Billing Mode

Description

There are yearly/monthly and pay-per-use billing modes. Each one has different advantages and disadvantages.

Yearly/Monthly
You pay in advance for a subscription term, and in exchange, you get a discounted rate. This mode is ideal when the resource use duration is predictable. Billing
Pay-per-Use
Pay-per-use is a postpaid billing mode. You pay as you go and just pay for what you use. You can purchase or release an EIP at any time. Billing

Differences Between Yearly/Monthly and Pay-per-Use

Figure 1 EIP billing overview

**Table 1** Billing modes
Billing Mode	Yearly/Monthly	Pay-per-use (billed by bandwidth)	Pay-per-use (billed by traffic)	Pay-per-use (added to a shared bandwidth)
Payment	Prepaid Billed by the subscription term you purchase.	Postpaid Billed based on your specified bandwidth size and usage duration. There is no limit on how much traffic you can use.	Postpaid Billed based on your EIP type and the total amount of traffic going out of the cloud.	Postpaid Billed by the shared bandwidth.
Billing Method	Billed by the subscription term you purchase.	Calculated by the second but billed every hour	Calculated by the second but billed every hour	Calculated by the second but billed every hour
Billed Items	Bandwidth	Bandwidth EIP	Traffic EIP	Shared bandwidth EIP
Billed Item Description	If you buy a yearly/monthly EIP, you only need to pay for the bandwidth included in the subscription. You are billed based on your specified bandwidth size and usage duration. There is no limit on how much traffic you can use.	Bandwidth: You are billed based on your specified bandwidth size and usage duration. There is no limit on how much traffic you can use. After an EIP is purchased, you can change your specified bandwidth size. Although the total traffic is unlimited, your available bandwidth is limited to what was specified at the time of purchase. EIP: If an EIP is not released, it will continue to be billed even if it is not bound to an instance.	Traffic: You are billed based on your EIP type and the total amount of traffic going out of the cloud. The bandwidth size you set is only used to limit the maximum data transfer rate. To prevent high fees caused by traffic bursts, specify a proper bandwidth size when you buy an EIP. EIP: If an EIP is not released, it will continue to be billed even if it is not bound to an instance.	If a pay-per-use EIP is added to a shared bandwidth: Shared bandwidth: Only the shared bandwidth will be billed. There will be no additional bandwidth or traffic costs for EIPs added to the shared bandwidth. EIP: If an EIP is not released, it will continue to be billed even if it is not bound to an instance.
Changing the Billing Mode	Yearly/Monthly can be changed to pay-per-use (by bandwidth).	Pay-per-use can be changed to yearly/monthly. The new billing mode takes effect immediately.	An EIP that is billed by traffic on a pay-per-use basis cannot be directly changed to be billed on a yearly/monthly basis. You need to change the EIP to be billed by bandwidth on a pay-per-use basis first, and then change the EIP to be billed on a yearly/monthly basis. The new billing mode takes effect immediately.	The billing mode cannot be changed.
Changing Specifications	Bandwidth can be increased or decreased.	Bandwidth can be increased or decreased.	Bandwidth can be increased or decreased. The bandwidth size you set is only used to limit the maximum data transfer rate.	Bandwidth can be increased or decreased.

FAQ

How Do I Change the EIP Billing Mode?

The EIP service has multiple billing modes you can choose from. You can change your EIP billing mode during the EIP usage period if necessary.

For details about different billing change scenarios, see Table 2.
For instructions about how to change the billing mode, see Changing the EIP Billing Mode.

Changing the billing mode does not change the EIPs or interrupt their use.

