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AWS credits are promotional funds offered by AWS to help businesses offset the cost of cloud services. These credits are available through multiple AWS programs, including AWS Activate, AWS Nonprofits, AWS Educate, AWS Events, AWS Migration Acceleration Program (MAP), and AWS Rapid Adoption Migration Program (RAMP). AWS credits can be applied to eligible AWS services, reducing the out-of-pocket cost for startups, nonprofits, students, and event participants.
In this article, we’ll explain each of these programs, how the credits work, how to get them, how to track them, and how to maximize your total savings.
The AWS Activate program is designed to help startups build and scale on AWS with cloud credits, technical support, and training resources. These credits help startups reduce infrastructure costs while they develop and launch their products.
AWS Activate credit tiers include:
- $1,000 in AWS credits(available in the Activate Founders program, valid for one year, typically for early-stage startups)
- Up to $100,000 in AWS credits(available for startups in the Activate Portfolio program, valid for two years)
How Do AWS Credits Work?
When starting a business, you can apply AWS credits to your AWS bills to help launch your business and accelerate its growth. However, here are a few things to keep in mind about AWS credits. They:
- Only apply to current or future AWS usage—credits cannot be used to cover a past billing cycle. For instance, an AWS promotional credit received in August cannot offset a bill incurred in June or July.
- Expire after their validity period—unused credits are forfeited when they expire. That’s why it is advisable to apply only for credits that you can utilize before they expire.
- Do not cover all AWS services— they cannot be used for Amazon Mechanical Turk, AWS Managed Services, ineligible AWS Support, AWS Marketplace (except third-party foundation models on Amazon Bedrock), AWS Professional Services, AWS Training and Certification, Route 53 domain registration or transfer, cryptocurrency mining, reseller accounts or upfront fees forSavings Plans and Reserved Instances.
If a startup previously received AWS Activate credits, it may be eligible to apply for additional credits. However, AWS may only approve the difference between prior credits and the new request. For example, if a business received $5,000 in credits and later applies for $15,000, AWS may approve only the additional $10,000. And if you have exhausted your lifetime value of $100,000, you will not receive any credits on any subsequent applications.
How to view and track your AWS Credits
You can view your AWS credits in the AWS Billing and Cost Management Console. The AWS Activate Console lists the eligible services where you can apply for credits.
You can also use a solution like nOps to view and monitor your AWS credits. The nOps cost management console gives you deeper insights into your AWS bills, ensuring you maximize the value of your credits and spot other cost-saving opportunities.
How to Get AWS Credits
AWS Migration Acceleration Program (MAP)
AWS Rapid Adoption Migration Program (RAMP)
AWS Nonprofits
AWS provides cloud credits and resources for nonprofit organizations through programs like the AWS Imagine Grant. These grants help nonprofits leverage AWS services for digital transformation, data analytics, machine learning, and improving operational efficiency. Eligible organizations can receive funding and credits to support their cloud initiatives, ensuring they can focus on their mission rather than IT costs.
AWS Educate
AWS Events
Sharing AWS Credits
Maximize your AWS Credits with nOps
With nOps, you can:
- Gain deeper insights into AWS billing and credit usage
- Identify cost-saving opportunities beyond AWS credits, such as managingReserved Instances & Savings Plans, rightsizing workloads and eliminating idle cloud resources
- Allocate costs, calculate ROI and ensure AWS spending aligns with your business goals
Schedule a Demo to find out how nOps can help you maximize your AWS credits and savings.
