I primary needed a way to securely access and SSH into VMs that are inside a V-NET in azure without exposing the VMs to a public IP.
I setup a Azure Virtual network gateway with a Point-to-Site configuration. I basically used this video as a guide to setup the VPN on a windows computer. https://youtu.be/Gb3YE-0gBWQ
My understanding what that I would only get charged for the number of hours I am connected to this VPN. In a month I barely connect to the VPN for an hour. However, according to azure support, this has been connected for 744 hours with a month. I am on a minimal plan and have been changed an inconsistent amount between $20 to $60 for the past few months.
How are these hours calculated? If there was a consistent charge for all months, I would assume the charge is on a monthly basis. However, that is not the case.
As per VPN Gateway pricing, the charge is calculated considering the amount of time that the gateway is provisioned and available, not the time you spent with an active VPN:
Setting up a virtual network is free of charge. However, we do charge for the VPN gateway that connects to on-premises and other virtual networks in Azure. This charge is based on the amount of time that gateway is provisioned and available.
Doing some maths: 31 days * 24 hours = 744 hours (the hours you have been charged)...