Figure 2 EIP billing mode change

**Table 2** Change description
Billing Mode Change	Change Scenario	Description
From yearly/monthly to pay-per-use	From yearly/monthly to pay-per-use (billed by bandwidth)	An EIP billed on a yearly/monthly basis can be directly changed to be billed on a pay-per-use basis (billed by bandwidth). You can change a yearly/monthly EIP to be billed on a pay-per-use basis (billed by bandwidth) after the current subscription expires. For details, see From Yearly/Monthly to Pay-Per-Use upon Expiration (Billed by Bandwidth). The new billing mode takes effect only after the yearly/monthly subscription expires. You can change a yearly/monthly EIP to be billed on a pay-per-use basis (by bandwidth) immediately. For details, see From Yearly/Monthly to Pay-Per-Use Immediately (Billed by Bandwidth). The new billing mode is applied immediately.
From yearly/monthly to pay-per-use	From yearly/monthly to pay-per-use (billed by traffic)	An EIP billed on a yearly/monthly basis cannot be directly changed to be billed on a pay-per-use basis (billed by traffic). To change this: Change the EIP to be billed on a pay-per-use basis (by bandwidth). For details, see From Yearly/Monthly to Pay-Per-Use. Change the EIP to be billed by traffic on a pay-per-use basis. For details, see Pay-per-Use EIPs: Billing Change Between By Traffic and By Bandwidth.
From pay-per-use to yearly/monthly	From pay-per-use (billed by bandwidth) to yearly/monthly	An EIP that is billed by bandwidth on a pay-per-use basis can be directly changed to be billed on a yearly/monthly basis. For details, see From Pay-per-Use to Yearly/Monthly. The new billing mode takes effect immediately.
From pay-per-use to yearly/monthly	From pay-per-use (billed by traffic) to yearly/monthly	An EIP that is billed by traffic on a pay-per-use basis cannot be directly changed to be billed on a yearly/monthly basis. To change this: Change the EIP to be billed by bandwidth on a pay-per-use basis. For details, see Pay-per-Use EIPs: Billing Change Between By Traffic and By Bandwidth. Change the EIP to be billed on a yearly/monthly basis. For details, see From Pay-per-Use to Yearly/Monthly. The new billing mode takes effect immediately.
Pay-per-use EIPs: Billing change between by traffic and by bandwidth	From billing by traffic (pay-per-use) to billing by bandwidth (pay-per-use)	A pay-per-use EIP billed by traffic can be directly changed to be billed by bandwidth. For details, see Pay-per-Use EIPs: Billing Change Between By Traffic and By Bandwidth. The new billing mode is applied immediately.
	From billing by bandwidth (pay-per-use) to billing by traffic (pay-per-use)	A pay-per-use EIP billed by bandwidth can be directly changed to be billed by traffic. For details, see Pay-per-Use EIPs: Billing Change Between By Traffic and By Bandwidth. The new billing mode is applied immediately.

Why Am I Still Being Billed After My EIP Was Unbound or Released?

You have already paid for the yearly/monthly EIPs during their validity period. Unbinding an EIP or modifying its bandwidth does not affect the billing.

**Table 3** Possible causes that pay-per-use EIPs are billed
EIP Status	Billing Option	Possible Cause
EIP is unbound from an instance.	Pay-per-use EIP billed by traffic	EIP will be billed if it is not released. If your EIP is no longer required, release it to stop the billing. Traffic will not be billed.
	Pay-per-use EIP billed by bandwidth	EIP will be billed if it is not released. If your EIP is no longer required, release it to stop the billing. Bandwidth will continue to be billed. If you do not want to pay for the bandwidth, change the EIP from billing by bandwidth to by traffic.
	Pay-per-use EIP added to a shared bandwidth	EIP will be billed if it is not released. If your EIP is no longer required, release it to stop the billing. Shared bandwidth will continue to be billed. A shared bandwidth and an EIP are billed separately. Unbinding and releasing an EIP will not affect the billing of the shared bandwidth. If you do not need the shared bandwidth anymore, delete it.
EIP is released.	Pay-per-use EIP billed by traffic Pay-per-use EIP billed by bandwidth	The EIP, traffic, and bandwidth will stop being billed. If you find that you are still being billed, check whether your account has a shared bandwidth.
EIP is released.	Pay-per-use EIP added to a shared bandwidth	A shared bandwidth and an EIP are billed separately. Unbinding and releasing an EIP will not affect the billing of the shared bandwidth. If you do not need the shared bandwidth anymore, delete it.

Can I Buy a Specific EIP?

By default, EIPs are assigned randomly. If you have released EIPs before, the system preferentially assigns an EIP that you have previously released.

If you want to assign a specific EIP, there are certain APIs you can call. For details, see Assigning an EIP.

When Will I Be Billed for EIP Reservation Price?

Yearly/monthly EIPs will not be billed for reservation price.
Pay-per-use EIP:
- will not be billed for the EIP reservation price if the EIP is bound to an instance.
- will be billed for the EIP reservation price if the EIP is not bound to an instance and is not released.