Mercury startup credits: perk bundle (2026)

I quick answer

No equity, no fees. No referral needed; apply directly.

Stage fit: Idea stage through Series B. The AWS and most software perks need no funding. Difficulty: easy.

II key facts

Mercury at a glance

Max value: Up to $100,000 for the largest single perks (Agency $100k cybersecurity credits; Datadog up to $100k for Series A-or-earlier startups). Cloud and dev platforms: AWS Activate up to $5,000, Azure up to $5,000, GitHub $10,000 for funded startups. Mercury publishes no total across all perks.
Stage fit: Idea stage through Series B. The AWS and most software perks need no funding
Takes equity: No
Who files it: You (no code needed)
Geography: US-formed companies only (any US state or territory).
Referral needed: No
Difficulty: Easy
Review time: Mercury account: usually 0-2 business days (optionally expedited by linking an external bank via Plaid)
Credits expire: No program deadline.

III available programs and tiers

What Mercury actually gives you

AWS Activate via Mercury
Up to $5,000 in AWS Activate credits
Any approved Mercury business customer whose AWS application (business name and email) matches the Mercury account; reduced by any AWS credits already received through another third party (you only get the difference up to $5,000)
GitHub for Startups via Mercury
$10,000 in GitHub credits (Enterprise licenses, Copilot, Codespaces, Advanced Security, larger runners)
Funded startups only (outside equity from investors, up to Series B), new to GitHub Enterprise (none in the past 6 months), no prior GitHub for Startups credits or Enterprise licenses, valid payment method on file
Microsoft for Startups via Mercury
Up to $5,000 in free Azure credits plus AI models and templates; venture-backed startups may qualify for more (contact your investor)
Incorporated, privately held, for-profit startups new to Azure, HQ in a country covered by Azure infrastructure, not yet through a Series D or later round, with no more than $10,000 total prior free Azure
Google Cloud via Mercury
Paused: "Offer temporarily unavailable. New offer coming later this year"
Nobody as of Oct 2026; check back when Mercury relists it
Large non-cloud credit perks (Datadog, Agency, Infobip, Yext, Appsmith, Rise)
Agency: $100k in Agency for Startups credits for cybersecurity. Datadog: 1 year free, up to $100k in credits. Infobip: up to $50k. Yext: $35k credits. Appsmith: $30k credits. Rise: up to $30k payroll credits.
Mercury business customers who also meet each partner's own rules, e.g. Datadog requires a raise up to and including Series A and new Datadog customers only; Appsmith requires under $10M raised or under 2 years incorporated; Yext, Infobip and Rise are new customers only. Agency lists no restrictions on its Mercury page; apply through the partner link.
All other perks (273 listed; Mercury markets 'over 300')
Examples: Supabase $300 credits over 1 year, Notion 6 months free Business plan with unlimited AI, Gusto 3 months free, QuickBooks Online 50% off for 3 months, HubSpot 30% off year one and 15% off year two, Linear 6 months free
Mercury business customers; each perk carries its own partner rules, often new-customers-only (Notion: non-paying customers with under 100 employees; HubSpot: must be associated with an approved entrepreneurial organization)

IV eligibility

Who qualifies

You likely qualify if

You have an approved Mercury business account (perks are redeemed from the Perks page in the dashboard; the base plan is $0/month).
Your company is formed and registered in a US state or US territory and can provide state-filed formation documents (Articles of Organization/Incorporation or Certificate of Formation) plus an IRS EIN document (CP575, 147c or SS-4).
Your company has existing or planned operations in the US.
Your principal place of business can be a US or international address, and a residential address is fine; registered-agent addresses, P.O. boxes and UPS Store addresses are not accepted. Each beneficial owner's home address cannot be a P.O. box, mail drop or virtual address service.
No founder lives in, and the business does not operate or do business in, a country on Mercury's prohibited list. This is based on country of residence, not citizenship. Sanctioned areas: Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine. A longer list includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Indonesia, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, Ukraine, Venezuela and Vietnam.
Every owner with 25%+ ownership and at least one person with operating control must provide government ID or a passport; everyone listed as a beneficial owner or team member must be 18+.
For the AWS perk: the business name and email you submit to AWS exactly match your Mercury account.
For the AWS perk: you have received less than $5,000 in AWS credits through any other third-party partner (you only get the difference up to $5,000).
For the GitHub perk: you have raised outside equity funding from investors (up to Series B), are new to GitHub Enterprise, and have a valid payment method on file with GitHub.

