How to track credit expiry dates

What you need before you start

• A spreadsheet tool you already use, such as Google Sheets, Excel or Numbers.
• A calendar that sends you notifications.
• Access to the billing pages where your credits are listed.
• Any approval emails that state activation deadlines or credit terms.

Set up the tracking sheet

1. Create a new sheet with these columns: Provider, Offer name, Account or email, Amount, Date received, Activation deadline, Expiry date, Renews or ends, Covered services, Status, Notes.
2. Add one row per credit or offer, not per provider. A single cloud account can hold several credits with different end dates.
3. Freeze the header row and sort by Expiry date, soonest first.
4. Add a Days left column with a formula that subtracts today's date from the expiry date.
5. Use conditional formatting to highlight rows with fewer than 30 days left.

Record the account or login each credit is on. Credits usually cannot be moved between accounts, and knowing where they live saves time later.

Find the real dates in each console

Use the date shown in the provider's console, not the one you remember from an email. Programs sometimes start the clock at activation rather than approval.

1. AWS: open the Billing and Cost Management console, choose Credits, and select each credit to see its Expiration date and Amount remaining.
2. Google Cloud: open Billing, then the Credits page, to see the start date, end date and remaining value for each credit.
3. Azure: open Cost Management + Billing, go to Payment methods and the Azure credits tab to see each credit's Expiration date and Balance.
4. Other tools: check the billing or plan page for a renewal or trial end date.
5. Copy each date into your sheet.

Add calendar reminders

1. For each row, create a calendar event on the expiry date.
2. Add notifications 30 days and 7 days before. Use more lead time for large credits or offers you must migrate away from.
3. For activation deadlines, add a separate event. Microsoft for Startups, for example, says Azure credits must be activated within 90 days of accepting the program agreement.
4. For trials that turn into paid plans, put the reminder a few days before the charge date so you can decide whether to cancel.
5. Put a link to the billing page in each event so you can check it in one click.

Keep it up to date

• Set a monthly recurring reminder to update the Amount and Status columns.
• When a credit runs low, check whether the provider offers a next tier or a related program.
• Pair the sheet with budget alerts on each cloud so you get warned automatically if spend rises faster than expected.
• Mark expired or used-up rows rather than deleting them, so you remember which offers you have already used.

Decide what to do before each credit ends

A reminder is only useful if you know what action it should trigger. When an alert fires, work through these questions while you still have time to act.

1. Check the remaining amount. If a large balance is about to expire, consider whether planned work, such as a migration test or a training run, can be moved earlier.
2. Check what will be charged afterwards. Look at your current monthly usage in the billing console and estimate the bill without credits.
3. Shut down resources you no longer need, such as test servers, idle databases and unattached storage.
4. Look for a follow-on program. Some providers offer higher tiers or new credits once you reach a funding stage or usage level.
5. If you plan to stop using a tool, export your data and cancel before the renewal date.
6. Update the Status column so the sheet reflects the decision.

Expiry often falls on an awkward date. Treat the 30-day reminder as the real deadline, and leave the final week for anything that goes wrong.