You've identified it correctly, only gp2 volumes are in-scope of Free Tier for RDS https://aws.amazon.com/rds/free/
> - 20 GB of General Purpose SSD (gp2) storage per month.
You should be able to convert youir gp3 to gp2 on-the-fly, I can't find an AWS page that explicitly says this but it was discussed at length in the answers to this question https://repost.aws/questions/QUDPKCzJclQbCwOt47lf7lFQ/changing-rds-storage-from-gp2-to-gp3
I agree that it's annoying that the setting defaults to gp3. The AWS re:Post community does not have visibility of your account, nor any billing information associated with it. To query any charges, including asking for your charges for gp3 to be waived, it is best to log a billing support call with AWS https://docs.aws.amazon.com/awsaccountbilling/latest/aboutv2/billing-get-answers.html#billing-support Answer from Steve_M on repost.aws
AWS
aws.amazon.com › databases › amazon rds › free tier
Amazon RDS and AWS Free Tier
3 days ago - In addition to these services, the AWS Management Console is available at no additional charge to help you build and manage your DB Instances on Amazon RDS. The AWS Free Tier allow you to use the product for free up to specified limits for one year from the date your account was activated.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/aws › unexpected charges on using rds my aws free tier account
r/aws on Reddit: Unexpected charges on using RDS my AWS Free Tier account
March 3, 2024 -
I was using my AWS Free Tier account for a college project that utilizes a single instance of AWS S3 and RDS services. I was conscious of the free tier limits and being charged for exceeding the limits so I read everything carefully related to free tier limits on RDS and S3.
For RDS it is:-
750 hours of Amazon RDS Single-AZ db.t2.micro, db.t3.micro, and db.t4g.micro Instances usage running MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL databases each month. If running more than one instance, usage is aggregated across instance classes.
750 hours of Amazon RDS Single-AZ db.t2.micro Instance usage running SQL Server (running SQL Server Express Edition) each month.
20 GB of General Purpose SSD (gp2) storage per month.
Free backup storage up to 100% of the total provisioned storage size of your active DB instances for a region.*
Here is my service usage and the respective cost.
As we can see the usage quantity was only 617 hrs which is very much under the free tier limits and even for the Virtual Private Cloud. I don't understand why was I charged for the VPC?
Am I missing something
Top answer 1 of 4
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Starting February 1st there’s a half penny per hour for every public IPv4 address allocated for you.
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Hi there. You're welcome to reach out to our Billing team for additional assistance by creating a case via your Support Center, here: http://go.aws/support-center . - Roman Z.
RDS Free Tier Charge
I set up my account this week, and after setting up a VPC I created an RDS instance using free tier specifications. Despite being in free tier it's still saying I will be charged "$0.115 per GB-mo... More on repost.aws
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November 7, 2024amazon web services - AWS RDS free tier: Is free usage reset every month? - Stack Overflow
I'm using AWS RDS by free tier. I created a database in January, and created another databse in February. Today morning, I got a message that I was charged 12 dollars for overusage. I checked ... More on stackoverflow.com
amazon web services - RDS console showing monthly estimated charges for Free Tier Limit in AWS - Stack Overflow
So, if that's the only RDS instance you run during the month and it qualifies for the free tier, you will not be charged. ... Sign up to request clarification or add additional context in comments. ... I created a new Postgres database on the AWS RDS free tier. More on stackoverflow.com
Unexpected charges on using RDS my AWS Free Tier account
Starting February 1st there’s a half penny per hour for every public IPv4 address allocated for you. More on reddit.com
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March 3, 2024Videos
11:45
Free MySQL database with AWS RDS Free Tier - YouTube
04:09
How do I launch an Amazon RDS database instance that's covered ...
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Week 4 - RDS Free Tier Pricing and Tips - YouTube
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Create an AWS RDS POSTGRES Database : AWS Free Tier - YouTube
11:05
How the NEW AWS Free Tier ACTUALLY works - YouTube
Amazon Web Services
aws.amazon.com › aws free tier › database
Free Databases - AWS
4 days ago - In this tutorial, you will learn ... this tutorial is free tier eligible. ... Get started with AWS Free Tier: $100 USD credits at sign-up and up to $100 USD more to earn as you explore key AWS services....
Top answer 1 of 2
1
You've identified it correctly, only gp2 volumes are in-scope of Free Tier for RDS https://aws.amazon.com/rds/free/
> - 20 GB of General Purpose SSD (gp2) storage per month.
