Free Cloud Credits That Feel Illegal (But Aren’t)
LAZY? – What Even Is This?
- Cloud services = renting internet computers. Fancy ones. Usually expensive.
- But right now? There are 25+ ways to get them for free—like real money, but fake bills.
- You do a little sign-up dance, and they throw credits at you like you’re Oprah in disguise.
One-line hack:
New email ➜ Signup link ➜ Add promo ➜ $$$ cloud credit drops like a bad mixtape.
LOOT MAP – What You Can Snatch
Here’s the loot chest. Each of these = free credits, services, or cloud power. Most work with just an email and some mild willingness to exist.
25 “credit bombs” you can snatch right now (checked 19 – 21 Jul 2025)
Ground rules
- every deal is $0 out‑of‑pocket at sign‑up
- no recycled coupons from last time – brand‑new or newly‑boosted only
- three‑step grabs a five‑year‑old could follow
- one quick line on why the door is wide‑open
- autoplay safety tip so the “free” doesn’t boomerang into a bill
| # | Freebie & face‑value | Kid‑level 3‑step grab | Why the door’s open | Fast safety tip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AWS Free Tier + $200 |  Open a fresh AWS account →  $100 drops instantly →  finish 5 “getting‑started” tasks for another $100 |
Free‑tier overhaul announced 15 Jul 2025 – Amazon wants newbies using Bedrock & Budgets (Amazon Web Services, Inc., Amazon Web Services, Inc.) | Set a Budget alarm = $0.01 so it shuts itself off |
| 2 | DigitalOcean $200 | Hit promo link → add card (no charge) → credit shows in Billing |
Summer student/creator promo refreshed each July (Gist, Host.Promo) | 60‑day clock starts the second you create a droplet |
| 3 | Vultr $250–$300 | Sign up → paste code 250VULTRFLY → launch any VM under “Promo” |
LA‑4 datacenter launch = marketing blast (Vultr) | Expires 30 days after first VM boots |
| 4 | Linode Rise $500 (up to $120 k) | Fill 3‑min Rise form → approval email gives code → redeem in Cloud Manager |
New Akamai startup tier went live 10 Jul 2025 (Akamai) | Credits snowball as your spend grows – watch the meter |
| 5 | Google Cloud AI Startups $350 k | Register at cloud.google.com/startup/ai → upload pitch deck + EIN → credits drip over 2 yrs |
Extra $150 k AI top‑up added 3 Jul 2025 (Google Cloud) | Pair with #14 hackathon code for bonus $300 |
| 6 | AWS Activate Trainium Boost $300 k | Join Activate → tick “Trainium/Inferentia” → upload one‑page arch PDF |
New bucket for generative‑AI workloads (Amazon Web Services, Inc.) | Stackable with the basic AWS $200 above |
| 7 | Latitude.sh $200 | Create account → preload $1 (auto‑refund) → credit lands |
Quietly listed on ServerSearcher; almost no ads (ServerSearcher) | Kill the preload card after refund to avoid stray charges |
| 8 | Oracle Cloud $300 | Sign up on Free‑Tier → $0 card hold → 30‑day sandbox + always‑free ARM |
Offer lives but stays under radar compared to AWS/GCP (Oracle) | Use “always‑free” Ampere cores when trial ends |
| 9 | IBM Cloud $200 | Create Pay‑As‑You‑Go acct → open Usage → Promo → click Claim |
Doubled from $100 on 12 Jul 2025 (IBM) | 30‑day expiry – spin up once, snapshot, export |
| 10 | Scaleway RAISE – 3‑month cloud | Apply with short pitch → coupon appears if accepted → launch GPU/CPU |
EU‑dev push tied to RAISE Summit 8‑9 Jul 2025 (Scaleway) | Region‑locked to EU projects – pick Paris/AMS zones |
| 11 | Scaleway 1 M GPU‑hours | Same form, tick “GPU prize” box | VivaTech side‑contest; winners get codes mid‑Aug (Scaleway) | If you miss, you still keep the 3‑month coupon above |
| 12 | GCP Public‑Sector Hack $300 | Register (link still open) → event email code → redeem in Billing |
Post‑summit code stays valid for all registrants (Google Cloud) | Code works even if you never attend the hack |
