In February 2019, Elasticsearch Service announced a restructuring of its pricing model, introducing separate charges for snapshot storage and data transfer costs, which were previously discounted. Snapshot storage costs are based on the size and number of API requests made to store backup snapshots, while data transfer costs pertain to data moving into, out of, and within Elasticsearch deployments. The service provides free allowances for both snapshot storage and data transfer, with charges applied only when usage exceeds these thresholds. The new pricing model aims to give users more control over their expenses by detailing and metering these specific costs. The changes were initially introduced as a zero-cost line item in invoices to estimate future charges, with actual billing starting from March 2019. Existing annual customers will not see changes until contract renewal, while new customers are subject to the updated pricing. The changes apply across all cloud providers, ensuring a uniform rate structure.