Which cloud characteristic allows you to pay for only the services used?

The characteristic that allows you to pay for only the services used is "Pay as you grow." This model enables customers to scale their cloud services according to their needs while only incurring costs for the resources they actually consume. This approach aligns well with the pricing structures typically seen in cloud computing, where charges are based on usage metrics such as compute time, data storage, or bandwidth consumed.

This model is particularly beneficial for organizations that experience fluctuating workloads or need to adjust their service levels dynamically. By only paying for the actual usage, organizations can optimize their expenditures, ensuring they are not overspending on unused resources, which is a common scenario in traditional environments where fixed costs are the norm regardless of actual usage.

In contrast, options like bursting refer to a temporary increase in resources to handle peak loads, while chargeback pertains to internal accounting practices where departments are billed for their usage of shared services. Autoscaling involves automatically adjusting resources based on current demand but does not inherently relate to the payment model, as it focuses more on resource management rather than cost structure.