Azure credits are free Azure spending capacity that Microsoft provides through various programmes — for developers, partners, startups, students, and organisations in specific Microsoft relationships. Most teams are leaving money on the table because they either don't know what they're entitled to, haven't activated the credits they have, or aren't using them in the most effective way.
This page walks through each credit type, what you typically get, who qualifies, and how to make sure you're actually using what's available to you.
Types of Azure Credits
Visual Studio / MSDN Subscriber Credits
If your developers have Visual Studio subscriptions, each subscription includes a monthly Azure credit that resets every month. The amount depends on the subscription level:
Subscription level | Monthly Azure credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Visual Studio Enterprise | $150 / month | Per subscriber — does not roll over |
Visual Studio Professional | $50 / month | Per subscriber — does not roll over |
Visual Studio Test Professional | $50 / month | Per subscriber — does not roll over |
MSDN Platforms | $100 / month | Per subscriber — does not roll over |
These credits are tied to individual subscriptions — each developer activates their own Azure subscription through the Visual Studio portal. Credits do not accumulate or roll over; unused credit at the end of each month is lost.
For teams: If you have ten Visual Studio Enterprise subscribers, that's $1,500 per month of Azure capacity sitting across individual subscriptions. Most teams don't have a strategy for using this effectively. See the section below on making the most of developer credits.
Visual Studio subscriber Azure subscriptions also get Dev/Test pricing on many Azure services, which significantly reduces the cost of running development and test workloads on top of the credit itself.
Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Programme — Launch, Core and Expanded
All registered members of the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Programme receive Azure credits as part of their membership benefits, structured across three tiers. These tiers are available to partners who haven't yet achieved a Solutions Partner designation and represent the general membership benefit levels:
Tier | What it is | How it works |
|---|---|---|
Launch | Entry-level partner membership benefits | The starting point for organisations joining the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Programme. Includes a base level of Azure credits alongside other benefits such as software licences. |
Core | Mid-tier membership benefits | A step up from Launch with increased Azure credits and a broader set of benefits. Available to partners who have progressed within the programme. |
Expanded | Higher-tier membership benefits, below Solutions Partner designation level | The highest general membership tier, with the largest Azure credit allocation available before achieving a formal Solutions Partner designation. |
Credit amounts for each tier change periodically — verify your current entitlements directly in Microsoft Partner Centre under Benefits → Azure & Cloud rather than relying on any published figures that may be out of date.
Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Programme — Solutions Partner Designations
For partners who can demonstrate capability across one of the six Microsoft solution areas, achieving a Solutions Partner designation unlocks a significantly larger set of Azure benefits on top of the general membership tiers. The six designations are: Data & AI, Digital & App Innovation, Infrastructure, Business Applications, Modern Work, and Security.
Solutions Partner Azure credits are larger than the general membership tiers and reflect the deeper Microsoft investment in partners who have proven their technical capability. As with the general tiers, the specific amounts are visible in Partner Centre and should be checked there directly.
Unclaimed partner credits are very common. Whether you're on a general membership tier or hold a Solutions Partner designation, the Azure credits associated with your membership level need to be actively claimed and activated in Partner Centre. Many organisations never do this and leave significant free Azure capacity unclaimed. Log in to Partner Centre, navigate to Benefits → Azure & Cloud, and check what's available and whether it has been activated.
ISV Success Programme
Microsoft's ISV Success programme supports software companies building on Azure with a range of technical and go-to-market benefits, including Azure credits. Eligible ISVs can receive substantial Azure credit allocations — typically in the thousands of dollars — to support development and testing of their Azure-hosted products.
Eligibility and credit amounts depend on the stage of the programme you're in. If you're building a SaaS product on Azure, it's worth checking whether you qualify through the Microsoft ISV Success portal.
Azure Sponsorship
Azure Sponsorship credits are provided to organisations involved in specific Microsoft programmes — typically startups in Microsoft accelerators, academic institutions, or organisations involved in strategic Microsoft initiatives. These are not self-serve; you receive them as part of a programme relationship with Microsoft.
If you're working with a Microsoft account team or have a relationship through a Microsoft accelerator, it's worth asking what Azure Sponsorship credits might be available to your organisation.
Azure for Students
Verified students at accredited higher education institutions can access $100 of free Azure credits without needing a credit card, plus 12 months of free access to a set of popular Azure services. Credits renew annually while student status is verified.
Azure for Students is a useful learning environment for students building skills on Azure and a good option for university projects and coursework. It's not a corporate programme but worth knowing about if you're hiring graduates or supporting a student developer community.
Azure Free Account (New Customer Credits)
New Azure customers who sign up for a free account receive $200 of Azure credit to spend within the first 30 days, plus 12 months of free access to a selection of popular services at limited capacity, and a set of always-free services with no time limit.
The $200 credit is designed for exploration and learning — it's consumed quickly on production-scale workloads. The always-free services (including limited tiers of Azure Functions, Azure Storage, and Azure Cosmos DB) have ongoing value for development and small workloads.
