Confused Billing

I understand your frustration with receiving bills despite having signed up for the AWS Free Tier. Let me clarify a few points that might help explain your situation:

1. The AWS Free Tier typically lasts for 12 months from the date you first activated your AWS account. After this period expires, you start getting charged for services at standard rates, even if you're not actively using them.

2. Even during the Free Tier period, there are usage limits for each service. If you exceed these limits, you may incur charges.

3. Some resources can continue to generate costs even when not actively used. For example, stopped (but not terminated) EC2 instances may still incur charges for associated EBS volumes or Elastic IP addresses.

4. There are different types of Free Tier offers: "Always Free," "12 Months Free," and "Short-term trials." Make sure you understand which category your used services fall under.

To address your specific situation:

1. Check your AWS Billing console to see exactly what you're being charged for. Look for details on services, regions, and specific resources incurring costs.

2. If you're no longer using any services, ensure that all resources are properly terminated, not just stopped. This includes deleting any EBS volumes, snapshots, or releasing Elastic IP addresses.

3. If you believe you're still within your Free Tier period and the charges are unexpected, contact AWS Support for clarification.

4. If you decide to close your account, make sure to properly terminate all resources first to avoid any lingering charges.

AWS can be cost-effective for students and small entrepreneurs, but it requires careful management of resources and understanding of the pricing structure. If you're finding it challenging, consider exploring AWS's educational programs or simplified services designed for smaller scale use.
Sources
Understanding unexpected charges - AWS Billing
Avoiding unexpected charges after Free Tier - AWS Billing
Being charged, but have no services running? | AWS re:Post
Trying services using AWS Free Tier - AWS Billing