Cloud pricing term
What is included data transfer?
Included data transfer is the outbound allowance bundled with a plan before an overage rule applies.
The expensive mistake
Reading an allowance as unlimited transfer, assuming it rolls forward, or multiplying it by the wrong number of resources. The recorded DigitalOcean Basic Droplet includes a finite transfer allowance, not an open-ended zero-priced transfer meter.
Where it appears on your bill
The allowance may not appear as money. The invoice or account dashboard commonly shows included, consumed, and excess outbound quantities before it applies the overage rate.
Worked example
The dated example uses the $4 DigitalOcean Basic Droplet with 500 GiB included and $0.01/GiB overage. At 700 GiB outbound, (700 - 500) x $0.01 = $2, so compute plus transfer is $6 before volumes or backups.
Example prices checked: