CompTIA & AWS Exam Vouchers: 7 Ways to Pay Less for Your Certification (2026)

Everyone budgets for the course. Almost nobody budgets for the exam, and the exam is often the bigger bill. A good Security+ course on sale costs less than a lunch out. The Security+ exam itself costs $439 for one attempt. Fail it, and you pay again.

The good news is that almost nobody needs to pay list price. Between discounted vouchers, vendor loyalty discounts, retake bundles, and student pricing, most people can cut the exam cost noticeably, and some can cut it in half. Here are the seven ways that actually work in 2026, and one to avoid.

What the Exams Cost at List Price

Start with the number you are trying to beat. These are the standard US prices for one attempt.

Prices checked September 2026 from AWS’s exam pricing page, CompTIA’s US store, and Microsoft Learn. All three vendors adjust prices periodically and by country, so check the vendor’s store for today’s exact figure.

Two things jump out. CompTIA is the expensive one: A+ alone is two separate exams. And AWS is cheap to start but punishes a failed attempt, because every retake is full price unless you planned for it.

1. Buy a Discounted Exam Voucher

A voucher is prepaid credit for one exam attempt. You buy it, then enter the code when you book your exam with Pearson VUE. Nothing about the exam changes. The only difference is what you paid.

Udemy now sells official vouchers for AWS, CompTIA, and Microsoft exams at at least 10% below the vendor’s price. That is not a huge discount on its own, but it applies to exactly the exams in the table above, and it stacks naturally with a Udemy prep course you might already be taking. On a $439 Security+ exam, 10% is about $44 back.

2. If You Already Hold an AWS Cert, Use Your 50% Discount

This is the single biggest saving on this list, and a surprising number of people never claim it. Once you hold any active AWS certification, AWS gives you a 50% discount on your next AWS exam. It sits in your AWS Certification account under Benefits. Passing Cloud Practitioner for $100 means your Solutions Architect Associate costs $75 instead of $150, and a $300 Professional exam costs $150.

If you already have an AWS cert, the 50% benefit beats a 10% voucher, so use AWS’s own. The Udemy voucher is the better deal for your first AWS exam, when you don’t have the benefit yet.

3. Bundle a Retake Before You Need One

Nobody plans to fail. Plenty of people do anyway, especially on AWS Associate and CompTIA Security+, which both have a reputation for tricky scenario questions. A retake at full price doubles the cost.

Udemy’s AWS Second Chance bundle packages an exam voucher with a retake voucher and saves up to 40% compared with paying for two separate attempts. Both vouchers are valid for 9 months. Three things to know before you buy:

• The retake has to be added when you first buy. You can’t add it after a failed attempt.
• It covers AWS exams only.
• It is not available in Japan.

For CompTIA, Udemy’s voucher page also sells Security+ and A+ vouchers bundled with Retake Assurance, CompTIA’s own retake guarantee, below CompTIA’s bundle price.

If you pass the first time, the retake goes unused, so this is insurance, not a discount. It makes the most sense for a first certification, or an exam you are taking on a tight timeline.

See vouchers with retakes on Udemy →

4. Check for Student or Academic Pricing

If you are enrolled at a college or university, look for academic pricing before anything else. CompTIA sells discounted academic vouchers to eligible students through its own store, and Microsoft offers reduced exam prices to verified students. The savings are usually larger than any public voucher discount. You will typically need a school email address or proof of enrollment.

5. Ask Your Employer to Pay

This sounds obvious, and it is the most underused option on the list. Many IT employers, managed service providers, and government contractors reimburse certification exams, and some are required to certify staff. Security+ in particular is on the US Department of Defense’s approved list for its cyber workforce (DoD 8140), so defense contractors often pay for it outright.

Ask before you buy. Some reimbursement policies only pay for vouchers bought through a company account, or only after you pass.

6. Watch for Free Vendor Training Events

Microsoft has for years run free online training days for its fundamentals exams, and attendees have often been offered a free or heavily discounted exam afterward. AWS runs free training through AWS Skill Builder and periodic certification challenges. These offers come and go, so they are not something to plan around, but if one lines up with the exam you want, it is the cheapest path there is.

7. Spend Less on Prep, and Pass the First Time

The cheapest exam is the one you only take once. A retake costs far more than a good prep course, so put your money there. You don’t need a $2,000 bootcamp. Two courses on our site cover the most popular exams, both at a discount:

• AWS Certified Solutions Architect (Stephane Maarek): the most popular AWS prep course on Udemy, with practice exams.
• CompTIA Security+ Complete Course: full SY0-701 coverage.

Use practice exams as your go/no-go signal. When you are scoring comfortably above the passing mark on full-length timed practice tests, buy the voucher and book the date. Not before.

Still choosing a platform? We compared the two biggest in Udemy vs Coursera for cybersecurity, and there is a broader overview in our guide to cyber security courses online.

What to Avoid: Too-Good-to-Be-True Vouchers

Search for “CompTIA voucher” and you will find sellers offering Security+ vouchers at half price or less on marketplaces, forums, and social media. Be careful. Vouchers like these are sometimes stolen, already redeemed, or restricted to a different country, and CompTIA and Pearson VUE can cancel them. When a bad code fails at booking, the money is usually gone, and in the worst cases a fraudulent voucher can put your certification at risk.

Stick to the vendor’s own store, an authorized training partner, or a major platform like Udemy that sells vouchers under an official program.

Which Savings Stack Up

• First AWS exam: a discounted voucher, or Second Chance if you want a safety net. Then claim your 50% benefit for the next one.
• CompTIA A+, Network+, or Security+: student pricing if you qualify; employer reimbursement if you can get it; otherwise a discounted voucher. If you want a retake safety net, compare CompTIA’s own Retake Assurance bundle ($579 for Security+) with buying a single voucher.
• Microsoft fundamentals: look for a free training-day offer first. They are cheap exams, so a voucher discount matters less.

Whichever you pick, the rule is the same: prepare well, buy the voucher when you are ready, and book the exam within a few weeks so the voucher doesn’t expire. Certifications still carry real weight with employers. We looked at how much in how online certifications impact your resume.

Ready to buy? Browse Udemy’s certification exam vouchers or read the details on our exam voucher coupon page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a CompTIA exam voucher?

A voucher is prepaid credit for one attempt at a specific CompTIA exam. You buy it ahead of time, then enter the voucher code when you schedule the exam with Pearson VUE. It is the same exam either way; the voucher is only how you pay, and buying one from an authorized seller is often cheaper than paying at booking.

How much is the Security+ exam?

CompTIA Security+ costs $439 for a single attempt in CompTIA’s US store (September 2026), or $579 with Retake Assurance, which makes it the most expensive of the three core CompTIA certifications. A discounted voucher, a student price, or employer reimbursement can bring that down considerably.

Can I get a discount on an AWS certification exam?

Yes. If you already hold any active AWS certification, AWS gives you a 50% discount on your next exam, available in your AWS Certification account. For a first exam, a discounted voucher (such as Udemy’s, at least 10% off) is the simplest saving, and AWS Second Chance bundles add a retake for up to 40% less than paying for two attempts.

Are cheap exam vouchers from resellers safe?

Only buy from the vendor or an authorized partner. Vouchers sold far below list price on marketplaces or social media are sometimes stolen, already used, or regional vouchers that will not work where you test. If the code fails at booking, you have usually lost the money.

Do exam vouchers expire?

Yes. Most exam vouchers are valid for a fixed period, commonly around 12 months for CompTIA and 9 months for AWS Second Chance bundles sold through Udemy. Buy the voucher when you are within a few weeks of being ready, not at the start of your studying.