What AWS credits cover, and what they do not.
AWS promotional credits, including Activate credits, pay for usage of eligible AWS services and, since April 2024, third-party models on Amazon Bedrock. They do not pay Savings Plans or Reserved Instance upfront fees, enterprise-level support, Route 53 domain registration, most AWS Marketplace purchases, professional services, training or certification.
- Covered: usage of eligible AWS services, third-party models on Amazon Bedrock (since April 2024), and the Business Support+ plan.
- Not covered: Savings Plans or Reserved Instance upfront fees, enterprise and partner-led support, Route 53 domain registration or transfer, other Marketplace purchases, AWS Managed Services, Professional Services, Training, Certification, Mechanical Turk and crypto mining.
- AWS says Activate credits usually expire within 1 to 2 years, depending on the package. Credits can be shared across accounts in an AWS Organization when sharing is turned on in Billing.
IWhat AWS credits pay for
- Eligible AWS services: Usage of the AWS services your credit is designated for. For Activate credits, that is more than 200 eligible services, from compute and storage to databases and machine learning.
- Third-party models on Amazon Bedrock: Since April 2024, Activate credits can pay for third-party models on Amazon Bedrock, such as Anthropic, Meta, Mistral and Cohere models. Source: AWS Startups blog. This is the one AWS Marketplace charge they cover.
- Business Support+: The Business Support+ plan is covered, as are the older Developer and Business Support plans for teams that still have them. Those older plans closed to new subscriptions on 1 December 2025.
IIWhat AWS credits do not pay for
From the <a href="https://aws.amazon.com/awscredits/">AWS Promotional Credit Terms</a>, last updated September 24, 2026.
- Upfront fees: AWS promotional credits do not pay Savings Plans or Reserved Instance upfront fees.
- Enterprise-level support: Enterprise Support, Unified Operations, Enterprise On-Ramp, resold support and partner-led support.
- AWS Marketplace: Marketplace purchases, apart from the Bedrock third-party models AWS has authorized.
- Services and people: AWS Managed Services, AWS Professional Services, AWS Training and AWS Certification.
- Domains: Amazon Route 53 domain name registration or transfer.
- Other exclusions: Amazon Mechanical Turk, crypto mining, and any other services AWS designates.
IIIRules that catch teams out
- They expire: AWS says Activate credits usually expire within 1 to 2 years, depending on the package. The exact date shows in your Billing console. Unused credit is lost; AWS does not refund or extend it.
- They do not pay past bills: Credits apply to eligible usage from the billing cycle they land in.
- They can be shared in an Organization: The terms allow sharing credits within an AWS Organization. Turn sharing on in the Billing console.
- They have no cash value: Credits cannot be sold, transferred to another company or turned into cash.
IVWhat partner-filed funding pays for
Partner-filed funding is tied to a specific piece of work, not to your whole bill. For startups it is $50K to $150K. Depends on the workload; AWS approves.
- Migration Acceleration Program (MAP): You are not on AWS yet and want to migrate. Your matched partner files it when the migration qualifies and AWS approves it.
- Proof of concept (POC) funding: You want to test something, whether or not you are on AWS today. Your matched partner files it when the test qualifies and AWS approves it.
- Incremental workload (IW) funding: You are already on AWS and are launching new work: a new AI feature, a new customer or a new contract. Your matched partner files it when the new workload qualifies and AWS approves it.
AWS describes partner funding as cash or AWS promotional credits that help with proofs of concept and migrations. Source: AWS partner funding, checked 2026-10-10.
How a match works (example)
- You tell us about the work
You fill in a short form: what you run today, what you want to move, test or build, your stage and your region.
- We pick one partner
We read your answers and pick one vetted AWS consulting partner that fits the work, the stack and the region. We reply within 24 hours; your matched partner reaches out within 5 business days.
- The partner checks which funding fits
Your matched partner scopes the work with you. Then it checks which partner-filed funding fits: MAP if you are moving to AWS, POC if you want to test something, or incremental workload (IW) funding if you are already on AWS and launching new work.
- The partner files, AWS decides
If the work qualifies, the partner files the funding request with AWS. AWS reviews it and decides. The amount depends on the workload.
- You pay nothing
CloudRoute is free for startups. Partners pay CloudRoute a monthly membership plus 10% of AWS-approved funding.
AWS Activate credits are separate, and you apply for them yourself. Use Activate Founders if no investor backs you. Use Activate Portfolio with the Org ID or invite from your VC, accelerator, incubator or angel group if it is an Activate Provider. A consulting partner cannot apply for Activate on your behalf.
Common questions
Do AWS credits cover Savings Plans or Reserved Instances?
Do AWS credits cover AWS Support plans?
Can I use AWS credits for Claude on Amazon Bedrock?
Do AWS credits cover AWS Marketplace software?
How long do Activate credits last?
What does CloudRoute cost?
Need funding for a specific project? Ask a partner.
A vetted AWS partner checks whether your migration, test or new workload qualifies for MAP, POC or IW funding and files it if it does. $50K to $150K for startups. Depends on the workload; AWS approves. We reply within 24 hours; your matched partner reaches out within 5 business days.