Know your cloud bill before the credits run out
For startups whose AWS Activate, Azure or Google Cloud credits are running out: forecast the real bill and re-architect before it lands.
Overview
Cloud credits are generous, and they change behaviour. Teams pick managed services, large instances and always-on environments because the bill reads zero. When the credits expire, the first real invoice can be a shock that changes your runway overnight.
We forecast what you will pay once credits end, using your actual usage rather than list prices. Then we work through the changes that matter most before that date: rightsizing, cheaper service choices, scheduling and commitments. The goal is a first real invoice that matches a number you planned for.
Signs you need this
- You do not know the date your credits expire or how much is left
- Your billing console shows credits covering everything, so nobody checks usage
- Several environments run full-size around the clock
- Your financial model has a placeholder for cloud costs
What you get
- Credit and expiry summary
- Remaining credit balance, expiry dates and any service exclusions for each programme you are on.
- Post-credit bill forecast
- A month-by-month forecast of your bill after credits end, based on current usage and planned growth.
- Re-architecture shortlist
- The changes that bring the forecast down the most for the least effort, such as cheaper database tiers, serverless for spiky loads or fewer environments.
- Implemented changes
- The agreed changes made in your own accounts, through pull requests your team reviews.
- Budget alerts
- Billing alerts that warn you well before credits run out and once real spend starts.
How the work runs
- 1
Credit and usage review
1 week
Check credit balances, expiry dates and the usage behind them, and confirm growth assumptions with the founders.
- 2
Forecast
1 week
Build the post-credit forecast and show which services drive it.
- 3
Re-architect
2 to 4 weeks
Make the agreed changes, starting with the largest cost drivers, and re-run the forecast as each one lands.
- 4
Handover
1 week
Set budget alerts, document the forecast method and leave a short monthly check your team can run.
Timings depend on the size of your estate. The assessment fixes them before any build starts.
What you can check afterwards
- A written forecast of your first months of real cloud spend that you can put in your financial model
- The first real invoice compared against that forecast, with any gap explained
- Budget alerts in place before the credits expire
- An infrastructure cost line you can defend in front of investors
Tools we work with
- AWS Cost Explorer
- AWS Budgets
- AWS Pricing Calculator
- Azure Cost Management
- Google Cloud Billing
- AWS Lambda
- Amazon Aurora Serverless
- Terraform
- Infracost
Questions buyers ask
- How early should we start?
- Ideally three to six months before credits expire. That leaves time to make changes and watch them work while the credits still cover mistakes.
- Can you help us get more credits?
- We can point out programmes you may qualify for, but the application and approval are between you and the provider.
- What access do you need?
- Billing and read-only access to your own cloud accounts to start, then a scoped role or repository access if we make the changes.
- Will the changes slow down our product team?
- We pick changes that fit your release rhythm and avoid rewrites. Most are configuration and sizing changes your team reviews like any other pull request.
Talk to us about startup credit runway planning.
Tell us what you run and where. We reply within one business day with questions or a quote.