# Reduced Correction Window When Purchasing AWS Savings Plans Late in the Month

Canonical: https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/reduced-correction-window-when-purchasing-aws-savings-plans-late-in-the-month

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# Reduced Correction Window When Purchasing AWS Savings Plans Late in the Month

## Explanation

This inefficiency occurs when Savings Plans are purchased within the final days of a calendar month, reducing or eliminating the ability to reverse the purchase if errors are discovered. Because the refund window is constrained to both a 7-day period and the same month, late-month purchases materially limit correction options. This increases the risk of locking in misaligned commitments (e.g., incorrect scope, amount, or term), which can lead to sustained underutilization and unnecessary long-term spend.

## Relevant Billing Model

Savings Plans are billed as a fixed hourly commitment. AWS allows refunds for Savings Plans with commitments under $100/hour, but refunds are only permitted within 7 calendar days of purchase and within the same calendar month.

## Detection

- Review the timing of Savings Plan purchases relative to month-end

- Identify commitment purchases made within the final 7 days of a month

- Assess whether review and validation processes allow sufficient time for correction

## Remediation

- Establish an internal cutoff that avoids Savings Plan purchases late in the month

- Incorporate purchase date as a required validation check during commitment reviews

- Plan commitment actions earlier in the month to preserve the full correction window

## Relevant Documentation

[https://docs.aws.amazon.com/savingsplans/latest/userguide/sp-managing.html](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/savingsplans/latest/userguide/sp-managing.html)

[https://aws.amazon.com/savingsplans/faq/](https://aws.amazon.com/savingsplans/faq/)

[Submit Feedback](https://hub.pointfive.co/inefficiencies/reduced-correction-window-when-purchasing-aws-savings-plans-late-in-the-month)

## At a glance

Reference

CER-0285

Cloud provider

AWS

Service

AWS EC2

Category

[Compute](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/service-category/compute)

Inefficiency type

Commitment risk due to timing constraints

## Contributed by

- ### Benjamin

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Source: the public page above. Product screenshots and illustrative interfaces are examples, not live customer data.