$200 in AWS Credits… Because Apparently Amazon Feels Generous Now
okay but like, what is this?
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is giving away $200 in cloud credits. No scam. No sketchy links. Just an official promo for new users that started after July 15, 2025.
Basically:
- $100 = free just for signing up
- $100 = bonus if you survive a 5-minute baby quiz
Because handing out free money is apparently cheaper than explaining what S3 is.
how to actually get it (idiot-proof version)
-
Go to aws.amazon.com
- Click “Create Account”
- New email only. Don’t recycle your cursed old one.
- Give your real info (card included, but they won’t charge… yet)
-
$100 appears like magic
- Boom. $100 in your account dashboard. No dancing required.
-
Now go take the AWS Onboarding Quiz
- It’s less “quiz” and more “read-and-click”
- Questions like “What is cloud?” (Hint: Not rain)
- You pass? Congrats, you’re now $200 fake-rich
-
Check it’s real
- Log in
- Go to Billing → Credits
- Stare at your two shiny $100 credits like they’re NFTs that actually do something
pro tips (aka “please don’t mess this up”)
- New email = new you
- Using the same old AWS account? No free lunch for you, sad cloud
- Set budget alerts
- Or prepare for a lovely surprise bill that feels like a breakup text
- Start with small stuff
- Like S3 (file storage), Lightsail, or EC2 micro servers
- If you don’t know what those are, good—now you won’t accidentally bankrupt yourself
- Don’t be that guy
- The one who launches 16 GPU servers to train a potato filter and forgets to shut them down
stack up your freebie backpack
AWS Free Tier Goodies (aka “Cloud Snacks”)
- 750 hours/month: tiny EC2 server (t2.micro)
- 5GB S3: like Dropbox, but nerdier
- 1M Lambda calls: for doing mysterious “functions” you’ll never use
- DynamoDB, CloudWatch, Route53: sounds fancy, ignore for now
AWS Educate
- aws.amazon.com/education/awseducate
- Students and teachers = free extra credits
- No credit card needed. Just your soul. (Kidding. Maybe.)
AWS Activate for Startups
- aws.amazon.com/activate
- Self-funded = $1K
- VC-funded = $100K
- Also comes with impostor syndrome
Rapid Ramp Credits
- Up to $300 bonus for short-term cloud use
- Apply on AWS site under “Free Offers”
- Think of it as caffeine for your side hustle
GenAI Accelerator
- aws.amazon.com/startups/accelerators/generative-ai
- For people building the next Skynet
- Up to $1M AWS credits
- Yes. One. Million. (That’s a lot of pretend servers.)
warning signs from the void
- Already used AWS? No soup for you
- Quiz not showing? Try clicking “Free Tier” homepage or clear browser cache like a real IT person
- Phone verification failing? Stop reusing the same number like it’s a universal skeleton key
- Under 18? Sorry kid, wait your turn or go play Roblox
- Credit card required, but you won’t get charged unless you party too hard with compute instances
reality check: stuff that might break (and how to cry less)
| Problem | Quick Fix |
|---|---|
| Second $100 didn’t show | Wait an hour or two. If it doesn’t show, try redoing the quiz or message support like a professional panicker |
| Credits missing in dashboard | Go to Billing → Credits. If empty, something’s cursed |
| You went over free tier | Set a budget alert yesterday. AWS won’t stop you from financially imploding |
| AWS Educate denied you | Try again from a different browser or device. Or wear glasses to look more academic |
final thoughts before you ruin your weekend
AWS handing you $200 in credits is like your gym giving you free sessions:
- You’ll say you’ll use it
- You’ll forget it exists
- Then one day you’ll log in and realize the cloud bill hit harder than reality
Use it. Break things. Learn stuff. But keep one hand on the off switch, and one eye on the billing page. Because the cloud is not made of rainbows. It’s made of receipts.
aws.amazon.com — click it before Bezos changes his mind
!