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I understand your concern about being charged for AWS services you believe you didn't use. This is a common issue that can happen for several reasons, even when you don't think you've actively used any services.
Here are some possible explanations for unexpected charges:
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Resources you may not be aware of: Even if you didn't actively deploy anything, some resources might have been created automatically during account setup or exploration.
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Resources in different regions: AWS has multiple regions worldwide, and you might have resources running in a region you haven't checked.
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Stopped but not terminated instances: Stopped EC2 instances don't incur compute charges, but their attached EBS volumes still generate storage costs.
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Other persistent resources: Services like Elastic IP addresses, EBS volumes, snapshots, or VPC components can incur charges even when not actively used.
To address this situation:
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You can request a refund by contacting AWS Billing Support directly. This type of support is free of charge. Open a support case under "Account and Billing" in the AWS Support Center.
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When creating the support case, explain your situation in detail - that you weren't aware of any active services and didn't intentionally use any resources.
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Before contacting support, it's helpful to check all AWS regions for any running resources and terminate them to prevent further charges.
AWS has been known to be customer-friendly in such situations, particularly for accounts that were intended for testing or learning purposes. While there's no guarantee of a refund, they will review your case and guide you through the process.
Sources
Free Tier account billed without usage | AWS re:Post
A charge occurred in a service that I didn't know was being maintained. | AWS re:Post
Unexpected EC2 Charges | AWS re:Post
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