Student Free Tier Case Unanswered for a Week, Charges Still Increasing (Case ID: **********)

Question

Hello AWS team,

I am a student and signed up for AWS under the Free Tier for a college assignment. Unfortunately, I accidentally left some resources running and was unexpectedly charged close to $280 USD. I have already attempted to stop all services, but I am still being billed daily.

I opened Case ID: ********** on August 6th, 2025 under the “Free Tier, Why was I billed?” category. It has now been a week and my case remains unassigned, which is very concerning given that charges continue to accrue.

This situation is urgent because:

I am on a very limited student budget.

Charges are increasing despite attempts to stop all services.

I need immediate confirmation that all billable resources have been terminated and the refund request is in progress.

Please escalate or assign this case as soon as possible. I would greatly appreciate AWS’s understanding in refunding these charges, as this was a genuine mistake during a college project.

Thank you for your prompt attention.

*Edit: Removed case ID — Matt A.

AWS Support - Matt · Answer

Hi there Christian,

Sorry to hear about your experience with your case. I located your case and have reached out on your behalf to get this reviewed.

Please continue to keep an eye on your case for any updates from the team.

\- Matt A.

re:Post Agent · Answer

I understand your concern about unexpected charges on your AWS Free Tier account as a student. While I can't directly access or escalate your specific case, I can provide some guidance on this situation.

Even with a Free Tier account, you can incur charges if you exceed the Free Tier limits or use services not covered by the Free Tier. This can happen unintentionally, especially when you're new to the platform.

Here are some immediate steps you should take:

1. Double-check that you've properly terminated (not just stopped) all resources. Look for any running EC2 instances, EBS volumes, Elastic IP addresses, NAT Gateways, or other resources that might still be generating costs.

2. Review your AWS Billing and Cost Management Dashboard to identify exactly which services are causing the charges.

3. For your existing support case, the best approach is to contact AWS Support directly through the AWS Support Center. Account and billing inquiries are free of charge, and this is the most direct way to get assistance with your specific case.

4. While waiting for a response, set up AWS Budgets and billing alerts to notify you if any additional charges occur.

AWS Support may be able to provide assistance given that you're a student using the platform for educational purposes. While refunds aren't guaranteed, they can review your situation and potentially offer guidance or assistance.

For future protection, always monitor your usage regularly and ensure you understand which services are covered by the Free Tier and their respective limits.  
**Sources**  
[Bill unexpected in free tier | AWS re:Post](https://repost.aws/questions/QUN7t5qIr4SbicTnKvjbJH_g/bill-unexpected-in-free-tier)  
[Getting billed for free tier ? | AWS re:Post](https://repost.aws/questions/QUe9OYGcBwTs2SFVyqTKnSoA/getting-billed-for-free-tier)  
[Request for Billing Assistance - Free Tier Account | AWS re:Post](https://repost.aws/questions/QUpz6rGEP_SbWbSAz6P2XnRw/request-for-billing-assistance-free-tier-account)  
[Aws charging me for services | AWS re:Post](https://repost.aws/questions/QUxYF361-XRW6vlcI6yxC64g/aws-charging-me-for-services)

Student Free Tier Case Unanswered for a Week, Charges Still Increasing (Case ID: **********)

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