How do you actually get AWS credits?
Hey folks,
I’m building SaaS product on a ramen budget. The painful surprise? My burn on “must‑have” SaaS and Cloud is eclipsing what I can put into marketing and product.
I keep hearing legends about founders stacking thousands in AWS credits or discounts. But every blog post feels dated or locked behind an accelerator gate.
If you’ve personally snagged legit credits (not referral spam), could you share:
Which programs or partners did you use—incubators, VCs, perk platforms, or direct “startup plans”?
Any unconventional hacks (cold‑emailing account reps, timing upgrades around promos, bundling with other tools, etc.)?
Gotchas—minimum funding raised, docs they ask for, hidden renewal cliffs?
Help a fellow bootstrapper keep the lights on—and maybe save a few dollars in this thread too 🙏
Replies
App Finder
For AWS, you can get $1k immediately, for more you need to use the service of a partner of AWS. I think there is no complete list of those so you must search. With most you get $5k, for more you probably need to participate in an accelerator program. I got $5k via Revolut after opening business account there.
For Azure you can get $1k, $5k, or $25k directly. For $5k you need to have a company registered, for $25k you need to submit a product demo video additionally. I got $5k so far without a problem.
@konrad_sx Solid info, thanks. Did Revolut just give the AWS credits by default or was it part of some promo? (as I know they closed those perks center) And how long did Azure take to approve yours? Thinking of trying that route too.
App Finder
@bohdan_zahriia The AWS credits were available in the Rewards section of the Revolut app, but AWS is not listed here anymore, maybe they've discontinued it. Azure took ~2 weeks I think because of an issue on their side, normally is should just take a few days.
@konrad_sx Thanks for sharing. Seems like no tough requirements to fill for AWS.
I was getting ads from Google cloud credits but lots of regulations.
There are some offers for start-ups on the market, like credits for cloud service. Cloud companies want to bring in smaller customers, so they give out these credits. It’s just a part of their expansion strategy. As your business grows with one cloud service, you end up spending more, sticking with them, and making a profit.The same goes for CRM systems, and task managers - a lot of discounts there. You upload your data, and then it’s harder to switch later on. I can share some tips on negotiating, it is not so hard to improve your terms, honestly
@sofiia_kunakh Thanks, I'm in!
X Space Repurposer
Hey! Also a SaaS founder here. Got the first $1K & $5K just by applying to their startup program - pretty easy. Then scored another $25K through Intercom's startup perks hub. Initially got the Intercom perk through our incubator partnership.
For the next round, they want to see you've raised funding. Pro tip: take credits tier by tier - don't jump from $5K to $25K like we did (we had no choice). If you skip tiers, you can't get the smaller credits later.
@sheidmirj appreciate it! Didn’t even know Intercom had a perks hub — gonna check that out. And yeah, good call on the tier thing. You can apply only when you spent previous credits?
@sheidmirj Thanks for sharing. How long did it last for your startup?
Built a quick MVP and applied for AWS Activate. They asked for a few links and boom, $1k in credits within days.
I've seen them offered as part of other programs, I.e. Google just did a series, called Startup School I think, and awarded credits to attendees who completed the program. Good luck!
@leah_madden thanks, I'll check it. Do they have any preferences in funding stages or industries?
If you haven't incorporated yet, Stripe Atlas and Doola both give AWS credits as a perk
@steveb That's a great point, thanks for sharing. I hadn't considered the aws credits perk from them. Do you have any insights on which one offers better credit terms or any tips on making the most out of those credits?
App Finder
@steveb @bohdan_zahriia Startfleet also has AWS credits, and I think their service is less expensive than Doola
In our case, it was a perk of our startup school.
@adam_lab which one?
@bohdan_zahriia In my case it was STING in stockholm.
Purposeful Poop
Honestly I didn't realize this was a game people played, but it makes sense. I've got a few hundred dollars when a rep reached out to me directly, but never much beyond that. 5k and > would be some serious runway for most boot-strappers I imagine.
Thanks for posting up, I learned a lot from this.
I joined an accelerator and they handed out AWS credits like candy.
Nautical Calculator
Does it have to be AWS for your SaaS? Google offers free VPS, and I have at least a dozen services running on Google App Engine. Total cost: under $2 per month.
@viktorbresan That's great knowledge to have, lol. I suppose it's the VMs they advertise on Compute Engine?
Got mine through Stripe Atlas perks just used my dashboard and applied.