Alexa Skills Kit > What's New > AWS Promotional Credits
Alexa developers have multiple options when it comes to configuring and storing their skill related code and resources. Developers with custom skills can leverage Alexa Hosted Skills (AHS) which lets Alexa store their code and resources on AWS without an AWS account. We encourage developers to choose this option as it is the fastest way to get started with developing Alexa skills.
Don’t want to configure and host your own skill back end? You also have the option to have your skill hosted by Alexa. This is the fastest way to get started developing Alexa skills. Learn More
Many Alexa skill developers currently take advantage of the AWS Free Tier through Alexa Hosted Skills, which offers AWS Lambda endpoints, Amazon S3 for media storage, Amazon Dynamo DB for persisting data and a CodeCommit repository.
Alexa developers can also build and host most Alexa skills for free directly using Amazon Web Services (AWS). To help support additional costs beyond the AWS Free Tier limits, we offer promotional credits for developers hosting their skills on AWS.
Developers with at least one publicly available non-Blueprints Alexa skill can apply to receive a one-time $25 initial AWS promotional credit, valid for one year. In subsequent months, developers may be eligible to receive a monthly credit starting at $25. Eligibility for monthly credit is evaluated based on whether a developer has at least one public non-Blueprints skill live at 11:59 pm Pacific Time (PT) on the last day of the previous month, and skill engagement. To take advantage of these credits, all you have to do is apply.
Step 1: Publish a Skill
To receive your initial $25 AWS promotional credit, you must first build and publish a skill.
Step 2: Apply
To apply, all you need is your Amazon developer vendor ID, AWS account ID, and contact information.
Step 3: Get AWS Promotional Credit
We will email you when your application has been accepted and the $25 AWS promotional credit has been applied to your account. This credit is valid for one year.
Step 4: Get More Credit Every Month
After receiving your initial $25 credit, you are automatically eligible to receive AWS promotional credit starting at $25 each month if you meet the monthly credit eligibility requirements. Eligibility is evaluated based on whether you have at least one public, non-Blueprints skill live at 11:59 pm Pacific Time (PT) on the last day of the previous month, and skill engagement. If you qualify, a monthly credit will be applied automatically to your AWS account, and the Alexa team will send you an email with the credit amount. The credit is valid until the end of the calendar month it was issued.
When this program first launched, AWS products were the only tools offered by Amazon to developers to build skills. Now, through Alexa Hosted Skills, we see an opportunity for developers to simplify skill development and architecture to focus on the customer experiences they seek to deliver.
All developers with at least one public, live non-Blueprints skill at 11:59 PM Pacific Time (PT) on the last day of the previous month who apply for the program will be eligible to receive a one-time $25 AWS promotional credit, valid for 12 months. After receiving this initial credit, eligibility for additional monthly credit starting at $25 is evaluated based on whether a developer has at least one public, non-Blueprints skill live at 11:59 pm Pacific Time (PT) on the last day of the previous month and skill engagement.
Eligible applicants will receive an initial $25 AWS promotional credit, valid for one year. After the initial credit, you may be eligible for additional monthly credits starting at $25. If you qualify for a monthly credit, the Alexa team will notify you by email to the primary communication email address on your developer account on or around the 15th of the following month. The email you receive from the Alexa team will include your credit amount. You will be able to check the credit amount on the Credits page of your AWS account.
If the skill is in the “live” publication status on the last day of the month and is available in a skills store, it qualifies as a public live skill. You can check the status of your skills in the developer console. Please note, Blueprints skills are not eligible for AWS promotional credits.
No, feel free to apply now, even before you’ve published your first skill. Once you become eligible and your application is accepted, the credit will be applied to your AWS account and the Alexa team will send an email to the primary communication email address on your developer account on or around the 15th of the following month.
To find your Vendor ID, log in to the developer console and then visit the customer details page. Your vendor ID is a unique identifier for your Alexa developer account. To find your AWS Account ID, log in to the AWS console and then visit the account details page.
No, you only need to apply once.
If you are eligible for the initial $25 AWS promotional credit, it will be automatically applied to your AWS account and is valid for one year from the date of issue. You will be notified via email on or around the 15th of the month following your acceptance into the program. For example, if your application was accepted in March, credits will be applied to your AWS account and you will be emailed in April. If you are determined to meet the eligibility requirements for monthly credits in April, additional monthly credits will be applied to your AWS account in May, which can only be used for charges incurred in May.
With the exception of the initial credit, which expires after 12 months, the AWS promotional credits expire at the end of the calendar month in which they were issued and do not accumulate. To check the expiration date of a credit, visit the Credits section of the AWS Billing and Cost Management Dashboard.
Only one AWS promotional credit per month will be given per Vendor ID, independent of the number of skills or locales associated with the account.
AWS promotional credits are non-transferrable and are intended to be used for AWS usage charges you incur for services used in connection with a live Alexa skill. Redeeming a promotional code on an unrelated AWS account is a violation of the terms and conditions and may result in loss of eligibility or forfeiture.
No. Each promotional credit code can only be redeemed once and only on one AWS account. Developers using multiple AWS accounts for one developer account can use consolidated billing with their last submitted AWS account ID, and the credit will be awarded to the last submitted AWS account ID. If you need to change the application details, you can submit the application form again and the last submitted application details will be used to apply any future credits.
Applicant eligibility is checked on the last day of each month. The developer account must have at least one public non-Blueprints skill in the live state to be considered for an AWS promotional credit.
If you have any other questions, please refer to the developer forum. For any account-specific questions, please contact us directly.
To be considered for a one-time $25 AWS promotional credit under this offer, you must apply for the offer using the form above and have a public, live Alexa skill. Blueprints skills are not eligible for this offer. Amazon will evaluate your eligiblity to receive additional AWS promotional credits under this offer based on the following as of 11:59 PM PT on the last day of the month immediately preceding the month in which you receive the promotional credit: (i) whether you have a public, live Alexa skill; and (ii) engagement of your skill. Amazon reserves the right to limit application of the promotional credits received under this offer to usage charges incurred for AWS services used in connection with a live Alexa skill, and Amazon may not offer credits in the event of fraud, misuse, or violation of these terms and conditions. Your participation in this offer is subject to the agreement between you and AWS governing your use of AWS services and the Amazon Developer Services Agreement, currently available at https://developer.amazon.com/support/legal/da. The promotional credits received under this offer are subject to the AWS Promotional Credit Terms and Conditions, currently available at https://aws.amazon.com/awscredits.
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