Azure billing shows VM charges under deleted subscription, credit active, payment method removal blocked

Hello.

I need help understanding an Azure billing issue.

My Azure billing page shows an active Azure startup sponsorship credit of $1,000, valid from 12.05.2026 to 10.08.2026, with balance $1,000. It also shows Amount due $0.00 and Payment not required.

However, Cost Management shows about $34.50 current charges for Virtual Machines under subscription /subscriptions/729d8bcd-323e-4650-9136-477387c00ffe.

When I try to open this subscription, Azure Portal returns:

404 Resource not found

I have no active subscriptions and no active resources visible in the portal.

I have several questions:

Does 404 Resource not found mean the subscription/resources are fully deleted, or can billing charges still appear after deletion?

Will the current VM charges be covered by the active Azure startup sponsorship credit?

Why might one Azure billing page show $1,000 sponsorship credit available, while another section says remaining credits are $0.00?

Why can Azure still block payment method removal because of pending charges if the billing page shows Amount due $0.00?

How can I create a real Azure Billing Support request if the support portal only shows recommended articles/diagnostics and does not let me proceed?

I am not asking for technical VM support. This is a billing and credit application issue.