Set Up a Billing Account

Learn how to add a billing account to a Google developer account.

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If billing isn’t added to this project on the Google Maps Platform, there will be limited functionality for the Maps JavaScript API, even while using the free tier. This is because Google wants to ensure that bots don’t appropriate resources meant for their free-tier customers. The Maps Embed API doesn’t experience this same limited functionality.

The best way to avoid these limits is to add billing information to a free-tier account. Once the information is added, Google provides $300 worth of credits (or the amount laid out in their most current policy.). These free credits protect the card linked to the account from getting charged when the number of requests allowed for the free tier is exceeded.

Once all the free credits are used (or expire), Google will charge the remaining amount to the credit card on the account. For more information on which Google Maps APIs support free-tier services, check their website.

The Google Maps API can be used without a billing account, but, as mentioned before, the Maps JavaScript API will be limited in functionality and will display a “For development purpose only” watermark. Here’s a snapshot of what this looks like:

Step-by-step guide to add a billing account

Follow the steps below to add a billing account to a project:

  1. Sign in to the GCP, and go to the dashboard. Then, click the hamburger menu at the screen’s top-left corner.
  2. In the hamburger menu, click the “Billing” button.
  3. Click the “MANAGE BILLING ACCOUNTS” button to create the billing account.
  4. On the“MANAGE BILLING ACCOUNTS” page, click the “ADD BILLING ACCOUNT” button.
  5. From the resulting screen, select a country and what best describes your project needs from the dropdown menu. Then, accept the “Terms of Services,” and click “CONTINUE.”
  6. Enter a phone number with the correct country code, and click the “SEND CODE” button.
  7. The site asks for a code that has been sent to the phone number associated with the account. Enter that code to proceed.
  8. Now, choose an account type, and fill in all the debit or credit card details on the “Payment method” form. Once the payment is registered successfully, Google creates a free trial account.

The slides below show the process.

That’s it. The billing account is set up now! Remember to monitor usage and limit the number of requests to avoid excessive charges.