| 13 | Cloudflare Workers – 100 k req/day + KV 100 k/day | Free Cloudflare acct → wrangler generate hello → deploy |
Free‑tier caps quietly lifted June 2025 (Cloudflare Docs, Cloudflare Docs) | Set “Usage Notifications” at 80 k to avoid throttling |
| 14 | GitHub Student Pack – Azure $100 | Verify .edu email on GitHub → open Pack dashboard → click Azure tile |
Hidden tile, not auto‑enabled (GitHub Education) | No card required – perfect burner sandbox |
| 15 | UpCloud $25 | Sign up → use promo link or code F6845X → credit shows |
Evergreen coupon many overlook (AFFNinja) | Credits never expire until you create first VM |
| 16 | Digital whiteboard Miro $1 000 | Grab coupon on Freelance‑Stack → apply under “Startup” tier → credits drop |
Added 18 Jul 2025, barely any buzz yet (Freelance Stack) | Qualify if < 30 staff & < $10 M raised |
| 17 | Notion $1 000 | Short form on XRaise blog → approval ≤ 24 h → credit auto‑applies |
Partner post went live 20 Jul 2025 (xraise.ai) | Solo‑founder counts as “startup” – just be < 5 years old |
| 18 | Airtable $1 000 | Click “Get Deal” on Secret → submit basic info → credits in workspace |
July refresh also works for existing payers (Secret Software Deals) | Works even on pro workspaces – refund hits next invoice |
| 19 | Retool $1 000 / 12 mo | Same flow as Airtable via Secret | New listing 19 Jul 2025 (Secret Software Deals) | Credit pauses when you pause the workspace – stretch it |
| 20 | Mixpanel – 1 yr Growth (≈ $50 k) | Apply via joinsecret link → choose Secret as ref → Growth plan flips free |
Quiet soft‑launch, limited seats (Secret Software Deals) | Existing free accounts can upgrade with code |
| 21 | Typeform $500 | XRaise promo page → fill startup form → credit auto‑applies |
Rolled out 20 Jul 2025 for Series A‑and‑below (xraise.ai) | Use on yearly billing – stretches the $500 longer |
| 22 | MotherDuck $500 | XRaise post → code STACKDUCK500 → apply in Billing |
Partner promo live since mid‑July (xraise.ai) | Perfect with free DuckDB local combo |
| 23 | MiningToken $100 mining power | Create wallet → SMS verify → bonus contract starts |
Relaunch press release 12 Jul 2025 (GlobeNewswire) | Treat as high‑risk; withdraw daily |
| 24 | Scaleway 1 M GPU‑hours | see #11 – separate checkbox | VivaTech side pot (end‑July results) (X (formerly Twitter)) | Winners notified by email – whitelist @scaleway.com |
| 25 | Cloud‑blocks UpCloud, DigitalOcean, Vultr Tri‑stack | Cycle the same virtual card + email alias across all three for ~$475 total | All three promos live simultaneously (see #2, #3, #15) | Track expiry in a one‑row spreadsheet – green = live, red = nuke |
Fun fact: You now have more cloud power than most 2008 startups.
PRO TIPS FOR FOOLS LIKE US
- Use a virtual card. Just in case Jeff Bezos gets greedy at 3AM.
- Stack 'em like pancakes. These credits don’t talk to each other. One email = one party.
- Set a kill-switch. You will forget. You will get billed. You will cry. Pre‑schedule your financial meltdown.
REALITY CHECK (For When You Break It)
Some codes vanish after use. Screenshot everything like a paranoid raccoon.
MiningToken? Yeah… “cloud mining” is internet gambling in a lab coat.
AWS credits = fun until your free server invites 100,000 bots overnight. Enjoy the surprise bill.
TL;DR – The ‘I’m Already Tired’ Summary
You can get $10,000+ worth of free credits by clicking stuff, lying creatively about being a startup, and avoiding actual work. It’s legal, ethical (probably), and won’t require blood sacrifice—just minor internet acrobatics.
Final ThoughtIf cloud credits were a game, this is God mode. But instead of infinite ammo, you get 30 days to host your terrible app idea before abandoning it like a pet rock.
!