IBM Cloud Free Tier

Who qualifies

• Offer valid for net‑new accounts.​
• Credits expire after 90 days and must be used within that period
• Lock in savings for ongoing use for as low as UDS 10/TB a month for new workloads
• ​Promotion valid for new clients

What you need

• Credit/debit card
• Account on the platform
• Mentioned on the official page; exact requirements may vary.

Typical approval time

• Not stated on the official page — check the claim page.

Step by step

1. Create an IBM Cloud account; credit for 30 days.
2. Create your account at no charge
3. Sign up before December 31, 2026
4. Sign up for the One-Rate plan now
5. If you are new to IBM Cloud, you can sign up today and receive an additional USD 200 credit
6. To start building on IBM Cloud, you’ll need to create an account using an email address first (email address must not be associated with an existing account)
7. Payment details are required up front, but you won’t be charged until you consume a billable service; however, there will be a nominal hold placed on your card to verify its authenticity

Common rejection reasons

• To start building on IBM Cloud, you’ll need to create an account using an email address first (email address must not be associated with an existing account)
• The credit is available for first-time Pay-as-you-go accounts only and cannot be used with third-party offerings

Tips & fine print

• They never expire and you can’t be charged for them—ever
• Offer valid for net‑new accounts.​
• Credits expire after 90 days and must be used within that period
• ​Promotion valid for new clients