Integrate Usage AI into your AWS bill via

Frequently

Asked Questions

Do you have a question that isn't answered here?

What is Usage?

Usage offers customers the shortest possible commitment of 30 days with an average 43% savings rate. Compared to traditional commitment instruments by the cloud providers (AWS + GCP + Azure), here’s how Usage’s Insured Commitment stacks up:
- 1-year Savings Plan: 27% savings with a 1 year lock-in
- 3-year Savings Plan: 50% savings with a 3 year lock-in
- Usage Insured Commitment: 43% savings (after Usage fees) with a 30 day lock-in

Will Usage cause server downtime or interrupt my developer workflows in any way?

No - Usage optimizes at the billing layer only. Following the IAM policy, Usage has ZERO ability to modify your environment. There is zero-touch to your infrastructure; thus, there is no chance for any server downtime or interruptions to your developer workflows!

Will this require us to install anything on our instances?

No - We use only IAM roles and permissions to perform all the required cost optimizations. We use AWS APIs to enable these savings. So, no installation is required on any of your instances.

Will Usage AI require any engineering work?

No - Getting started with Usage only requires setting up an IAM policy and an IAM Role in your AWS organization. From signup to savings, the Usage onboarding takes fewer than 5 minutes.

How do Insured Commitments work?

All commitments purchased through Usage come with a 30 day term. After 30 days, you may turn in your commitment at any time if it begins to accrue losses as a result of underutilization.

What is a Savings Plan?

A Savings Plan is a billing abstraction that offers significant discounts compared to standard “On Demand” prices in return for committing to the instance for a specific period of time. Currently, AWS allows a Savings Plan to last for a 1- and 3-year period.

What kind of data does Usage AI collect?

Usage AI has no access to your internal user data, any data stored by the systems being run on the reserved instances. Usage AI has the ability to fetch the utilization of your current resources. For more specificity regarding the types of data Usage AI collects, please refer to the privacy policy.

What clouds does Usage offer savings and Insured Commitments on?

Usage currently offers Insured Commitments, and by extension, savings, on all three major clouds: AWS, GCP, and Azure. Usage is the first in the space to offer this unique savings product on all three major cloud providers.

How does Usage bill?

Usage only charges a % of savings for its flagship Insured Commitment product. There are no other charges.

How does Usage bill me?

As of September 30th, 2024, Usage offers the following options to collect payment:
- AWS Marketplace ( billed as a line item on your AWS bill )
- ACH with net-30 terms
- Credit Card payment via Stripe

We are soon launching on GCP and Azure marketplaces, so you will soon be able to pay your bill directly via your Azure and GCP bill in the immediate future.

Will Usage show up on my AWS bill?

Yes, but only if you subscribe via our AWS marketplace listing. Otherwise, Usage sends a separate invoice for a percentage of the savings generated in the previous calendar month.