Upgrading your account
Lite accounts make it easy to get started with IBM Cloud® and try out services. When you're ready to unlock the full IBM Cloud catalog, get extra free resources, and more, you can upgrade to a Pay-As-You-Go or Subscription account.
You can view your current account type by going to Manage > Account > Account settings in the IBM Cloud console and checking the Account Type section.
After you upgrade your Lite account to a Pay-As-You-Go account, you get a promotional credit of $200 that is automatically applied to your account. Your $200 credit is valid for 30 days, and your usage is automatically deducted from the credit amount. The credit cannot be used with third-party products, and the credit might not be available for all accounts.
Not sure which type of account you want to upgrade to? Get detailed information about the benefits of each account type in Account types.
Before you begin
To upgrade your account, you must have an access policy with the editor role or higher on all account management services. For more information, see Assigning access to account management services.
Upgrading to a Pay-As-You-Go account
With a Pay-As-You-Go account, you pay for only what you use beyond the free runtime and service allowances. After you upgrade, you can continue to use any instances that you created with your Lite account.
To upgrade to a Pay-As-You-Go account, complete the following steps.
- Go to Manage > Account in the IBM Cloud console.
- Select Account settings, and click Add credit card.
- Enter your payment information, click Next, and submit your information.
After your payment information is processed, your account is upgraded and you can explore and access the full IBM Cloud catalog. For any billable services that you use beyond any free allowances, you receive a monthly invoice.
If you're upgrading to reactivate a deactivated account, your account might take a few days to be fully available. If your account continues to be in a pending state, see Why can't I upgrade my account? for help.
If you can't upgrade your account because of an issue with your credit card, see Troubleshooting credit card error messages for more information.
Promotional credit for upgrading your account
When you enter a credit card for a new Pay-As-You-Go account, you'll receive a promotional credit to use on any IBM product. To view the list of eligible products, go to the IBM Cloud console and select Catalog > Provider > IBM.
The credit might take a few hours to appear in your account. Any unused upgrade credit expires after the 30 day period ends. You are invoiced for any usage that exceeds the promotional credit. To view the promotional credit, go to the Promotions and credits page or the Invoices page in the console.
The following table lists the current upgrade promotional amounts for different currencies:
| Country | Currency | Converted Promo Amount |
|---|---|---|
| United States | USD | 200.00 |
| Australia | AUD | 279.94 |
| Brazil | BRL | 862.84 |
| Canada | CAD | 260.96 |
| Switzerland | CHF | 190.85 |
| China | CNY | 1,836.38 |
| Denmark | DKK | 1,258.68 |
| Euro | EUR | 168.67 |
| UK | GBP | 151.96 |
| Indonesia | IDR | 3,128,000.00 |
| India | INR | 14,390.14 |
| Japan | JPY | 22,400.62 |
| South Korea | KRW | 232,999.57 |
| Norway | NOK | 1,654.34 |
| New Zealand | NZD | 302.40 |
| Sweden | SEK | 1,781.34 |
| South Africa | ZAR | 3,563.88 |
Upgrading to a Subscription account
With a Subscription account, you commit to a minimum spending amount each month and receive a subscription discount that is applied to that minimum charge. If your usage exceeds your total subscription amount, you're charged the regular non-discounted rate only on the overage.
Subscriptions that you purchase through the console are limited to $5,000 United States dollars (USD) or the equivalent in your billing currency. If you want to purchase a larger subscription, contact IBM Cloud Sales.
To upgrade from a Lite account to a Subscription account, complete the following steps.
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In the IBM Cloud console, go to Manage > Account, and select Account settings. Then, click Upgrade, which takes you to the Subscriptions page.
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Select your monthly spending commitment and subscription term, and click Get started.
If you're not sure how much your typical usage might cost, you can estimate it by using the cost estimator.
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Review your subscription details, and then enter your payment information.
After your payment information is processed, your subscription credit is added to your account. You can monitor your subscription usage on this same Subscriptions page. See Managing subscriptions for more information.
Your subscription renews automatically. If you want to discontinue your subscription renewal, contact support.
Converting a Pay-As-You-Go account to a Subscription account
You can convert your Pay-As-You-Go account to a Subscription account at any time. Contact IBM Cloud Sales to get started.