You should be able to convert youir gp3 to gp2 on-the-fly, I can't find an AWS page that explicitly says this but it was discussed at length in the answers to this question https://repost.aws/questions/QUDPKCzJclQbCwOt47lf7lFQ/changing-rds-storage-from-gp2-to-gp3
I agree that it's annoying that the setting defaults to gp3. The AWS re:Post community does not have visibility of your account, nor any billing information associated with it. To query any charges, including asking for your charges for gp3 to be waived, it is best to log a billing support call with AWS https://docs.aws.amazon.com/awsaccountbilling/latest/aboutv2/billing-get-answers.html#billing-support
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The charge you're seeing is likely due to using GP3 storage instead of GP2 for your RDS instance. The AWS RDS Free Tier specifically includes 20 GB of General Purpose SSD (gp2) storage per month. GP3 storage is not part of the free tier offering.
When setting up an RDS instance, even if you select the free tier option, it's possible that GP3 was selected as the default storage type. This could be because GP3 is a newer and more flexible storage option that AWS may be promoting. However, to stay within the free tier, you should manually select GP2 storage during the RDS instance creation process.
To resolve this issue and ensure you're using the free tier benefits:
1. Verify that your instance is using a supported free tier instance class (db.t3.micro or db.t4g.micro for PostgreSQL).
2. Check if you're within the 750 hours per month limit for the free tier.
3. Modify your RDS instance to use GP2 storage instead of GP3.
4. Ensure you're not exceeding the 20 GB storage limit for the free tier.
If you've made these adjustments and still see unexpected charges, it would be advisable to open a support ticket with AWS to clarify the situation. They can provide specific guidance based on your account and usage details.
Remember that the free tier is designed to help you get started, but it's always important to carefully review the settings when creating resources to ensure they align with the free tier specifications.
**Sources**
Can some one confirm why RDS free tier is charged a small amount? | AWS re:Post
Do I currently have free tier / will this be covered by free tier | AWS re:Post
Hosted PostgreSQL - Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL - AWS
DEV Community
dev.to › chrisgreening › deploying-a-free-tier-relational-database-with-amazon-rds-3jd2
Deploying a free tier relational database with Amazon RDS - DEV Community
August 21, 2024 - This frees up our valuable time so we can focus on app development and not on expensive database administration. ... Amazon Free Tier is a collection of AWS' products offered under varying types of limited usage for free.
AWS
aws.amazon.com › databases › amazon rds › pricing
Managed Relational Database - Amazon RDS Pricing - Amazon Web Services
3 days ago - If you sign up for AWS Free Tier after July 15, 2025, you can choose between a Free Plan or a Paid Plan for access to RDS. Either plan will offer $100 in credits and up to an additional $100 in credits for activating foundational AWS services. Free Tier credits are valid for up to 12 months.
GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › devops › aws-rds-launching-rds-database-instance-for-free
AWS RDS - Launching RDS Database Instance for Free - GeeksforGeeks
March 28, 2023 - Step 7: For DB instance class, storage type and allocated storage leave it at default AWS Free tier values which are ... Step 8: For connectivity, database authentication and additional configuration select the option that you want or leave the default configuration. Step 9: For backup under Additional configuration uncheck enable automatic backups to avoid incurring storage fees for retaining backups of your Amazon RDS instance.
MSP360 Blog |
msp360.com › msp360 resource centre › how you can use aws free tier — databases
Amazon RDS, DynamoDB and DMS Free Tier Use-Cases
December 28, 2023 - For the Oracle database, AWS allows you to bring-your-own-license if you have already purchased the license directly from Oracle. Like EC2, Amazon RDS has a nice free tier for you to test out the service. You can run a t2.micro instance for ...
Amazon Web Services
docs.aws.amazon.com › amazon rds › getting started guide › creating an amazon rds db instance › creating your first amazon rds db instance
Creating your first Amazon RDS DB instance - Amazon Relational Database Service
For DB instance size, choose Free tier or Sandbox. Free tier appears for free plan accounts. Sandbox appears for paid plan accounts. The Free tier option lets you complete the tutorial without incurring costs, so it's ideal for learning and experimentation. If you were an AWS Free Tier customer ...
AWS
aws.amazon.com › amazon rds › amazon rds for mysql › pricing
Amazon RDS for MySQL pricing
2 days ago - The RDS for MySQL Free Tier includes 750 hours on a selection of Single-AZ instance databases, 20 GB of General Purpose SSD (gp2) storage, and 20 GB of storage for automated database backups each month for one year.
