Use committed billing for a cluster

A committed plan bills a node at a committed price for a fixed term instead of by the minute. In a cluster, committed pricing is for the master node and for static pools; an autoscaling pool is always billed by the minute. You can choose a committed plan when you create the cluster or add the pool, or convert later.

The full committed cost is charged up front: deducted from your infra credits on a prepaid account, or charged to your postpaid account. For current prices and the saving on each term, see E2E’s pricing page.

Before you begin

• The master node or the pool you want to commit is on hourly billing.
• The pool has the size you need, since a committed pool keeps its size for the term.
• On a prepaid account, you have infra credits for the full committed price of every node you commit.
• If you are a team member, your role has the update permission for Kubernetes.

Choose a committed plan when you create

• For the master node, choose a committed card under Plan on the create form, such as 3 Months.
• For a static pool, choose a committed term under Billing Plan in the pool’s drawer.

Either way, choose what happens when the term ends on its date: Auto-renew the committed plan: or Switch to hourly billing at the base rate of . For the master node, auto-renew is selected by default.

When you click Create Cluster, Committed Plans Confirmation (K8s) opens first. It lists each committed item with its plan, its end-of-term setting, and its end date. Check the box to agree that the full committed cost is deducted from your infra credits, or charged to your postpaid account, and click Proceed. The full form is in Create a cluster.

Convert the master node or a pool

Converting needs the cluster or the pool to read Running or Warning.

1. In MyAccount, under Compute, click Kubernetes.
2. Click Convert to Committed:
   • For the master node, in the cluster’s row actions or on the cluster’s page.
   • For a static pool, on the pool’s panel on the Node Pool tab.
3. Committed Master Node Conversion or Committed Node Pool Conversion opens. Choose a plan in Choose committed option, and click Convert.

The master node, or every node in the pool, converts, with auto-renewal on. E2E emails you when the conversion is done.

Choose what happens when the term ends

Once the master or a pool is committed, Convert to Committed becomes Committed Cluster Settings for the master and Committed Node Pool Settings for a pool. Each offers two end-of-term choices:

• Auto-renew the committed period, with the committed plan to renew on. Take it to keep the committed price for another term.
• Apply hourly billing as per the base rate of the plan. Take it when you plan to resize or delete the nodes after the term.

A new setting takes effect when the current committed period ends. At the end of a term set to auto-renew, a prepaid account needs infra credits for the whole master’s or pool’s renewal; otherwise all of those nodes move to hourly billing instead. E2E emails you either way.

Check the committed plan

• For the master node, Cluster Details shows Committed Plan, Committed Period End On, and Committed Node Settings.
• For a pool, its panel shows the same three.

Your master node or pool stays committed until Committed Period End On, then follows its end-of-term setting. For a committed cluster, pool, or node, an early delete keeps the committed term’s charge. If a conversion is refused, see Troubleshooting Kubernetes.