Subscription is a billing method that requires you to pay for resources before you can use the resources. The subscription method allows you to reserve resources and purchase resources at discounted rates. This topic describes the billing rules of the subscription billing method.
Scenarios
The subscription billing method is suitable for the following scenarios:
The usage period of resources can be estimated.
Resource usage remains relatively flat.
Resources are used for a long period of time.
Billable items
When you purchase a subscription Web Application Firewall (WAF) instance, a bill is generated based on the deployment plan, specifications, and subscription period of your WAF instance. You can purchase value-added services for your WAF instance. For information about the editions and features of WAF, see WAF deployment plans and editions.
The following billable items support the subscription billing method:
Features: You are charged for the features of your WAF instance based on the edition, specifications, and subscription period of the instance.
Value-added services: You can purchase value-added services for your subscription WAF instance such as extra bandwidth packages, extra domain packages, and exclusive IP addresses. You must pay for the value-added services before you can use them. For more information, see Value-added services.
Billing cycle
The billing cycle of a subscription WAF instance is the amount of time that you commit when you purchase the instance. The time is in UTC+8:00. The billing cycle begins at the time when the subscription resource is purchased or renewed, which is accurate to the second. The billing cycle ends at 00:00:00 on the day after the expiration date.
The units of the billing cycles of subscription resources are calendar years or months.
Instance expiration
If your WAF instance expires, the following rules determine when your instance can no longer provide services: The following list describes the details of the billing rules:
You will receive renewal notifications by email or text message seven days before your WAF instance expires.
If you do not renew your WAF instance before it expires, your WAF instance no longer provides services after it expires.
After your WAF instance expires, the configurations of your instance are retained for a grace period that lasts for seven days. During the grace period, the instance cannot provide services.
If you renew your WAF instance within the grace period, you can continue to use your instance. The configurations of your instance are retained. If you do not renew your WAF instance after the grace period ends, the instance is released. In this case, if you want to use a WAF instance, you must purchase and configure a new WAF instance.