AWS Free Tier: What's Free for 12 Months?

A new AWS customer wants to explore AWS services for the first time. They launch a t2.micro EC2 instance and use up to 5 GB of Amazon S3 storage. They want to understand if these will incur charges. Which AWS programme provides limited free usage of many services for new accounts during the first 12 months?

Quick Answer

The answer is the AWS Free Tier, which is the correct choice because it provides new AWS customers with limited free usage of select services—such as t2.micro EC2 instances and up to 5 GB of Amazon S3 storage—for the first 12 months after account creation, as long as they stay within the defined usage limits. This program is designed specifically to let users explore AWS services without incurring charges, making it the exact match for the scenario described. On the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 exam, this concept tests your understanding of the AWS Free Tier 12 months limits and how they apply to common services like EC2 and S3; a frequent trap is assuming all services are free or that the Free Tier lasts indefinitely. A strong memory tip is to remember the "12-month rule" for new accounts: t2.micro EC2 (750 hours/month) and 5 GB of S3 standard storage are the classic free-tier benchmarks, so if you see those numbers, think "Free Tier."

⚠ Common exam trap

It's easy for candidates to confuse the AWS Free Tier with promotional credits or support plans, mistakenly thinking that any new account automatically receives free usage through credits or that support plans include free service usage, rather than recognizing the Free Tier as the specific program with defined limits and duration.

Answer choices

Why each option matters

Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.

Correct answer & explanation

✓

AWS Free Tier

The AWS Free Tier is designed specifically for new AWS customers, offering limited free usage of select services—including t2.micro EC2 instances and 5 GB of Amazon S3 storage—for the first 12 months after account creation. This program allows users to explore AWS services without incurring charges, as long as they stay within the defined usage limits. The scenario matches the Free Tier's eligibility criteria exactly, making option B correct.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

✗
AWS Enterprise Support
Why it's wrong here
Enterprise Support is a paid support tier billed as a percentage of monthly AWS spend, so it grants no free service usage. It is tempting because it provides technical account management and 15-minute response times, which suits large production workloads needing rapid escalation, not a new customer exploring free tiers.
✓
AWS Free Tier
Why this is correct
The AWS Free Tier provides 12 months of limited free service usage for new accounts. It includes 750 hours/month of t2.micro or t3.micro EC2 and 5 GB of S3 Standard storage, among many other services.
✗
AWS Credits Programme
Why it's wrong here
AWS Credits are promotional monetary offsets applied to an account's bill, not a programme granting limited free usage of many services for 12 months. They are tempting because they do reduce charges, and they suit startups or migration projects awarded credits through Activate or partner programmes.
✗
Reserved Instance discount
Why it's wrong here
Reserved Instances are a billing discount for committing to one- or three-year capacity, so they reduce steady-state compute cost rather than grant free usage. They are tempting because they cut EC2 and RDS spend substantially, which suits predictable long-running production workloads, not a new account's first 12 months.

Quick reference

AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison

Storage Class	Min Duration	Retrieval	Use Case
S3 Standard	None	Immediate	Frequently accessed data
S3 Standard-IA	30 days	Immediate	Infrequent access, rapid retrieval
S3 One Zone-IA	30 days	Immediate	Non-critical infrequent data
S3 Intelligent-Tiering	None	Immediate–hours	Unknown or changing access patterns
S3 Glacier Instant	90 days	Milliseconds	Archive with instant retrieval
S3 Glacier Flexible	90 days	Minutes–hours	Archive, flexible retrieval
S3 Glacier Deep Archive	180 days	Hours	Long-term compliance archive

Go deeper

1 more way this is tested on CLF-C02

These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.

Variation 1. What does the AWS Free Tier offer to new AWS customers?

easy

A.Unlimited free usage of all AWS services forever
✓ B.Free usage of certain services up to specified limits for 12 months
C.Free usage only for the first month after signup
D.Free usage for all services with a credit card on file

Why B: The AWS Free Tier is designed to allow new customers to explore and experiment with AWS services at no cost for the first 12 months after sign-up. It includes specific usage limits per service (e.g., 750 hours of Amazon EC2 t2.micro instances per month, 5 GB of Amazon S3 standard storage, etc.), after which standard pay-as-you-go rates apply. This helps customers gain hands-on experience without upfront financial commitment.