28th October, 2026
AWS is retiring three of its existing support plans from January 2027. For customers, this isn't just a change to pricing or plan names. It's an opportunity to rethink how they access expertise, protect their cloud environments, and get better value from their AWS investment.
AWS has announced significant changes to its support offering, including the retirement of Developer Support, Business Support and Enterprise On-Ramp.
These changes will affect organisations of all sizes, from smaller businesses using Developer Support through to larger enterprises operating business-critical workloads.
While the changes introduce some welcome improvements, they also raise an important question: Are you getting the support your business actually needs, at the right price?
What's changing with AWS Support?
From 1 January 2027, AWS will discontinue three existing support plans.
Here's what customers need to know.
Developer Support is being retired
AWS Developer Support will no longer be available from January 2027.
Customers currently using Developer Support can choose to move to Business Support+. Those who don't make an active choice will be moved to Basic Support, losing access to the paid technical support capabilities they previously relied upon.
For organisations using Developer Support to troubleshoot issues or access AWS engineers, this is an important change that requires action.
Business Support is becoming Business Support+
AWS Business Support is being retired and replaced by Business Support+.
The new plan introduces enhanced capabilities, including AI-powered troubleshooting and faster access to AWS specialists.
Business Support+ offers:
- 24/7 access to AWS Cloud Support Engineers.
- AI-powered troubleshooting and contextual technical guidance.
- Response targets of less than 30 minutes for business-critical system-down incidents.
- A reduced minimum monthly charge of $29 per AWS account, compared with the previous $100 minimum.
Existing Business Support customers will need to opt in to the new offering before January 2027 to retain paid technical support.
Enterprise On-Ramp is being removed
AWS Enterprise On-Ramp is also being retired, with existing customers automatically transitioning to full Enterprise Support during 2026.
Enterprise Support offers enhanced capabilities, including designated Technical Account Manager support, faster response times for critical incidents and AWS Security Incident Response at no additional charge.
Although AWS has reduced the Enterprise Support minimum monthly fee to $5,000, it remains a significant investment, particularly for organisations that don't require the full breadth of enterprise-level services.
For these customers, partner-led support presents a compelling alternative. An accredited AWS Partner can provide access to AWS technical expertise alongside additional operational guidance and support, potentially at a considerably lower cost.
With the transition approaching, now is an ideal time for Enterprise On-Ramp customers to compare their options rather than simply accept the default migration.
Why having the right AWS Support matters
Cloud environments have become fundamental to how businesses operate.
Applications, customer services, business processes and critical data increasingly depend on the availability, security and performance of cloud infrastructure.
Yet support is often treated as an optional expense rather than an essential part of operating in the cloud.
That can be a costly mistake.
Even well-designed environments experience problems. Applications fail, configurations change, services behave unexpectedly, and security incidents happen.
When something goes wrong, access to the right expertise can make all the difference.
Without an appropriate technical support arrangement, your team could be left relying on documentation, community forums and internal resources to diagnose and resolve an issue.
That might be acceptable for a development environment. It's considerably less attractive when a production application is unavailable and customers are affected.
The value of support isn't just measured by how often you use it. It's also measured by the impact it helps you avoid when you need it most.
And effective support shouldn't end with resolving incidents. Access to experienced specialists can help businesses make better architectural decisions, identify potential problems and continually improve their AWS environments.
Why partner-led AWS Support deserves consideration
While AWS provides direct support options, many customers don't realise they can also access AWS technical support through an accredited AWS Partner.
Partner-led support can offer an alternative approach, combining access to AWS expertise with the practical knowledge and additional services of a specialist cloud partner.
There are two important advantages to consider.
1. More than just technical support
A specialist AWS Partner can provide an additional layer of expertise, helping customers investigate issues, coordinate escalations with AWS and identify opportunities to improve their cloud environment.
Depending on the service, partner-led support can also extend into proactive guidance around security, reliability, architecture and cost optimisation.
Rather than simply responding when something goes wrong, a partner can help you get more from your AWS investment.
2. Better commercial value
Partner-led support can also offer a commercially attractive alternative to purchasing support directly from AWS.
AWS Support pricing is typically based on a minimum monthly charge or a percentage of AWS consumption. For organisations with multiple AWS accounts or growing cloud expenditure, these costs can become significant.
Partner-led arrangements may provide comparable AWS technical support capabilities alongside additional expertise and services, potentially at a lower overall cost.
The result can be greater value from your support investment, without compromising on access to the technical expertise you need.
Why now is the time to review your support
Although the deadline is January 2027, there's good reason to consider your options now.
Customers on Developer and Business Support need to understand how the changes will affect their coverage and costs. Meanwhile, Enterprise On-Ramp customers should assess whether the transition to full Enterprise Support represents the best commercial and operational fit, or whether a partner-led alternative could deliver greater value.
It's also worth asking whether your existing support arrangements still reflect your business needs. Your AWS environment may have grown, your workloads may have become more critical, or your internal team may now require additional expertise.
Rather than simply moving to a replacement AWS plan, this is an opportunity to compare your options and choose an arrangement that works for your organisation.
How Cloud Bridge can help
As an AWS Premier Tier Services Partner with AWS Managed Service Provider competency, Cloud Bridge helps organisations access AWS expertise, optimise cloud costs and operate their environments effectively.
We can help you understand the upcoming support changes, assess your current arrangements and explore whether partner-led support could offer better value.
Whether you're affected by the retirement of an existing plan or simply want to review your AWS Support costs, our team can help you evaluate your options.
AWS Support is changing. Make sure your support arrangements are still right for your business.
Get in touch with Cloud Bridge to arrange an AWS Support review and explore your options before January 2027.
