How to Buy AWS Credits Legally and Save Big on Cloud Computing Costs

Cloud computing costs can spiral fast. Whether you’re a startup burning through runway or an enterprise managing multi-million-dollar infrastructure budgets, AWS bills have a way of growing faster than expected. AWS credits — essentially pre-paid currency you can apply to your account — are one of the most underutilised tools for keeping those costs in check.

But here’s the catch: not all paths to AWS credits are created equal. Some are legitimate; others can get your account suspended or worse. This guide covers every legal, above-board way to acquire AWS credits and put them to work for your business.

What Are AWS Credits, and How Do They Work?

AWS credits are promotional funds applied directly to your AWS account. They work like a coupon: when your bill is generated, AWS automatically deducts the applicable credit balance before charging your payment method. Credits can cover most AWS services — compute, storage, databases, machine learning, and more — though some credits come with service-specific restrictions.

Credits are tied to your AWS account (or organisation), have expiration dates, and are applied in a specific order determined by AWS. They don’t roll over indefinitely, so it pays to understand exactly what you have and when it expires.

Why Bother With AWS Credits?

The math is simple. AWS credits let you:

• Reduce cash burn during early-stage development or experimentation
• Extend your runway as a startup before revenue arrives
• Offset R&D costs for enterprises testing new services
• Fund proof-of-concept projects without committing budget

A $10,000 credit doesn’t sound life-changing for a large enterprise, but for a seed-stage startup, it can mean several months of infrastructure costs covered entirely.

The Legal Ways to Get AWS Credits

1. AWS Activate (For Startups)

AWS Activate is Amazon’s flagship program for early-stage companies. It offers free credits, technical support, and training resources designed to help startups build on AWS from day one.

There are two tiers:

AWS Activate Founders — Available to any startup, even without external funding. You get up to $1,000 in credits, plus access to training and support resources. You apply directly through the AWS website.

AWS Activate Portfolio — Available to startups affiliated with AWS’s network of investors, accelerators, incubators, and co-working spaces. Credits here can reach $100,000 or more, depending on your provider and stage. If you’re part of Y Combinator, Techstars, or a similar accelerator, this is often the fastest route to substantial credits.

How to qualify: You need an AWS account less than a certain age (the threshold varies), a company that hasn’t received Activate benefits before, and affiliation with a qualifying organisation for the Portfolio tier. Check the AWS Activate portal for current eligibility requirements.

2. Startup Accelerators and Incubators

Most major accelerators bundle AWS credits into their packages as part of the perks ecosystem. This is separate from AWS Activate Portfolio — some accelerators negotiate directly with AWS and distribute credits independently.

Programs like Y Combinator, Techstars, 500 Startups, and many regional equivalents typically offer $25,000 to $100,000+ in AWS credits as part of acceptance. If you’re applying to accelerators, factor this into your evaluation — the infrastructure savings alone can be significant.

3. AWS Partner Network (APN)

The AWS Partner Network is designed for consulting firms, software vendors, and technology companies that build on or sell AWS. Partners at higher tiers receive “Not for Resale” (NFR) credits they can use for internal development, demos, and testing.

If your company is an ISV (Independent Software Vendor), managed service provider, or technology reseller already working with AWS, joining APN and advancing through its tiers can yield meaningful credit allocations. This route requires investment in AWS certifications and demonstrated customer activity, but it pays off for companies already in the ecosystem.

4. AWS Research Credits

AWS offers a dedicated research credit program for academic institutions, nonprofits, and researchers working on scientific or humanitarian projects. The AWS Research Credits program has supported work in genomics, climate modelling, machine learning research, and more.

If you’re affiliated with a university, research institution, or nonprofit, this program is worth exploring. Grant sizes vary based on the scope and nature of the research project. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

5. AWS EdStart (EdTech Startups)

EdStart is AWS’s program specifically for education technology companies. Similar to AWS Activate but tailored to the EdTech space, it offers credits alongside access to technical resources and community support. If you’re building tools for schools, universities, or workforce learning, EdStart is your first stop.

