Let's get right into it by creating your Azure account. Have these things next to you:
Your phone (you'll be asked to verify your phone number)
A credit/debit card (you won't be charged anything, but Azure will need these details)
Task 0: A handy heads up
Some people run into an error at the end of the sign up process. The most common error says "You're not eligible for an Azure free account". To prevent this from happening to you, here are a few tips to know in advance:
Make sure the debit/credit card you're using is still active.
Avoid using a work email, if your company uses Azure! Azure will instantly reject any free account requests coming from a company that already has an Azure subscription.
Avoid using thesameinformation that you've already used for another Microsoft account. This means you won't be able to create a free account if you have a Microsoft profile (e.g. Microsoft 365, XBox) that uses the same email or phone number. This isn't always the case, but it's found to be the reason why some people end up getting declined!
Azure will take you to their sign in page, but we haven't made one yet. Click on create one! This button is under the field that asks for your email address.
You should end up in a Create account screen.
Enter your email, click Next, and enter the password you want to use.
Next, you'll need to enter your country/region and date of birth.
Now it's time to verify your email! Watch out for an email that looks like the one below.
No worries if you haven't received one - there's a handy 'try again' link on the page that lets you generate a new code. We had to use this ourselves because we didn't get a verification email on the first go. 😅
Task 2: Set up your profile
On to the next stage! Fill out your details. The form will also try to verify your phone number by sending you a text or giving you a call.
Before you click next, note that you do not have to tick the bottom two boxes. This means you do not have to sign up to marketing emails from Microsoft or have your information shared with others.
Once you click Next, you might need to wait 1-2 minutes before the next step. Time for a quick leg stretch!
In the next step, you'll need to enter you credit/debit card details. Note that Azure will put a temporary authorisation on the card, which means it has the authority to charge you $1. Your account does not actually get charged. If you see $1 get taken out of your account, that amount will be refunded back to you within 24 hours. Temporary authorisation is Azure's way of checking that your card actually works.
Once you're done, click Sign up.
You should be all set up!
Welcome to Azure 💙
Are you ready to start exploring what you can do?! See you in the next exercise!
Before we move on...
After 30 days of using your free account, Azure will ask if you want to continue with pay-as-you-go pricing. This is because the free USD 200 credit is only valid in your first 30 days! You’ll only pay if you use more than the limits for free services, so it's safe to continue with pay-as-you-go pricing when the time comes.
Ran into an error?
To resolve this issue, double-check that:
The information that you provided for your profile (including contact email address, street address, and telephone number) is correct.
The debit/credit card information is correct.
The debit/credit card you're using is still active.
You don't already have a Microsoft account that uses the same information i.e. email or phone number.