Making the Most of Your Developer Credits
Visual Studio subscriber credits are the most commonly wasted type of Azure credit. The default behaviour — each developer activating their own individual Azure subscription and using it ad-hoc — means credits get spent inconsistently, often on duplicated resources, with no central visibility.
A better approach is to centralise the use of developer credits with some light governance:
Identify how many Visual Studio subscriptions your organisation has and at what level. This tells you the total monthly credit pool available.
Designate developer credit subscriptions for specific purposes — one for CI/CD build environments, one for developer sandbox workloads, one for proof-of-concept development. This avoids duplication and makes the credits go further.
Set up tagging and basic cost monitoring on developer subscriptions, even though the spend is "free." Resources that outlive their purpose in developer subscriptions accumulate against the credit limit and eventually generate real spend when the credit runs out.
Be aware of what the credits don't cover. Some Azure services and marketplace purchases are excluded from Visual Studio subscriber credits. Check the exclusions list before spinning up services you assume are covered.
Track credit usage and expiry. Credits expire at the end of each month. If a subscription regularly ends the month with unused credit, consider whether those workloads could be shifted there from a paid subscription.
Watch out for runaway spend after credits are exhausted. Developer Azure subscriptions with credit limits don't automatically stop when the credit runs out — if you've set up a spending limit, Azure will suspend the subscription. If you haven't, it will continue running and charge your payment method. Know your configuration before development workloads grow.
Architect's Perspective — Credits as Part of Your Cost Strategy
Map your entitlements before you plan your environment
Before you finalise how your Azure environments are structured, audit every credit source available to your organisation. Partner credits, Visual Studio credits, and any programme-specific sponsorship all represent capacity you've already paid for through membership fees, licence costs, or programme participation. Using paid subscriptions for workloads that could run on credit subscriptions is an avoidable cost.
Use credits for the right workloads
Developer and sandbox workloads are the natural home for Azure credits. Production workloads should generally sit on paid subscriptions, even if you technically could run them on credit — credits can be revoked when programme membership changes, and production environments need predictable, unconditional access to Azure capacity. The risk of a production environment suspended because a credit subscription hit its limit is not worth the saving.
Understand what's excluded
Azure credits typically exclude certain services and all Azure Marketplace charges. Support plans, third-party software deployed from the Marketplace, and some specialised services may not be covered by your credits. Check the exclusions for each credit type before relying on them to cover specific workloads.
Factor Azure credits into your partner programme decisions
If your organisation is considering progressing through the partner membership tiers or working toward a Solutions Partner designation, the increase in Azure credits at each level is a tangible financial benefit to include in the business case. It won't be the primary driver, but for smaller partners in particular it's a real offset to the cost of membership and the investment in achieving a designation.
Keep track of programme renewals
Partner credits depend on maintaining your membership level. If your membership lapses or your Solutions Partner designation is not renewed, your credits stop. Build programme renewal dates into your FinOps calendar and treat a lapse as a cost risk — workloads currently running on partner credit subscriptions will need to move to paid subscriptions or be decommissioned.
FAQ
Do Visual Studio Azure credits roll over if I don't use them?
No. Visual Studio subscriber Azure credits reset each month. Any unused credit is lost at the end of the calendar month — it does not accumulate. This means subscriptions that regularly have leftover credit represent an optimisation opportunity: workloads from paid subscriptions could potentially be moved there.
Can I use Visual Studio credits for production workloads?
Technically yes, but it's not recommended. Visual Studio subscriber subscriptions are intended for development and testing. Running production workloads on them creates reliability risk — if the subscription hits its credit limit or the developer's subscription is changed, production is affected. Keep production on paid subscriptions and use credits for dev and test.
What is the difference between Launch, Core, and Expanded partner membership?
Launch, Core, and Expanded are the general membership benefit tiers within the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Programme, available to all registered partners. Each tier includes a different level of Azure credits and other benefits such as software licences. These are distinct from Solutions Partner designations, which are a higher level of recognition for partners who can demonstrate technical capability across a specific solution area and come with their own, typically larger, Azure credit allocation.
How do I check what partner credits my organisation is entitled to?
Log in to Microsoft Partner Centre, navigate to Benefits, and look under Azure & Cloud. You'll see the Azure credit allocations associated with your current membership tier or Solutions Partner designation and whether they've been claimed and activated. Unclaimed benefits are extremely common — many partners don't realise what's available until they look.
What happens when my Azure credit runs out?
If you've enabled a spending limit on the subscription, Azure will suspend the subscription when the credit is exhausted — your resources stop running. If the spending limit has been removed (which is required to use certain services), Azure will continue running resources and charge your registered payment method. Know which configuration applies to each of your credit subscriptions before workloads grow to a size where exhaustion becomes a real risk.
Are Azure Marketplace purchases covered by credits?
Generally no. Azure Marketplace charges — third-party software, managed services from ISVs, and similar purchases — are typically excluded from Visual Studio subscriber credits and most partner credits. These charges will come out of pocket regardless of your credit balance. Check the specific exclusions for each credit type you're using.
Useful Resources
Turbo360 blog posts
Related playbook pages
Microsoft resources