How to make sure instances on my account terminate to prevent future charges

Question

Hello,

I am here to ask how to make sure instances on my account terminate to prevent future charges.
Currently pursuing a Master's in grad school, as a part of practical exercise in Cloud computing course, my team used my account for the final project. As the project ended, I figured out one of those teammates didn't terminate the instances we used and even used larger scale of instances than we actually needed.
Can you help me terminating these instances making charges? I already terminated EKS, but am not sure anything else remains.
Also is there any chance to get waived from this huge amount of fee already charged in billing page?

Thank you

re:Post Agent · Answer

I understand your concern about unexpected charges due to running instances. Here's how you can ensure all instances are terminated and prevent future charges:

1. Log into your AWS Management Console and navigate to the EC2 dashboard.

2. Check for any running instances. Select all instances that are no longer needed and choose "Instance state" > "Terminate instance" from the Actions menu.

3. Confirm the termination when prompted. The instances will enter a "shutting-down" state before finally reaching "terminated" status.

4. Don't forget to check for instances in all regions, as they may exist in different locations.

5. Review other resources that might incur charges, such as:
   - Elastic IP addresses not associated with running instances
   - Unattached EBS volumes
   - Snapshots you no longer need

6. Set up AWS Budgets or CloudWatch alarms to alert you of unexpected usage or costs in the future.

7. Consider implementing IAM policies to restrict instance launching or require mandatory tagging for better tracking.

Regarding the charges already incurred, AWS generally doesn't waive fees for services used. However, as a student, you can try contacting AWS Support to explain your situation. While there's no guarantee, they may be willing to offer a one-time courtesy credit or partial refund, especially if it's your first time encountering this issue.

For future projects, ensure all team members understand the importance of terminating resources when they're no longer needed. Also, consider using AWS Educate or AWS Academy if they're available through your university, as these programs often provide credits for student use and have built-in safeguards against unexpected charges.

Remember to always monitor your AWS account regularly, even after projects end, to catch any overlooked running resources quickly.
      
**Sources**  
[Terminate Amazon EC2 instances - Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/terminating-instances.html)  
[Bill of a Linux Machine | AWS re:Post](https://repost.aws/questions/QUh16b4y3gSPG_ICLsJoWLPg/bill-of-a-linux-machine)  
[Step 7 – Terminate the temporary instance - AWS PCS](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/pcs/latest/userguide/working-with_ami_custom_terminate-instance.html)

How to make sure instances on my account terminate to prevent future charges

Add your answer

Relevant content