Everything You Need To Know About AWS Activate Credits

AWS helps startups bring their ideas to life through AWS Activate. AWS Activate Credits help minimize your upfront costs, so your team can experiment in the AWS Cloud (opens in a new tab). They can be applied to your account to offset eligible AWS services and support charges. (This includes infrastructure technologies like computing, storage, and database, as well as emerging technologies such as data lakes, analytics, and the Internet of Things.)

AWS Activate Credits can also be used for third-party models available on Amazon Bedrock (opens in a new tab). These models come from top AI companies, including AI21 Labs (opens in a new tab), Anthropic (opens in a new tab), Cohere (opens in a new tab), Meta (opens in a new tab), Mistral AI (opens in a new tab), and more—making it easier to evaluate which foundation models match your use case.

Read on to answer your most frequently asked questions about AWS Activate Credits.

The AWS Activate Credit advantage

Why should I apply for AWS Activate Credits?

AWS Activate Credits are promotional credits that startups can apply for and use to offset costs on eligible AWS services and products.

• Financial flexibility to innovate: Gaining access to AWS Activate Credits helps you lower infrastructure costs and stretch your runway, so you can focus on rapid product iterations instead of monthly cloud bills. By freeing up financial resources, founders can hire critical team members or invest more in user acquisition at pivotal growth stages.
• Additional budget to offset startup costs: Building a strong foundation requires a range of AWS services—from compute and databases to analytics and ML. AWS Activate Credits offset these expenses, so you can allocate core funding to market research, customer development, and scaling your MVP without worrying about overhead.
• Budget to experiment: Whether testing a new microservices architecture or exploring the latest generative AI tools, experimenting often means spinning up and tearing down multiple environments. With AWS Activate, the cost barrier is lowered, letting you refine ideas before committing to large-scale deployments.
• Compatibility with third-party AI models: Thinking about harnessing foundation models? AWS Activate Credits extend to Amazon Bedrock (opens in a new tab), so you can evaluate, customize, and deploy third-party AI models without burning through precious capital. This flexibility empowers startups to identify the right AI model for their unique challenges quickly.
• Access to AWS Support: Navigating cloud technologies can be tricky if you’re new to AWS. With AWS Activate, you can apply credits toward eligible AWS Support Plans (opens in a new tab), giving you access to expert help on call—an invaluable resource when tackling everything from architectural reviews to cost-optimization strategies.

By tapping into these AWS Activate benefits, you transform the cloud from a cost center into a springboard for innovation, positioning your startup to iterate faster, engage customers better, and scale sustainably.

Eligible AWS services

AWS Activate Credits can be used on over 200 eligible AWS services. Examples of what’s covered:

• Compute: Ideal for running containerized microservices on Amazon ECS (opens in a new tab) or Amazon EKS (opens in a new tab), or deploying machine learning pipelines on Amazon EC2 (opens in a new tab).
• Database: Helps cover the cost of managed databases, such as Amazon RDS (opens in a new tab) or Amazon DynamoDB (opens in a new tab), supporting consistent performance and simplified administration.
• Storage: Lets you store large datasets, application artifacts, or customer-generated content in Amazon S3 (opens in a new tab) without ballooning costs.
• Networking: Supports traffic routing and distribution through services like Amazon CloudFront (opens in a new tab) and Amazon VPC (opens in a new tab), keeping latency low while maintaining robust security.

AWS Activate Credit overview

We offer two powerful credit packages (opens in a new tab) designed for different stages of your startup’s growth. Eligibility depends on your funding stage and affiliation with an Activate Provider (opens in a new tab) - which includes thousands of accelerators, VCs, and startup organizations worldwide.

Activate Founders Package

The Activate Founders Package offers $1,000 in AWS Activate Credits to support early-stage startups. Eligibility includes:

• New to AWS Activate Credits
• Self-funded
• Have a fully functioning company website
• Founded in the past 10 years

Activate Portfolio Package

The Activate Portfolio Package offers up to $100,000 in AWS Activate Credits for provider-backed startups. Eligibility includes:

• Associated with an Activate Provider and have their Organizational ID
• Have not previously received AWS Activate Credits of equal or greater value
• Pre-Series B (most recent funding round must be within the last 12 months, if applicable)
• Have a fully functioning company website
• Founded in the past 10 years

Credit amounts

The volume of credits varies based on your startup’s stage, funding timeframe, and affiliation with an Activate Provider. Activate Providers (opens in a new tab) include thousands of accelerators, angel investors, venture capital firms, and startup-enabling organizations worldwide with a direct relationship with AWS.

If your startup is affiliated with a provider, they can supply you with a unique Organization ID, which you’ll enter during the AWS Activate application. This Organization ID confirms your eligibility for the Portfolio Tier, so you can access the most relevant support for your growth stage. Please contact Activate support (opens in a new tab) if you have additional questions about Activate Providers.

