CLF-C02 Billing, Pricing, and Support Practice Question
A company has unused Reserved Instances that don't match their current infrastructure. What option allows them to recoup some cost from unused RIs?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates assume AWS offers refunds or free transfers for unused RIs, but the only cost-recovery option is selling them on the Reserved Instance Marketplace, which involves a marketplace fee and is subject to availability of buyers.
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
✓
Sell them on the Reserved Instance Marketplace
The AWS Reserved Instance Marketplace allows customers to sell unused Reserved Instances (RIs) to other AWS users, enabling them to recoup some of the upfront costs. This is the only option that directly addresses the need to recover costs from RIs that no longer match the current infrastructure, as AWS does not offer refunds or free transfers for unused RIs.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Convert them to Spot Instances
Why it's wrong here
Reserved Instances are a contractual, capacity-reserving purchase model, while Spot Instances are unused EC2 capacity offered at variable, discounted prices that can be reclaimed with short notice. There is no conversion path from RI to Spot; you cannot 'turn' an RI into Spot pricing or capacity. Only Convertible RIs can be exchanged—and only for other Convertible RIs—never for Spot Instances or any other purchasing option.
- ✓
Sell them on the Reserved Instance Marketplace
Why this is correct
Standard Reserved Instances with at least one month remaining in the term can be listed on the Reserved Instance Marketplace, where other AWS customers can buy the remaining time at the price you set. AWS handles the listing and billing, deducts a service fee from the purchase amount, and gives the proceeds to you. This is the intended mechanism for disposing of an RI you no longer need; Convertible RIs cannot be sold this way.
- ✗
Request a refund from AWS for unused RI capacity
Why it's wrong here
AWS does not refund partial or full unused Reserved Instance capacity. When you purchase an RI, you are committing to a one- or three-year term and paying for that capacity reservation, whether or not you run instances that use it. If your workloads end early, your only financially sensible option is to recover value by selling the remaining term on the RI Marketplace, not by requesting a refund from AWS.
- ✗
Transfer them to another AWS account for free
Why it's wrong here
You cannot freely transfer or gift a Reserved Instance to another AWS account. Although AWS Organizations consolidated billing allows RI discounts and capacity to be shared among accounts in the same payer account, ownership of the RI itself remains with the original purchasing account and cannot be reassigned. The only way to transfer the remaining term to a separate entity is to list the RI on the Reserved Instance Marketplace, where AWS charges a service fee for the sale.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CLF-C02 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CLF-C02 exam.