Billing, Pricing, and Support · Topic 3 of 4
AWS Support Plans
Compare AWS Support plans for CLF-C02: Basic, Developer, Business, Enterprise On-Ramp and Enterprise, plus the Technical Account Manager role.
- 4 min
- Basic is free for all customers, with documentation, forums and account and billing help.
- Developer offers business hours email support.
- Business adds 24 hour phone, chat and email and the full Trusted Advisor checks.
What it is
AWS Support is the help you can get from AWS when you have a technical problem or a question about your account. Every account has some support, and you can pay for higher levels.
The plans differ in how fast AWS responds, how you can contact AWS, and whether you get a named adviser.
The exam usually asks which plan includes a given feature. It does not ask for prices.
How it works
The plans
| Plan | Who it suits | Key features |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | Every customer, at no charge | Customer service for account and billing questions, documentation, forums and a limited set of Trusted Advisor checks |
| Developer | Testing and early development | Email access to cloud support associates in business hours |
| Business | Production workloads | 24 hour phone, chat and email access to cloud support engineers, and the full set of Trusted Advisor checks |
| Enterprise On-Ramp | Business critical workloads that need more guidance | A pool of Technical Account Managers, plus faster response for critical issues |
| Enterprise | Large or business critical environments | A designated Technical Account Manager and the fastest response for critical issues |
Basic is included for all customers. The other plans are paid, and the price depends on the plan and usage.
AWS revises its support offerings over time. This table covers the plans the exam objectives describe, so check the current AWS Support pages for newer plan names or changes.
Response times
Response times get shorter as the plan level rises, and they depend on how serious the case is.
| Plan | Fastest target |
|---|---|
| Developer | Within 12 business hours for a system impaired case |
| Business | Within 1 hour when a production system is down |
| Enterprise On-Ramp | Within 30 minutes when a business critical system is down |
| Enterprise | Within 15 minutes when a business critical system is down |
The key idea is that the more critical the case and the higher the plan, the faster the first reply. You do not need other numbers.
Technical Account Manager
A Technical Account Manager (TAM) is an AWS expert who gets to know your environment and gives proactive advice. Enterprise includes a designated TAM, while Enterprise On-Ramp gives access to a pool of TAMs.
Enterprise also includes a concierge support team, which helps with billing and account questions.
Trusted Advisor and support level
AWS Trusted Advisor checks your account against best practices. All customers get a core set of checks, and the full set of checks is available on Business, Enterprise On-Ramp and Enterprise.
Choosing a plan
| Situation | Plan |
|---|---|
| Learning AWS | Basic |
| Experimenting with low cost help | Developer |
| Running production and need 24 hour phone help | Business |
| Need a named adviser and fast critical response | Enterprise |
If a question stresses a Technical Account Manager, it points to Enterprise On-Ramp or Enterprise. If it stresses phone support all day, it points to Business or higher.
Billing and account support
Basic support includes help with account and billing questions. You do not need a paid plan to ask AWS about your bill.
What to remember for the exam
- Basic is free for all customers, with documentation, forums and account and billing help.
- Developer offers business hours email support.
- Business adds 24 hour phone, chat and email and the full Trusted Advisor checks.
- Enterprise On-Ramp offers a pool of TAMs. Enterprise offers a designated TAM.
- The Enterprise plan has the fastest response for business critical issues.
- Response time improves with plan level and case severity.
- A TAM gives proactive guidance about your environment.
- Full Trusted Advisor checks need Business or higher.
Look for the most specific clue. "Designated TAM" means Enterprise. "Production with 24 hour access" means Business. "Development testing" means Developer.
Common mistakes
Choosing Developer for production. Developer is aimed at testing and has no 24 hour phone access.
Thinking Basic includes technical support. It covers account and billing help and self service resources, not technical case support.
Mixing up the TAM options. Enterprise has a designated TAM. Enterprise On-Ramp shares a pool.
Expecting full Trusted Advisor on Basic. Basic gets only the core checks.
The plan names and features have changed over the years. Do not rely on older notes for the exact lists.
Check yourself
Which plan is included for every AWS customer at no charge?
Basic Support.
Which plan provides a designated Technical Account Manager?
Enterprise Support.
What is the lowest plan that gives 24 hour phone support and full Trusted Advisor checks?
Business Support.
Topic 3 of 4 in Billing, Pricing, and Support
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The full AWS CLF-C02 question bank has 832 questions, with timed practice exams and an explanation for every answer.
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