You won't qualify if

Companies not formed in the US or a US territory (Mercury cannot open the account, so no perks).
Money services businesses, crypto exchanges, adult entertainment, cannabis, internet gambling businesses, and trusts.
Founders living in a prohibited country/region, or businesses operating or doing business there.
AWS perk: startups that already redeemed $5,000 or more in AWS credits through another third-party company (AWS rejects the application).
GitHub perk: bootstrapped, self-funded or grant-funded companies; companies on GitHub Enterprise in the past 6 months; companies that already received GitHub for Startups credits or GitHub Enterprise licenses.
Azure perk: startups that have gone through a Series D or later round, startups that already received more than $10,000 in free Azure, publicly held or non-profit entities, and educational institutions, government entities, dev shops, consultancies, agencies, personal blogs, bitcoin/crypto-mining companies.
Any perk marked new-customers-only if you already use that partner's product.

Geography. US-formed companies only (any US state or territory). Founders may live anywhere outside Mercury's prohibited countries/regions list (based on residence, not citizenship); no US citizenship or residency required. Azure perk also requires HQ in a country covered by Azure infrastructure.

V how to apply

How to apply to Mercury perks for startups

01Apply for a Mercury business account at app.mercury.com/signup (Mercury says about 10 minutes). Have formation documents, the IRS EIN document and government ID for every 25%+ owner and one person with operating control.
02Wait for Mercury's review: usually a decision within 0-2 business days. You can optionally speed it up by connecting an external bank account through Plaid. If 7 business days pass with no reply, check your inbox and spam; Mercury may be waiting on documents.
03Log in to the Mercury dashboard and open the Perks page (you can preview the full catalog at mercury.com/perks and filter by category or bundle such as Startup Launch).
04Open the perk you want (for example Perks > AWS) and expand "How to redeem". The redemption steps and links are shown for signed-in customers in the dashboard.
05For AWS: submit the AWS Activate application using the business name and email exactly as they appear on your Mercury account, and enter the Mercury-supplied code from the dashboard instructions in the Org ID field. AWS reviews the application and applies the credits; Mercury says credits can take up to 15 business days to fully process.
06Repeat for other perks (GitHub, Azure, Supabase, Notion, Gusto, Datadog, etc.). Each partner enforces its own new-customer or funding-stage rules; if a partner later changes or stops honoring a perk, Mercury's terms direct you to that partner.

Review time: Mercury account: usually 0-2 business days (optionally expedited by linking an external bank via Plaid). AWS credits: Mercury's AWS perk instructions say they can take up to 15 business days to fully process after approval; AWS Activate reviews the application separately and Mercury does not publish its review timeline.. Apply at app.mercury.com/signup.

VI what changed

What changed in 2025 and 2026

Mercury's Terms of Use, including Section 5 "Promotional Offers and Perks", were last updated October 5, 2026. Help-center articles on eligibility and prohibited countries were updated October 7, 2026, and the post-application review article on September 26, 2026. The Google Cloud perk is currently paused ("Offer temporarily unavailable. New offer coming later this year"). The catalog lists 273 perks while the AWS page markets "over 300". Current pricing is Mercury $0/mo, Plus $29.90/mo, Pro $299/mo, and a few perks differ by plan (Xero 3 months free on the base plan vs 6 months on Plus/Pro; $50 off LegalZoom compliance plans listed only for Plus/Pro).

