# AWS Is Handing Out $100 – But It’s a Trap (Kind of)

**URL:** <https://onehack.st/t/aws-is-handing-out-100-but-it-s-a-trap-kind-of/308388>\
**Category:** Tutorials & Methods\
**Tags:** freebies, cloud-storage, hosting\
**Created:** [July 13, 2025, 5:45pm UTC](https://onehack.st/t/aws-is-handing-out-100-but-it-s-a-trap-kind-of/308388 "2025-07-13T17:45:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![SRZ](https://onehack.st/user_avatar/onehack.st/srz/32/146132_2.png) [@SRZ](https://onehack.st/u/SRZ)\
**Post date:** [July 13, 2025, 5:45pm UTC](https://onehack.st/t/aws-is-handing-out-100-but-it-s-a-trap-kind-of/308388/1 "2025-07-13T17:45:13Z")

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# 💸 New AWS Accounts = Free $100? Yup. But read on.

If you make a **brand-new AWS account AFTER July 15, 2025** , you get:

- **$100 credit right away** (no code, no begging)
- **Another $100** if you do a few tasks they call “quests” (yes, it’s a side quest now)
- Enough cloud power to feel like a hacker… until the bill shows up

 ![image](https://onehack.st/uploads/default/original/3X/6/8/685571ce82892168a8342368b68479111b5c2ee6.jpeg)

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⚙ 🫏 Lazy fcks…  
New AWS account → Boom: $100 credit → Do silly tasks → More credit → Use carefully → Don’t cry later

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## 🚨 What Changed (aka: Why This Suddenly Matters)

| Before | Now (Post-15 July 2025) |
| --- | --- |
| 12-month Free Tier with limits | $100 credit as default, no guessing |
| All accounts same | Now: **Free Plan** or **Paid Plan** |
| You begged for credits | Now they just hand you some, like candy with a warning label |

👉 AWS got tired of explaining the Free Tier. Now they just throw money at you and hope you trip over their services.

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## 👶 Sign-Up in 5 Minutes (Even if You’re Half-Asleep)

1. Use:
  - A fresh email (never used with AWS)
  - A phone that gets texts
  - A card (they do a $1 “we’re just checking” charge)

2. Go to: [https://aws.amazon.com/free](https://aws.amazon.com/free) → Click **Create Free Account**
3. Fill in your info, confirm email
4. Choose account type (Personal or Business)
5. Add your card → Enter SMS code
6. Choose:
  - **Free Plan** (limited, auto-shuts down in 6 months)
  - **Paid Plan** (unlocks more services, but danger lurks)

7. Done! Go to **Billing → Credits**  
👉 See your $100 waiting for you like a nervous gift card

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## 🧩 The “Quest” System (No, You’re Not in a Video Game)

Want another $100? Just do these basic tasks:

| Task | Credit | How to Trigger |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Start + stop an EC2 instance | $15 | Use “Explore AWS” in dashboard |
| Try Bedrock Playground | $15 | Same place |
| Set up a Budget Alert | $10 | Also there |
| Make a “Hello World” Lambda | $10 | You guessed it |
| Launch a baby-size RDS database | $20 | Yep, again there |
| Do any AWS Skill Builder lab | $30 | Separate learning portal |

🧠 Credits take about a day to appear. All credits vanish after 12 months.

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## 🧠 How to Make That $200 Last Longer

- **Use “Always Free” stuff:** S3, Lambda, DynamoDB, etc. → won’t touch your credits
- **Use SageMaker Studio Free Tier:** 250 hours of free ML lab time (without spending your credits)
- **PartyRock = Free Bedrock-like playground:** No card, no charge, and no stress
- **Set a $0.01 Budget Alert:** So AWS emails you _before_ it ruins your day
- **STOP your EC2s when not using them:** Otherwise it’s like leaving the oven on
- **Spot/Burstable Instances:** Use them to stretch your credits like leftover pizza
- **Delete leftovers:** Volumes, Elastic IPs—anything not attached keeps billing like a haunted fridge

* * *

## 🧨 Hidden Tricks (That Actually Work)

- **Free Plan still gives you $100** → but has limits (blocks certain services)
- **Paid Plan gives you everything** → and you still get the $100 (but now you have real risk)
- **Use SageMaker JumpStart:** One-click AI demos (Llama, Mixtral, Falcon) that run inside free tier
- **Stack even more credits later:**
  - Apply for AWS Activate (startups)
  - Or AWS Educate (students)

- **Billing → Credits page = your scoreboard**  
It shows how much you’ve used and when your credits will go poof

* * *

## 😬 Things That Can Go Horribly Wrong

| Mistake | What Happens | What You Should’ve Done |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Forgetting to delete RDS | Surprise bill from nowhere | Set auto-delete or don’t use RDS at all |
| Free Plan hits 6 months | Account vanishes like a bad date | Upgrade before 6 months is up |
| Using blocked services | Some won’t let you use credits | Read the fine print like a lawyer on espresso |

* * *

## 🆓 Just Want Free AI Without the Stress?

Here’s the shortcut:

1. Go to [https://partyrock.aws](https://partyrock.aws)
2. Sign up (no card)
3. Use daily free tokens to build chatbots, image gen, text tools

✅ No billing, no alerts, no anxiety attacks. Just play.

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## 🔚 Final Thoughts (AKA: Welcome to Cloud Capitalism)

AWS is like a rich friend who lends you $100 and says, “Don’t worry, it’s on me.”  
Then adds: “But if you use it wrong, I’ll repossess your dreams.”

Use it. Don’t abuse it. And for the love of uptime, set that budget alert.

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**Useful Links Dump (100% Working, No Fake Buttons)**

- [https://aws.amazon.com/free](https://aws.amazon.com/free)
- [https://dev.to/cloud\_man/new-aws-free-tier-updates-after-july-15-2025-what-you-need-to-know-3m36](https://dev.to/cloud_man/new-aws-free-tier-updates-after-july-15-2025-what-you-need-to-know-3m36)
- [https://freetier.co/articles/aws-free-tier-changes-july-15-2025](https://freetier.co/articles/aws-free-tier-changes-july-15-2025)
- [https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/introducing-new-partyrock-capabilities-and-free-daily-usage/](https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/introducing-new-partyrock-capabilities-and-free-daily-usage/)
- [https://aws.amazon.com/sagemaker/pricing](https://aws.amazon.com/sagemaker/pricing)
- [https://aws.amazon.com/bedrock/pricing](https://aws.amazon.com/bedrock/pricing)
- [https://docs.aws.amazon.com/awsaccountbilling/latest/aboutv2/free-tier.html](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/awsaccountbilling/latest/aboutv2/free-tier.html)
- [https://aws.amazon.com/startups/credits](https://aws.amazon.com/startups/credits)
- [https://aws.amazon.com/education/awseducate/](https://aws.amazon.com/education/awseducate/)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Aina](https://onehack.st/user_avatar/onehack.st/aina/32/167469_2.png) [@Aina](https://onehack.st/u/Aina)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 4:16am UTC](https://onehack.st/t/aws-is-handing-out-100-but-it-s-a-trap-kind-of/308388/2 "2025-07-14T04:16:32Z")

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Thank you so much for sharing, very informative and useful content ❤