How to get free AWS credits in 2026: 5 programs compared

New AWS accounts get $100 in credits at sign-up. You can earn up to $100 more by exploring AWS through the activities in the Explore AWS widget, for $200 in total. Finish those activities within 6 months; the window closes early if you join an AWS Organization.

Only new AWS customers qualify, so a current or past account rules you out. Create a new account to claim them; the first $100 arrives right away.

Watch which plan you pick. The Free plan closes 6 months after sign-up or when your credits run out, whichever comes first. It covers select services only and can't receive other promotional credits, so it isn't a free service you can grow your business on.

When the Free plan ends, AWS keeps your data for 90 days. Upgrade to a Paid plan in that window or AWS erases the account. If you upgrade, your remaining Free Tier credits apply to future bills until they expire.

AWS's FAQ puts that expiry at 6 months from sign-up in some answers and 12 months in others. Plan on 6 and check the date in your Billing console.

Older guides describe a 12-month free tier with free compute on t2.micro EC2 instances. AWS's current Free Tier pages don't mention that offer, so for a new account, go by the credit-based plan above.

AWS Activate is an AWS startup program with 2 tiers you can apply for. Every applicant must be pre-Series B (no Series B round yet) and under 10 years old. Activate only allows startups on a Paid Tier Plan, so upgrade from the Free plan before you apply.

The Founders tier starts at $1,000, and select startups may get up to $5,000. It's for startup founders who bootstrap. Your company must be self-funded, have a working website and be new to Activate credits.

The Portfolio tier gives up to $200,000 to startups that have an Activate Provider Org ID. Activate Providers include accelerators, angel investors and venture capital firms in the AWS ecosystem. If your startup is affiliated with one, it can give you the Org ID for your application.

You apply for credits with an AWS Builder ID and hear back within 5-10 business days.

Once you're participating in the AWS Activate program, you also get expert guidance, go-to-market support and exclusive offers that AWS says help startups build and scale faster. You can put the credits toward eligible AWS Support plans for technical support. Activate's pages don't mention early access to new services, so don't count on it.

AWS Credits for AI Startups offers $200,000+ in credits, but it is invite-only, for startups ready to scale past Portfolio.

AWS EdStart, an AWS accelerator program for startups in the education sector, no longer has its own page. Its old address now leads to AWS for Startups, so edtech founders should look at Activate instead.

Cloud Credit for Research gives graduate and PhD students up to $5,000 in credits, and faculty awards have no cap. You apply with a research proposal.

AWS reviews proposals on a rolling basis, and a review usually takes 90-120 days. Credits under this program expire 1 year after you receive the code or AWS deposits them, whichever comes first.

For other students, AWS Educate is free from age 13 and needs only an email address, no credit card. Its free hands-on labs let you practice cloud skills, and it's built for beginners rather than working cloud practitioners. AWS Academy gives students 12 months of AWS Skill Builder. Neither program's page mentions credits, so treat both as training.

The Nonprofit Credit Program provides free credits worth up to $5,000, with one grant per fiscal year. Eligible 501(c) nonprofits and public libraries apply through TechSoup; schools and universities can't apply. Plan on the credits lasting 1 year.

The AWS Imagine Grant's top awards include up to $100,000 in credits, but AWS lists its 2026 application cycle as closed.

Hackathons

The Build, Ship, Shape: Amazon Developer Hackathon on Devpost pays part of its prizes in AWS credits, up to $15,000 for a first-place track winner. Entries close October 23, 2026.

Credits for open-source projects

AWS provides promotional credits to projects that have an OSI-approved license and are neither dominated by a single vendor nor VC-funded. To apply, email AWS's application form to awsopensourcecredits@amazon.com; AWS reviews applications monthly. The latest AWS post on the program is from March 31, 2025.

AWS Proof of Concept Program

In Hong Kong, an undated AWS page lets businesses with a valid AWS account apply for up to $1,500 in credits to build and test on AWS; AWS decides the final amount. Elsewhere, reach out to AWS sales with your account and PoC details and ask whether AWS teams in your region offer something similar.

Perk marketplaces and startup communities

Perk marketplaces also list AWS Activate deals. With companies like Secret and FounderPass, an AWS partner they don't name decides approval, and neither says it is an Activate Provider or hands out Org IDs. Secret's deal requires at least $100 a month of AWS spend; FounderPass quotes 10 to 40 days for approval.

Older lists also name ExtraCrunch by TechCrunch and Y Combinator's Startup School. ExtraCrunch became TC+ in 2021, and TechCrunch later announced it was winding TC+ down. The YC course is free and online, but its homepage doesn't mention AWS credits.

Credits pay for eligible AWS services on your bill, whether they run a test workload or the build servers in a DevOps pipeline. Obtaining AWS credits takes minutes for new accounts, 5-10 business days for Activate, and 90-120 days for research credits.

Under the Promotional Credit Terms & Conditions, AWS promotional credits have no cash value, and you can't sell, transfer or buy them.

Credits don't pay for various services and fees, including AWS Marketplace, Enterprise Support, Professional Services, Training, Certification, Route 53 domain registration and crypto mining. They also don't cover upfront fees for Savings Plans and Reserved Instances.

Each credit code works once, on one account, and you can't combine it with other AWS offers unless AWS allows it. Credits not redeemed by their expiration date are forfeited.

• Staying on the Free plan when you want other credits. It can't receive credits from other programs, and Activate requires a Paid Tier Plan.
• Letting the Free plan lapse. You get 90 days to upgrade before AWS erases the account and its data.
• Joining an AWS Organization too soon. It ends your window for the Free Tier activity credits early.
• Buying credits from a third party. Credits sold for cash or other consideration are void.
• Opening extra accounts to collect credits. AWS voids credits on an account opened just to get them.
• Leaving test AWS resources running. When you finish experimenting with new services, shut them down, or they keep drawing on your credits.

• Starting your AWS journey: create an account and finish the Explore AWS activities to reach $200.
• Self-funded startup: move to a Paid plan, make sure your website works, and apply for the Founders tier with your AWS Builder ID.
• Backed by an accelerator or VC that is an Activate Provider: ask it for your Org ID and apply for Portfolio.
• Graduate student or nonprofit: draft your research proposal or start your nonprofit application.