Quora
quora.com › Is-there-a-way-to-actually-have-a-free-database-on-Amazon-RDS-without-being-charged-for-compute-time-I-signed-up-for-RDS-but-see-compute-time-charges
Is there a way to actually have a free database on Amazon RDS without being charged for 'compute time'? I signed up for RDS but see 'compute time' charges. - Quora
Answer (1 of 2): If you’re still in the first twelve months of your account, then on the free tier you get RDS for free, so long as: * It’s on a single db.t2.micro instance, and; * You’re using either MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, Oracle BYOL, or SQL Server.
Top answer 1 of 2
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From the AWS documentation:
750 hours of Amazon RDS Single-AZ db.t2.micro Instance usage running MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, Oracle BYOL or SQL Server (running SQL Server Express Edition) – enough hours to run a DB Instance continuously each month
so if you run two instances, that will be a total of 1500 hours of usage, so you will be charged extra. But you can run one instance for free each month. Note that the RDS instance is part of the 12 months free tier in AWS. That means that this offer only holds for 12 months after creation of your AWS account.
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I created an AWS account and use it for several years now. Now, I was experimenting with the RDS instance (free tier) and this started to change me.
So, I believe that the free tier is only free within 12 months of the AWS account creation.
CHECK DAILY THE AWS ACCOUNT, I had another mistake earlier that cost me $300 for that.
Amazon Web Services
aws.amazon.com › aws free tier
Free Cloud Computing Services - AWS Free Tier
1 week ago - New AWS customers can get started at no cost with the AWS Free Tier. Gain $100 USD credits at sign-up and up to $100 USD more to earn as you explore key AWS services. Test drive AWS services with the Free Plan for up to 6 months.
AWS Builder Center
builder.aws.com › content › 2x3YIkmiaf7fx3C7b5LZKfVZDw4 › understanding-the-aws-free-tier-what-you-can-do-for-dollar0
Understanding the AWS Free Tier: What You Can Do for $0
May 13, 2025 - Connect with builders who understand your journey. Share solutions, influence AWS product development, and access useful content that accelerates your growth. Your community starts here.
AWS
learnaws.org › 2022 › 03 › 04 › rds-free-tier
How to use the AWS RDS free tier?
March 4, 2022 - AWS provides the RDS Free Tier as part of the AWS Free Tier to help new customers get started with a managed database service for free.
AWS
aws.amazon.com › about-aws › whats-new › 2022 › 03 › amazon-rds-free-tier-dbt3micro-graviton2-based-instances
Amazon RDS Free Tier now includes db.t3.micro, AWS Graviton2-based db.t4g.micro instances in all commercial regions - AWS
March 25, 2022 - Customers new to AWS in the past 12 months and who were in regions where db.t2.micro was not available can now create free tier db.t3.micro or db.t4g.micro instances for the remainder of their first 12 months. In addition, the latest generation of db.t3.micro and db.t4g.micro instances offers two vCPUs compared to one vCPU in db.t2.micro instances. With this announcement, new AWS customers can now gain hands-on experience with Amazon RDS using their choice of db.t2.micro, db.t3.micro, or db.t4g.micro instances for up to 750 hours monthly for 12 months.
Top answer 1 of 2
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The Amazon RDS console has no visibility into any other services you have (or will) consume during the month. It is simply showing an estimate of the costs for running the database.
The benefits of the free usage tier will be calculated separately, based upon actual usage.
So, if that's the only RDS instance you run during the month and it qualifies for the free tier, you will not be charged.
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I created a new Postgres database on the AWS RDS free tier. Everything was set up using the free tier: Amazon RDS Single-AZ db.t3.micro (details about my setting here)
And at the end of page, I`ve got this info below:
Estimated Monthly costs DB instance 13.14 USD Storage 2.30 USD Total 15.44 USD
Hope next month I will not be charged. Will reply about it soon...
AWS
aws.amazon.com › products › databases › amazon rds
Managed SQL Database - Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) - AWS
3 days ago - Amazon RDS · Get started for free with the AWS Free Tier · Easy to manage relational databases optimized for total cost of ownership · Get started with RDS · Connect with an RDS specialist · Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS) is an easy-to-manage relational database service optimized for total cost of ownership.
AWS
calculator.aws
AWS Pricing Calculator
AWS Pricing Calculator lets you explore AWS services, and create an estimate for the cost of your use cases on AWS.
AWS
aws.amazon.com › amazon rds › amazon rds for postgresql › pricing
Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL Pricing
2 days ago - The RDS for PostgreSQL Free Tier includes 750 hours on a selection of Single-AZ instance databases, 20 GB of General Purpose SSD (gp2) storage, and 20 GB of storage for automated database backups each month for one year.