Manage credit

Credits can be managed in the Billing service of the KakaoCloud console.
Credits are divided into paid credits and free credits, and users can use these credits to pay for service fees.

Access permissions

To access the Billing > Credits menu, the following two permissions are required. Without both permissions, access to the Credits menu will not be granted.

• Permission assignment via IAM: Request the Organization Admin to assign the Billing Admin role. This role grants basic access to the Credits menu.
• Registration to a billing group: After being granted IAM permissions, you must also be registered in a billing group to view that group’s credits and use other billing-related features. However, a Billing Admin of the main billing group has unrestricted access to all sub billing groups.

Credit usage order

Credits can be used by billing group, starting with free credits, followed by paid credits. If you hold multiple credits, the usage order is as follows:

Order	Credit Type	Credit Condition
1	Free Credit	Credit with the earliest expiration date
2	Free Credit	Credit applied to specific services only
3	Paid Credit	Credit with the earliest expiration date

If you have both free and paid credits, the usage amount for services that can be paid with free credits will be deducted first, and then the remaining amount will be deducted from paid credits.

Usage period

• Credits apply based on the service usage period and are deducted only from service charges incurred within the credit usage period.
• If a credit has an unused balance on its end date, the balance remains visible under Billing > Credits until the 15th of the following month for operational reasons. However, the credit can no longer be used.
• Example: If a credit is valid through November 30, 2025, it is applied to November usage even when the invoice is issued on December 3. Any remaining balance after the credit expires does not apply to December usage.

Free credits

Free credits are provided through promotions, events, and rewards, and will be automatically deducted from the total usage amount for services applicable to free credits at the time of invoicing. Free credits can be used for service fee payments, excluding marketplace and OS images.

Apply for free credits

Free credits can be requested through the portal’s 1:1 Inquiry or the console's Helpdesk. As a basic principle, credits are used by billing group; however, some promotional free credits, such as welcome credits, are granted once per organization to the main billing group.

Check free credit status

You can check the status of your free credits in the Billing service of the KakaoCloud console. However, credits with a status of used up, expired, or recovered, which have a remaining amount of '0', can be checked in the Free Credits tab for up to three months from that point.

1. Go to KakaoCloud console > Billing menu.

2. Select on the Credits menu, then check the status in the Free credits tab. The table below provides descriptions of each item.

   Item	Description
   Billing Group Dropdown	Select the billing group to view
   Credit Name	Name of the credit
   Usage Period	Credits will be deducted for the service fees incurred during the usage period - The remaining balance cannot be used after the usage period
   Accumulated Amount	Amount credited at the time of the initial accumulation request
   Used Amount	Amount deducted reflected in the service fees - Expired amounts may also be included at the expiration of the credit usage period
   Remaining Amount	Remaining amount calculated by deducting used amount from the accumulated amount
   Applicable Services	Select [View] button to see applicable services - Only the usage fees for the services listed can be paid with credits
   Usage History	Select [View] button to check the history of accumulation, use, and transfer of free credits
   Status	Check the status of the credit - Only credits with the status of Available will be deducted when billing service fees

Transfer free credits

Free credits can be transferred to other billing groups within the same organization. You can check the transfer history by selecting [View] under free credit usage history in the Credits menu. To request a free credit transfer, contact the Helpdesk.

Item	Type	Description
Transaction Type	Transfer Accumulation	Amount credited by receiving transferred free credits
	Transfer Deduction	Amount deducted by transferring free credits
Transfer Group		Target group to which free credits have been transferred
Transfer Amount		Amount accumulated or used during the transfer of free credits

Paid credits

Paid credits are credits issued through purchase, automatically deducted from the total service fees during invoicing.

Purchase paid credits

Paid credits can be used within the billing group in which they were purchased. Paid credits cannot be transferred between billing groups, even within the same organization, so confirm the billing group before purchasing paid credits. To purchase paid credits, contact the Helpdesk.

Check paid credit status

You can check the status of your paid credits in the Billing service of the KakaoCloud console. However, credits with a status of used up, expired, or refunded, which have a remaining amount of '0', can be checked in the Paid Credits tab for up to three months from that point.

1. Go to KakaoCloud console > Billing menu.

2. Select on the Credits menu, then select on the Paid Credits tab to check the status of paid credits. The table below provides descriptions of each item.

   Item	Description
   Billing Group Dropdown	Select the billing group to view
   Credit Name	Name of the credit
   Purchase Date	Date of paid credit purchase - Validity period: 5 years from the date of purchase
   Purchase Amount	Amount credited at the time of the initial purchase request
   Used Amount	Amount deducted reflected in the service fees
   Remaining Amount	Remaining amount calculated by deducting used amount from the purchase amount
   Usage History	Select [View] button to check the history of accumulation and usage of paid credits
   Status	Check the status of the credit - Only credits with the status of Available will be deducted when billing service fees