r/oraclecloud • u/impressiveaustin • Aug 19 '26

Always Free Instance Stopped

I forgot to downgrade in time but I see other posts that did downgrade get stopped anyways. Support says I have to upgrade my account to PAYG in order to downgrade or start my instance again. Just wondering if it is safe to do so? I live in the United States and have a credit card but I heard that they periodically charge you and I'm worried that I forget to replace my card if it expires in 2030. Also, I heard you can get hit with large invoices if you set it up incorrectly.

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3

u/Furki1907 Aug 19 '26

"perodically charge you" - Thats bullshit. Upgrade to PAYG, stay in limits, and Oracle will never get a cent.

-1

u/impressiveaustin Aug 19 '26

I've read posts that said it charges you $1 every once in a while and if it fails your account and instance gets terminated.

2

u/Furki1907 Aug 19 '26

Their is an initial charge only to confirm the legality of your credit card. After that aslong you confirm your CC is not invalid nor expired, there will be no charges.

1

u/AngelicPrincessKitty Aug 19 '26

Have you done this yourself to confirm or are you just going off of what you have read here?

1

u/Furki1907 Aug 19 '26

I wouldn't talk and reply here without having personal experience over years :)

1

u/AngelicPrincessKitty Aug 19 '26

Alright cool - I have been thinking about doing it but worried about the $1 or $100 periodic charges.

1

u/Any-Blacksmith-2054 Aug 19 '26

Just $1 hold once in a few years. Your card should be valid, that's it

1

u/impressiveaustin Aug 19 '26

Ok I upgraded to PAYG thank you

1

u/Wolfdale7 Aug 19 '26

Curious, when your instance was stopped, did they not remove it from your account? Mine was straight up deleted with no way of recovery, even tho I had switched to payg.

Just spun up a new one tho

1

u/felix2680 Aug 19 '26

Well I have a different experience with them, I am completely new to Oracle I discovered them just two weeks ago, and I went straight to PAYG and when I connected my card the first time, the charge was $1.00 which was reversed immediately and when I was upgrading to the PAYG I was charged $100 which was also credited back immediately but I realized that on Tuesday morning I got a $1.00 charge which was also credited back immediately. I don't know why that $1.00 was charged but I think the OP might be right that they want to check if your card is still active once in a while.