Free Credit is gone after switching to pay-as-you-go model

If the upgrade completed before the end of day 30 and unused credit remained, create an Azure billing support request to have Microsoft review and, where appropriate, restore or adjust the credit.

Azure documents that upgrading a free account to pay-as-you-go preserves the remaining credit until 30 days after the original signup date; upgrading does not extend that expiration date.^1^

Submit the billing request

1. In the Azure portal, open Help + support.
2. Select New support request.
3. Choose an issue type related to Billing or Subscription management.
4. Select the affected pay-as-you-go subscription.
5. State that:
   • The subscription originated as an Azure free account.
   • The pay-as-you-go upgrade completed before the 30-day expiration.
   • Unused credit disappeared immediately after the upgrade.
6. Include:
   • Original free-account signup date and time.
   • Upgrade date and time.
   • Credit balance shown before the upgrade.
   • Screenshots or emails confirming those details.
   • Any charges incurred after the credit disappeared.

Billing and subscription-management support is available without purchasing a technical support plan.^2^

Check what happened before submitting

Do not rely solely on Cost Analysis to determine whether the credit exists. Cost Analysis shows estimated and historical costs but might not include credits, taxes, refunds, or other billing adjustments.^3^

Check these two conditions:

• Thirty days have not elapsed since signup. Any unused promotional credit expires at the end of that original 30-day period, even after upgrading.^4^
• The credit was not already consumed. Charges for nonfree Azure resources during the trial are deducted from the promotional balance. Third-party Marketplace purchases are excluded from the free credit.^4^

If either condition explains the zero balance, the credit generally has not been lost because of the upgrade. Otherwise, only Azure billing support can inspect the account’s billing records and apply any necessary correction; a credit cannot be manually restored from the portal.

References

1. Upgrade your Azure free account or Azure for Students Starter account
2. Create an Azure support request
3. Get started with Cost Management reporting
4. Create services included with Azure free account