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A lot of people don't realize that Reserved Instnaces don't show up on your monthly invoice. So once every 3 years you're hit by a large bill for RI renewal.

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"Reserved Instances" is a poison that every AWS user must be aware of.

Figuring out how/if it's used is really convoluted. And getting out early is a pain.

You can choose how to setup your billing for reserved instances.

> You can choose to pay for your Reserved Instance upfront, partially upfront, or monthly

source: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/concepts...

You get the best discount by paying fully upfront. If you do this, the AWS bill doesn't show the RI on your monthly bill what-so-ever. Leading to a suprise 3 years down the road.

And more importantly you're engaged to pay for the full year no matter which option you pick, with (almost) no possibility to cancel.

Long story short, only play 1 year full upfront.

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