6. AWS Promotional Credits Through Events and Hackathons

AWS regularly distributes promotional credits through:

• AWS re: Invent and other AWS events — Attending sessions or participating in labs often comes with small credit allocations
• Hackathons — AWS sponsors and co-sponsors hundreds of hackathons globally each year. Participants frequently receive credits to use during (and sometimes after) the event
• AWS Skill Builder and training completions — Completing certain training paths or certifications can yield promotional credits
• AWS blog challenges and community programs — AWS occasionally runs community challenges where participants earn credits for contributions

These tend to be smaller amounts ($50–$500), but they’re easy wins with no eligibility hoops.

7. Enterprise Discount Programs and Private Pricing Agreements

For larger organisations, AWS credits often come packaged into Enterprise Discount Programs (EDPs) or private pricing agreements negotiated directly with an AWS account executive. These aren’t credits in the traditional sense — they’re contractual discounts and commitment-based savings — but the net effect on your bill is the same.

If your organization spends more than $1 million annually on AWS, you almost certainly have room to negotiate. Engage your AWS account team directly, bring your usage data, and explore what’s available. Many large enterprises leave significant savings on the table simply by not asking.

8. AWS Marketplace Seller Credits

If your company sells software through the AWS Marketplace, you may be eligible for credits as part of AWS’s seller incentive programs. Details vary and change frequently — your AWS partner or marketplace team contact can walk you through current offerings.

9. Transferring Credits Through AWS Organisations

If your company has multiple AWS accounts consolidated under AWS Organisations, credits applied at the management (payer) account level can sometimes be shared across linked accounts. This isn’t a way to acquire new credits, but it’s an important operational detail — especially for companies running separate accounts for development, staging, and production environments.

What About Buying AWS Credits on Secondary Markets?

You’ll occasionally see AWS credits listed for sale on forums, marketplaces, or third-party platforms. This is worth addressing directly: transferring AWS credits between accounts is prohibited under AWS’s Terms of Service. Credits are non-transferable by design.

Purchasing credits this way puts your AWS account at risk of suspension and exposes you to fraud. The seller may be offering credits attached to a stolen account, a fraudulently obtained grant, or simply credits that will be revoked once AWS detects the violation. The risks far outweigh any potential savings.

Stick to the programs above. The legitimate routes are extensive enough that there’s rarely a reason to look elsewhere.

How to Maximise the Value of AWS Credits You Do Have

Getting the credits is step one. Using them well is step two.

Know what’s covered. Read the terms attached to each credit. Some are service-specific (e.g., only applicable to Amazon SageMaker or Amazon EC2). Applying credits toward excluded services wastes potential savings.

Track expiration dates. AWS credits expire. Log into your AWS Billing console, navigate to Credits, and note every expiration date. Schedule usage-intensive work — large training runs, data migrations, load testing — to align with credits before they lapse.

Use credits for experimentation. Credits are ideal for testing new services, architectures, or regions you’d otherwise hesitate to touch because of cost uncertainty. Treat them as a license to explore.

Layer credits with other savings mechanisms. Credits stack with Reserved Instances, Savings Plans, and Spot Instances. Using credits on top of already-discounted compute gives you the maximum reduction on your effective bill.

Centralize visibility. If you run multiple AWS accounts, use AWS Cost Explorer and the Billing console at the organisation level to see your full credit picture in one place.

A Quick Reference: AWS Credit Sources by Company Type

Early-stage startup	AWS Activate Founders, Hackathons, Accelerators
Funded startup in accelerator	AWS Activate Portfolio, Accelerator perks
ISV / Technology company	AWS Partner Network (APN)
Academic / Research institution	AWS Research Credits
EdTech company	AWS EdStart
Enterprise ($1M+ spend)	Enterprise Discount Program, Private Pricing
AWS Marketplace seller	Marketplace seller incentive programs

Final Thoughts

AWS credits are genuinely one of the most accessible forms of cloud cost relief available — and most companies aren’t taking full advantage of every program they qualify for. The programs above are all legitimate, well-supported, and actively promoted by AWS itself.

The strategy is simple: identify every program your company qualifies for, apply systematically, track what you receive, and use credits strategically to cover your highest-cost workloads. Done right, you can meaningfully extend your runway, reduce your infrastructure budget, or simply give your engineering team more room to experiment without worrying about the bill.