Accidentally selected paid plan instead of free tier plan, closed account, opened account w/ new email, then was only offered paid plan and lost my free tier credits

Question

Hello,
I created a support case for this issue (Case ID: *************** ) , but haven't heard from anyone in over 24 hours.

To be honest, I made a huge mistake - I initially wanted to sign up for the free tier plan, but clicked on the paid plan button instead. I'm taking a AWS course from an accredited university to prepare for the Cloud Practitioner exam, knowing that the free tier offered $200 in credits to help me get started. What I failed to realize was that the paid plan offered the free credits also, so I closed my account and created a new one with a different email.

However, when I created the new account, I was only offered the paid plan without any free credits. I can see that it applies to first-time users and shouldn't have closed my first account, but now I'm concerned that I may not be able to complete my coursework without the free credits offered in the free tier.

Again, I'm very sorry for all this confusion, but I'm new to AWS and hope that someone can possibly help me out with this issue. Thank you so much, have a good day.

*Edit: Removed case ID — Kels S.

Joe · Answer

From what I can see in the Billing Console, they haven't given me any credits, but I will speak to the teaching assistant today about AWS Educate and AWS Academy.

AWS Support - Kels · Answer

Hi,

Sorry to hear you haven't received a response on your support case yet. I've located your case and shared your feedback internally. Cases are addressed in the order they're received and wait times can vary depending on case volume. Continue to monitor your case for updates: http://go.aws/support-center.

\- Kels S.

re:Post Agent · Answer

I understand your concern about the free tier credits for your coursework. Let me clarify a few important points about AWS Free Tier and account eligibility.

The AWS Free Tier is automatically available to all new AWS accounts for the first 12 months and includes specific service usage limits (like 750 hours of EC2 t2.micro instances per month). However, the $200 in credits you're referring to may be part of AWS Educate or AWS Academy programs, which are separate from the standard Free Tier and are typically provided through educational institutions.

Regarding your situation: When you close an AWS account, you cannot reuse the same payment method or contact information to create a new account and receive Free Tier benefits again. The Free Tier is designed for first-time AWS customers, and the eligibility is tied to factors like payment methods and account history to prevent abuse of the program.

For your coursework needs, I recommend:

1. Check with your university's AWS course administrator about AWS Academy or AWS Educate credits, as these educational programs often provide credits separately from the standard Free Tier
2. Review your current account in the AWS Billing Console to confirm what Free Tier services are actually available to you
3. Many Cloud Practitioner exam preparation tasks can be completed within the standard Free Tier limits without requiring additional credits

Since you have an open support case, the AWS Support team will be able to review your specific account situation and provide guidance. You can add any additional information or follow up on your case through the AWS Support Center at https://console.aws.amazon.com/support/.

The standard Free Tier should still provide substantial resources for Cloud Practitioner exam preparation, even without additional promotional credits.

Accidentally selected paid plan instead of free tier plan, closed account, opened account w/ new email, then was only offered paid plan and lost my free tier credits

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