AWS Activate Credit Strategy

When to apply

Apply when you’re ready to ramp up AWS usage, such as when launching resource-intensive features or expanding your user base. This timing helps ensure you’ll maximize credit value before expiration. Credits usually expire within 1-2 years depending on the package.

For Portfolio Program applicants: You must apply within 12 months of your most recent funding date to remain eligible. Consider your AWS usage plans carefully to balance this deadline with optimal credit utilization.

Tips for your credit strategy:

• Apply credits when you’re confident you’ll have workloads to utilize them with soon
• Forecast services you’ll need over the next year—focus on consistent or increasing costs
• Keep track of expiration dates to ensure meaningful usage before expiration
• Monitor your balance and usage through the AWS Console under Billing > Credits

Timeline for getting credits

AWS Activate Credit applications are processed in the order they are received. About 7-10 business days after applying, you’ll receive an email letting you know whether you’ve been approved or not. For real-time updates on your application’s progress, you can check the Credit Application Status page (opens in a new tab), which provides direct insight into each stage of the approval process.

Approved credits and their expiration dates will appear in your AWS Billing and Cost Management Console (opens in a new tab) 3-4 hours after approval.

• Immediate offset: Credits apply monthly to new AWS usage charges on eligible services. They do not retroactively cover past bills or any historical charges.
• Automatic allocation: You cannot select or prioritize which service(s) your credits go toward. Credits apply automatically to all eligible charges until they’re consumed or expire.
• Upfront coverage: AWS applies credits before charging you out of pocket, so every dollar goes toward your innovation.

Maximizing your credits

Remember to forecast your usage and costs to help determine your credit strategy. Discuss upcoming release cycles or expansions with your AWS account team, co-founders, investors, or advisors. AWS Activate Credits can make a big impact when you’re ramping up, such as onboarding new customers or launching significant product updates.

Sharing forecasts with your AWS account team helps them:

• Tailor recommendations
• Optimize cost structures
• Ensure you have the right mix of services for scaling effectively

Applying for credits more than once

If you still meet the program requirements, you can apply for credits more than once. In general, you can reapply for AWS Activate Portfolio Credits as long as the following is true:

• Your new application requests a higher amount than your previously approved credits
• You haven’t reached the maximum lifetime credit cap

Applying for multiple offers from a provider

Some AWS Activate Providers offer multiple credit tiers—such as $25K for pre-seed startups and $100K for seed-stage startups. Before you apply for a higher-tier offer, confirm the specific eligibility requirements with your investor or provider, since stage-based packages typically depend on your funding round and company maturity. If your startup meets those conditions:

• You’ll receive the difference. For instance, if you previously received $10,000 in credits but now qualify for $100,000, you’ll get an additional $90,000 when approved.
• You must be affiliated with the same provider. Your investor relationship should still be active. You may not be eligible if you’ve switched providers or no longer meet the criteria.
• You cannot exceed the lifetime credit limit. Even if you qualify for a higher-tier package, you must remain under AWS Activate’s maximum lifetime credit threshold.

In short, stage-based offers aren’t one-size-fits-all, so always confirm your current funding round and eligibility with your provider before pursuing another AWS Activate Credit tier.

What’s not covered by AWS Activate Credits?

Currently, credits cannot be applied to fees or charges for certain AWS services. Please see the frequently asked questions on this page (opens in a new tab) for a full list. Examples of what’s not covered:

• Amazon Mechanical Turk (opens in a new tab)
• AWS Managed Services (opens in a new tab)
• AWS Professional Services (opens in a new tab)
• AWS Training and Certification (opens in a new tab)

For more information regarding eligible and ineligible services, please visit the AWS Promotional Credit Terms & Conditions (opens in a new tab) and the AWS Activate Terms & Conditions (opens in a new tab). Any services not listed in the AWS Billing and Cost Management Console (opens in a new tab) are not covered by AWS Activate Credits.

Apply now

Innovation isn’t far out of reach with AWS Activate. Once you are an AWS Activate member, you can apply for AWS Activate Credits by going to the AWS Startups website (opens in a new tab). If you need further help with your application, check out this step-by-step guide (opens in a new tab). For even more answers about credits, please see the frequently asked questions about AWS Activate Credits here (opens in a new tab).

All AWS Credits are subject to the AWS Promotional Credit Terms & Conditions (opens in a new tab)

Related resources

• Applying for AWS Activate Credits: A step-by-step guide (opens in a new tab) - Step by step instructions on how to submit an application for AWS credits
• AWS Activate benefits you might not know about (opens in a new tab) - A guide to the lesser known AWS Activate benefits that can help your startup be more efficient in both cost and operations.

Author: AWS Editorial Team - The AWS Startups Content Marketing Team collaborates with startups of all sizes and across all sectors to deliver exceptional content that educates, entertains, and inspires.