Dated change log for every program →

VII stacks well with

Hold these alongside Mercury

VIII the AWS angle

Mercury credits and your AWS bill

Mercury's AWS perk is the standard $5,000 AWS Activate partner tier, redeemed by entering a Mercury-supplied code in AWS's Org ID field. AWS nets it against any Activate credits you already received through another third party (accelerator, VC, another bank), so it is a clean first $5K off a brand-new startup's AWS bill but will not add to a $5K you already hold. If an investor or accelerator can get you a larger Activate package, use that organization ID instead and treat Mercury as the fallback.

IXfaq

Mercury startup credits, answered

How much does Mercury give startups?

Mercury offers up to $100,000 for the largest single perks (Agency $100k cybersecurity credits; Datadog up to $100k for Series A-or-earlier startups). Cloud and dev platforms: AWS Activate up to $5,000, Azure up to $5,000, GitHub $10,000 for funded startups. Mercury publishes no total across all perks. There are 6 tiers: AWS Activate via Mercury: Up to $5,000 in AWS Activate credits; GitHub for Startups via Mercury: $10,000 in GitHub credits (Enterprise licenses, Copilot, Codespaces, Advanced Security, larger runners); Microsoft for Startups via Mercury: Up to $5,000 in free Azure credits plus AI models and templates; Google Cloud via Mercury: Paused: "Offer temporarily unavailable; Large non-cloud credit perks (Datadog, Agency, Infobip, Yext, Appsmith, Rise): Agency: $100k in Agency for Startups credits for cybersecurity; All other perks (273 listed; Mercury markets 'over 300'): Examples: Supabase $300 credits over 1 year, Notion 6 months free Business plan with unlimited AI, Gusto 3 months free, QuickBooks Online 50% off for 3 months, HubSpot 30% off year one and 15% off year two, Linear 6 months free.

Does Mercury take equity?

No. Mercury perks for startups is a credits program, not an investment; you keep 100% of your company. No referral needed; apply directly.

Who qualifies for Mercury perks for startups?

Stage fit: Idea stage through Series B. The AWS and most software perks need no funding; GitHub's $10K requires outside equity (up to Series B), Datadog's up-to-$100k needs a raise no later than Series A, and Azure excludes startups that have gone through Series D or later. Best for pre-seed/seed founders who have not yet claimed AWS Activate credits through another partner. You usually qualify if: you have an approved Mercury business account (perks are redeemed from the Perks page in the dashboard; the base plan is $0/month).; your company is formed and registered in a US state or US territory and can provide state-filed formation documents (Articles of Organization/Incorporation or Certificate of Formation) plus an IRS EIN document (CP575, 147c or SS-4).; your company has existing or planned operations in the US. You will not qualify if: companies not formed in the US or a US territory (Mercury cannot open the account, so no perks).; money services businesses, crypto exchanges, adult entertainment, cannabis, internet gambling businesses, and trusts.

How long does Mercury take to approve credits?

Mercury account: usually 0-2 business days (optionally expedited by linking an external bank via Plaid). AWS credits: Mercury's AWS perk instructions say they can take up to 15 business days to fully process after approval; AWS Activate reviews the application separately and Mercury does not publish its review timeline. Difficulty: easy, a short form, no referral for the base tier.

When do Mercury credits expire?

No program deadline. Each perk has its own expiration set by the partner, partners can change or discontinue a perk at any time, and expired perks cannot be reinstated.

Can I combine Mercury credits with AWS credits?

Mercury's AWS perk is the standard $5,000 AWS Activate partner tier, redeemed by entering a Mercury-supplied code in AWS's Org ID field. AWS nets it against any Activate credits you already received through another third party (accelerator, VC, another bank), so it is a clean first $5K off a brand-new startup's AWS bill but will not add to a $5K you already hold. On AWS, CloudRoute matches you for free with a vetted partner who can file MAP, POC or IW funding when the workload qualifies and AWS approves it. The Mercury application you submit yourself.

Verified against mercury.com/perks on Oct 9, 2026 (confidence: high). Programs change; always confirm on the official page. 16 sources checked.