Updated on 2024-10-14 GMT+08:00

Pay-per-Use Billing

Pay-per-use billing means you pay nothing up front and are not tied into any contract or commitment. This section describes the billing rules for pay-per-use enterprise routers.

Application Scenarios

Pay-per-use billing is suitable for applications or services that cannot be interrupted when there are temporary or sudden traffic increases or unpredictable demands, such as e-commerce promotions, testing, and scientific computing.

Billed Items

Enterprise routers are free, but the attachments created for them and the consumed traffic will be billed. For details, see Enterprise Router Pricing.
Table 1 Enterprise Router billed items

Billed Item

Attachment Type

Billing Description

Billing Example

Duration that an attachment is used

  • VPC attachments
  • Virtual gateway attachments
  • VPN gateway attachments
  • Peering connection attachments
  • Global DC gateway attachments

Hourly billing starts when an attachment is created and stops when the attachment is deleted.

If an attachment is created for a shared enterprise router, hourly billing starts when the enterprise router owner accepts the attachment.

Billing Example (Attachments and Downstream Traffic)

Downstream traffic

  • VPC attachments
  • Virtual gateway attachments
  • VPN gateway attachments
  • Global DC gateway attachments

You will be billed for the amount of traffic (downstream traffic) that flows from an attachment to an enterprise router, in GB.

Billing Example (Attachments and Downstream Traffic)

  • For each peering connection attachment, you will only be billed for the attachment. The downstream traffic cost is included in that of your global connection bandwidth. For details about how global connection bandwidths are billed, see Central Network Billed Items.
  • CFW instance attachments and the downstream traffic used by the attachments are free.

The attachment creator pays for the attachment and used traffic.

For example, if a shared enterprise router has VPC attachments from its owner and other accounts. If the owner creates attachments for the enterprise router, the owner pays for the attachments and used traffic. If the other accounts create attachments for the enterprise router, these accounts pay for the attachments and used traffic.

Only VPC attachments can be added to shared enterprise routers.

Billed Usage Period

  • Each attachment is billed hourly and only in full hours. If the duration is less than one hour, the attachment is still billed for a full hour. The following uses a VPC attachment as an example.
    • Scenario 1: You created a VPC attachment for an enterprise router at 12:36 on July 6, 2022 and deleted the attachment at 12:57 on July 6, 2022. In this case, you need to pay for a full hour.
    • Scenario 2: You created a VPC attachment for an enterprise router at 12:59 on July 6, 2022 and deleted the attachment at 13:01 on July 6, 2022. In this case, your usage spanned 2 clock hours, so you need to pay for 2 full hours.
  • Downstream traffic: You are billed for the traffic from the attachment to the enterprise router, in GB.

Billing Example (Attachments and Downstream Traffic)

Assume that you created a pay-per-use enterprise router at 12:25:30 on July 6, 2023 and created two attachments for it:
  • You created a VPC attachment at 12:36:00 on July 6, 2023 and deleted it at 18:50:00 on July 7, 2023. A total of 532-GB downstream traffic was used by this attachment.
  • You created a virtual gateway attachment at 13:01:00 on July 6, 2023 and deleted it at 18:55:00 on July 7, 2023. A total of 1,300-GB downstream traffic was used by this attachment.

The enterprise router is free. You are billed for how long each attachment is used and the downstream traffic each attachment uses to communicate with the enterprise router.

In this example, each attachment costs $0.06 USD/hour, and the unit price of the downstream traffic is $0.02 USD/GB. Figure 1 shows how the total price is calculated.
Figure 1 Billing example (attachments and downstream traffic)
Table 2 Pricing details (attachments and downstream traffic)

Attachment Type

Required Duration

Price

Total Price

VPC attachment

From 12:36:30 on July 06, 2023 to 18:50:00 on July 07, 2023

The VPC attachment was used for 30 hours and 14 minutes. A partial hour is calculated as a full hour, so you will be billed for 31 hours.

  • From 12:36:00 on July 06, 2023 to 13:00:00 on July 06, 2023: 1 hour
  • From 13:00:00 on July 06, 2023 to 18:00:00 on July 07, 2023: 29 hours
  • From 18:00:00 on July 07, 2023 to 18:50:00 on July 07, 2023: 1 hour
  • Attachment price: $0.06 USD x 31 hours = $1.86 USD
  • Downstream traffic price: $0.02 USD x 532 GB = $10.64 USD

$1.86 USD + $10.64 USD = $12.5 USD

Virtual gateway attachment

From 13:01:00 on July 06, 2023 to 18:55:00 on July 07, 2023

The virtual gateway attachment was used for 29 hours and 54 minutes. A partial hour is calculated as a full hour, so you will be billed for 30 hours.

  • From 13:01:00 on July 06, 2023 to 14:00:00 on July 06, 2023: 1 hour
  • From 14:00:00 on July 06, 2023 to 18:00:00 on July 07, 2023: 28 hours
  • From 18:00:00 on July 07, 2023 to 18:55:00 on July 07, 2023: 1 hour
  • Attachment price: $0.06 USD × 30 hours = $1.8 USD
  • Downstream traffic price: $0.02 USD × 1,300 GB = $26 USD

$1.8 USD + $26 USD = $27.8 USD

The prices are for reference only. For details, see Enterprise Router Pricing Details.

Impacts of Arrears

Figure 2 shows the statuses a pay-per-use enterprise router can have throughout its lifecycle. After an enterprise router is purchased, it enters the valid period and runs normally during this period. If your account goes into arrears, the enterprise router enters a grace period and then a retention period.

Figure 2 Lifecycle of a pay-per-use enterprise router

Arrears Alert

The system will deduct fees for pay-per-use resources at the end of each billing cycle. If your account goes into arrears, we will notify you by email, SMS, or in-app message.

Impacts of Arrears

If your account is insufficient to pay your amount due, your account goes into arrears, and pay-per-use resources enter the grace period. You are still responsible for expenditures generated during the grace period. You can view the charges on the Billing Center > Overview page and pay any past due balance as needed.

If you do not bring your account balance current before the grace period expires, the resource turns to Frozen and enters a retention period.

If you do not bring your account balance current before the retention period ends, the resources will be released and the data cannot be restored.