# Underutilized RDS Commitment Due to Workload Drift

Canonical: https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/underutilized-rds-commitment-due-to-workload-drift

[Cloud Efficiency Hub](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub) 

# Underutilized RDS Commitment Due to Workload Drift

## Explanation

RDS workloads often evolve - changing engine types, rightsizing instances, or shifting to Aurora or serverless models. When these changes occur after Reserved Instances have been purchased, the existing commitments may no longer match active usage. This results in silent overspend, as underutilized RIs continue billing without offsetting usage.

Unlike Convertible EC2 RIs, RDS RIs cannot be exchanged. Selling unused RDS RIs is not supported. In rare cases, AWS Support may approve a goodwill adjustment, but this is not guaranteed. The most effective way to recover value is to steer eligible workloads back toward the reserved configuration.

## Relevant Billing Model

- Standard RDS Reserved Instances are billed hourly regardless of instance usage

- RIs are tied to specific configurations and cannot be modified once purchased

- If RDS usage patterns change or migrate away from covered configurations, the RI continues to accrue cost without providing benefit

## Detection

- Identify underutilized RDS Reserved Instances using billing and utilization data

- Break down the instance classes, engines, and regions with low or zero usage

- Trace whether existing workloads have moved off those configurations - and why

- Quantify the cost of unused commitment to prioritize remediation

## Remediation

- Evaluate whether current or new workloads can run on the reserved instance types

- Prioritize launching new RDS instances that align with the unused commitment

- Where feasible, upgrade or shift workloads to covered instance classes while monitoring performance and future fit

- Document changes made to consume the commitment and reassess once the reservation expires

- In rare cases, contact AWS Support to request a reservation adjustment - note that approval depends on RI type, remaining term, and value parity

## Relevant Documentation

- [AWS RDS Reserved Instances](https://aws.amazon.com/rds/reserved-instances/)

- [RDS Pricing](https://aws.amazon.com/rds/pricing/)

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## At a glance

Reference

CER-0030

Cloud provider

AWS

Service

AWS RDS

Category

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

Inefficiency type

Overcommitted Reservation

## Contributed by

- Jason DiDomenico 

### Jason DiDomenico

Director of FinOps @ Discover Financial Services

[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasondidomenico/)

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