# Cloud Server Billing and Rules

> **Last verified**: 2026-10-19 · 📄 Per qcode.cc

This page is for looking rules up: what a cloud server costs, how long you can buy it for, what happens at expiry, when you can get money back, and which uses are not allowed. For the buying flow see [Cloud Servers: Picking, Buying and Using](/docs/getting-started/cloud-servers).

## How long, and what it costs

There are four terms: **1, 3, 6 or 12 months**. The terms of service put it like this:

> The price shown for the size and term (1, 3, 6 or 12 months) is charged from your QCode balance. Longer terms cost less per month. The amount on the order page is what you pay.

The starting price moves with restocking and with the size, so the numbers are in the line comparison on [qcode.cc/en/cloud](https://qcode.cc/en/cloud).

## Automatic renewal

- With automatic renewal on, **one month is renewed from your balance 3 days before expiry**.
- **We remind you early if the balance is short**; if it cannot cover the renewal, the server is not renewed.
- **You can turn it off any time in the panel.**
- You can also **renew 1, 3, 6 or 12 months by hand in the panel at any time**.
- The terms of service say: renewal follows the choice you made at order time, automatic renewal charges the same balance each month, and if the balance cannot cover it, the server is not renewed.

## The 1-day trial, and how to keep it

- **A trial lasts 1 day (24 hours) and is charged for the size you pick** — it is a paid trial, billed from your balance.
- **When it ends, the server is deleted and the data is not kept.**
- **During the trial you can keep it from the panel** by picking 1, 3, 6 or 12 months, and it then stays as a normal server.
- **Each account can have only one trial server at a time.**

## What happens if you do not renew

What the page says: automatic renewal charges the same balance each month, and if the balance cannot cover it, the server is not renewed. What happens to the server and its data after the date, the page does not say.

## The refund rules (the three from the terms of service)

1. **No refund after the server is provisioned.**
2. **If provisioning fails, or the server is not delivered within 2 hours of the order, the full amount goes back to your balance.**
3. **A server shut down for breaking the acceptable use policy is not refunded.**

## Acceptable use policy

You may not use the server for any of the following:

- Spam, or bulk mail the recipient did not ask for.
- DDoS or other denial-of-service attacks.
- Scanning or probing someone else's network without permission.
- Mining.
- Storing or distributing illegal content.

**Breaking these rules shuts the server down immediately, with no refund.**

## Payment methods and balance

- **Alipay, WeChat, bank cards, and cryptocurrency** are supported.
- **Cloud servers and AI services share one account balance**; you can pay from the CNY balance or from the USD balance.
- The balance can be used for AI service and cloud servers. How to top it up is in [Payment Methods Overview](/docs/reference/payment-methods).

## Changing the line or the size

**Not yet — you cannot change the line or the size online.** Order another server if you need a different line or size.

## Related pages

- [Cloud Servers: Picking, Buying and Using](/docs/getting-started/cloud-servers) — picking a line, the 1-day trial, ordering and delivery
- [Payment Methods Overview](/docs/reference/payment-methods) — top-ups and payment methods
- [Billing](/docs/reference/billing) — per-token billing and per-model rates
- [Pay-as-you-go Packs](/docs/reference/payg-packs) — a one-time quota when you do not want a monthly plan
- [Run agents on a cloud server](/docs/usage/cloud-server-agents) — install the tools, set the key and the endpoint, keep tasks running after you disconnect