Azure Free Trial Guide 2026: How to Maximize Your $200 Credit in 30 Days
New Azure users receive a $200 promotional credit, yet it expires after just 30 daysโfar shorter than GCPโs 90-day free credit window, and the two platforms feature vastly different usage rules. Many users spin up random VMs upon claiming their credit, only to realize after the 30-day window that the 12-month complimentary B1s VM tier is not fully zero-cost. Supplementary resources including disk storage, public IP addresses and outbound data transfers all incur separate charges. Worse still, if users fail to delete their resources once the 12-month free period elapses, the B1s virtual machine itself will start billing at standard pay-as-you-go rates. This article fully unpacks Azureโs three-layer free offering structure, highlights the most common costly pitfalls users encounter, and shares actionable strategies to maximize the value of your $200 credit within its 30-day validity period.