fees of Infrequent Access (IA) LRS objects. |
Data transfer plan | Offsets OSS traffic fees. |
Outbound traffic plan | Offsets the traffic fees generated when data is transferred from OSS to the client over the Internet. |
Transfer acceleration plan | Offsets the transfer acceleration fees generated when OSS is accessed by using acceleration endpoints. |
DDoS protection basic plan | Offsets the fees that are generated when Anti-DDoS Proxy instance resources are reserved. |
Purchase suggestions
Suggestion 1: Select resource plans based on your business scenarios
Suggestion 2: Select resource plans based on specific billable items in your bill
You can select resource plans based on specific billable items on the Details tab of the Bills page.
For example, if the billable item is the storage usage of Standard (LRS) objects, you can purchase a Standard (LRS) storage plan to offset the storage fees.
Suggestion 3: Select resource plans based on your resource usage
Suggestion 4: Purchase resource plans based on the reasons why existing resource plans are not used to offset fees and the pay-as-you-go billing method is used
Offset limits
Resource plans can be used to offset the fees only for the current Alibaba Cloud account and cannot be used across accounts.
OSS resource plans are specific to OSS. You cannot use an OSS resource plan to offset fees that another service incurs.
Resource plans can be used to offset only the fees generated after the resource plans are purchased.
Resource plans of a specific type can be used to offset only the fees for billable items that are specific to the resource plans. For more information, see Resource plan types.
A region-specific OSS resource plan can be used to offset the fees for the specified billable item in the region. A resource plan for the Chinese mainland can be used to offset fees for the applicable billable items in regions in the Chinese mainland. For more information, see Regions.
Offset methods
Offset method | Resource plan | Example |
Fixed total amount | Storage plan | A fixed per-hour quota applies. If the per-hour quota is not exhausted within one hour, the unused quota cannot be transferred to the next hour. For example, a resource plan that has a capacity of 10 TB can be used to offset fees for storage usage of up to 10 TB per hour.
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Monthly subscription | Outbound traffic plan | A fixed quota is available every month. The quota is reset on the first day of each month. The unused quota cannot be transferred to the next month. For example, if you purchase an outbound traffic plan that has a capacity of 100 GB and a validity period of 6 months, you can use the traffic plan to offset fees for 100 GB of outbound traffic over the Internet per month within the 6 months. The excess part is billed on a pay-as-you-go basis. |
Decreasing total capacity | Transfer acceleration plan | Transfer acceleration plans are used to offset the fees of actual resource usage until the quota is used up or until the plans expire. For example, if you purchase a transfer acceleration plan that has a capacity of 5 TB and a validity period of 3 months, you can use the plan to offset fees for 5 TB of transfer acceleration traffic within the 3 months. The excess part is billed on a pay-as-you-go basis. |
Regions
When you purchase resource plans, you must select the region in which you want to use the resource plans. You do not need to select a region when you purchase a DDoS protection basic plan because this plan takes effect in all regions. Region-specific resource plans are available only in specific regions.
You can use the DDoS protection basic plan to offset the fees generated for Anti-DDoS Proxy instances in different regions. One DDoS protection basic plan can be used to offset the fees generated only for a single instance in a single region within the same hour. If fees are generated in multiple regions within the same hour, you can purchase multiple DDoS protection basic plans to offset the fees.
Region type | Description |
All regions | Offset resource usage fees in all regions. |
Specific regions ① | Offset resource usage fees only in selected regions. ② |
Chinese mainland ① | Offset resource usage fees in regions in the Chinese mainland. ③ |
Transfer acceleration regions | Offset transfer acceleration fees generated when you use an acceleration endpoint to accelerate uploads or downloads. The acceleration endpoint can be used to access OSS buckets across different regions. |
Transfer acceleration M2M | Offset transfer acceleration fees generated when you use an acceleration endpoint to accelerate uploads (AccM2MIn) or downloads (AccM2MOut) across regions in the Chinese mainland. |
Transfer acceleration M2O_O2M | Offset transfer acceleration fees generated when you use an acceleration endpoint to accelerate uploads (AccM2OIn or AccO2MIn) or downloads (AccM2OOut or AccO2MOut) from regions outside the Chinese mainland to regions in the Chinese mainland or from regions in the Chinese mainland to regions outside the Chinese mainland. |
Transfer acceleration O2O | Offset transfer acceleration fees generated when you use an acceleration endpoint to accelerate uploads (AccO2OIn) or downloads (AccO2OOut) across regions outside the Chinese mainland. |
① You can purchase resource plans for the Chinese mainland and region-specific resource plans at the same time. Region-specific resource plans are preferentially used to offset fees. After the quota is exceeded, fees are offset based on resource plans for the Chinese mainland. If the actual usage still exceeds the quota of resource plans for the Chinese mainland, you are billed for the excess usage on a pay-as-you-go basis.
② For example, resource plans for the China (Qingdao) region can be used to offset only the resource usage fees that are generated in the China (Qingdao) region.
③ For more information about the regions that are supported by resource plans for the Chinese mainland, see Regions supported by resource plans for the Chinese mainland.
Supported operations
In the following table, a check mark (√) indicates that the operation is supported by the corresponding resource plan, and a cross (×) indicates that the operation is not supported by the corresponding resource plan.
Resource plan | |||||
Standard (LRS) storage plan | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | × | ✓ |
IA (LRS) storage plan | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | × | ✓ |
Outbound traffic plan | ✓ | × | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Transfer acceleration plan | ✓ | × | × | ✓ | ✓ |
DDoS protection basic plan | ✓ | × | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
①: Purchase of multiple resource plans of the same type. If you purchase multiple resource plans of the same type, the resource plan that has the earliest expiration time is used to offset fees first. For example, you purchased an outbound traffic plan for the Chinese mainland that has a capacity of 1 TB and a 1-year validity period on February 1, 2022. On March 1, 2022, you purchased an outbound traffic plan for the Chinese mainland that has a capacity of 1 TB and a 3-month validity period. In this case, the outbound traffic plan for the Chinese mainland purchased on March 1, 2022 is used to offset fees first.
FAQ
Purchase and unsubscribe from resource plans
When does a resource plan take effect after I purchase the resource plan?
Do I need to manually initiate the connection to automatically offset fees from the resource plan?
Use resource plans
Can different types of resource plans be applied to the same billable item?
Can resource plans be shared among multiple Alibaba Cloud accounts?
How does my 3-month, 100 GB resource plan offset resource usage?
Why is the remaining quota of a resource plan displayed as - or remains unchanged?
How am I charged if the usage exceeds the quota of a resource plan?