Guaranteed Buyback

How It Works

When Usage AI purchases Savings Plans, Reserved Instances, or Committed Use Discounts on a customer’s behalf, it owns the commitment. If the customer’s usage drops and that commitment goes partially or fully unused, Usage AI covers the shortfall through a combination of cashback payments and credits. The customer receives real money back, not just platform credits locked to a single vendor. No action is required from the customer’s side. The protection applies automatically to every commitment purchased through the platform.

Why It Matters for Cloud Cost

The standard risk with cloud commitments is that usage rarely matches forecasts perfectly. A team that scales down after a product launch, loses a contract, or migrates workloads can end up paying for reserved capacity it no longer needs, with no recourse from the cloud provider. Without a protection mechanism like Guaranteed Buyback, a company is exposed to the full cost of that unused commitment for the remainder of its term. With it, the downside is removed, and commitment-based discounts become a pure upside decision rather than a calculated gamble.

Key Characteristics

• Cashback payments are real money, not credits locked to a single cloud vendor or platform.
• The buyback applies to the slightest underutilization, not just complete abandonment of a commitment.
• Coverage is automatic and applies across AWS, GCP, and Azure commitments managed by Usage AI.
• The protection is built into the Usage AI model rather than offered as a separate add-on or insurance product.

How Usage AI Handles This

Guaranteed Buyback is a core protection built into every commitment Usage AI manages, covering Usage Flex Savings Plans, Usage Flex DB Savings Plans, and Usage Flex Reserved Instances across AWS, GCP, and Azure with $0 upfront and 1-year terms only.

See how Usage AI saves 30 to 50% on AWS, GCP, and Azure.

Common Questions

1. What triggers the Guaranteed Buyback protection?

Any underutilization of a commitment purchased through Usage AI triggers the buyback. The protection is not limited to large gaps between committed and actual usage. Even minor shortfalls are covered through cashback plus credits.

2. Is the buyback paid in cash or cloud credits?

Usage AI provides both cashback and credits for any underutilization. Cashback is real money that can be used anywhere, unlike platform or vendor credits that are tied to a specific cloud or tool. This distinction matters when comparing to other commitment management offerings that provide credits only.

3. Does Guaranteed Buyback apply on all three cloud providers?

Yes. Usage AI manages commitments across AWS, GCP, and Azure, and the buyback protection applies to all commitments purchased through the platform regardless of provider. AWS calls these Savings Plans and Reserved Instances. Azure calls them Reservations and Savings Plans. GCP calls them Committed Use Discounts.