Google has just announced Google Maps Platform. This is not something new but rather a consolidation of their 18 APIs into 3 categories – maps, routes, and places. Perhaps the most worrisome aspect is the fact that they have merged their standard (free) and premium plans into one. How exactly? Users will get a $200 credit for free applied towards API usage. They claim that 98% of current users can continue using the service for free. However, their announcement post states that billing must be set up first in order to receive this credit. This is nerve-wracking. No one wants to attach a credit card to a Google service they expect for free.

Is billing required to use Google Maps Platform?

As someone who has used the maps API for many clients, I’m terrified if I attach my customer’s or my own billing information there will be a risk of getting charged. As far as I can tell there isn’t a way to set a threshold to disable the API when you exceed the free usage limit. Imagine the abuse here. Junk traffic and bots could easily spike usage and activate billing. Businesses could target their competitors and trigger a billing frenzy. Maybe the likelihood isn’t that great. You don’t hear much about click fraud these days, but then again there is the option to set a daily spending limit.

A commenter on the announcement post pointed out a question on the Maps Platform pricing changes FAQ page. The question, Is a credit card or billing account required?, has an answer with the explanation that users MAY have their API usage disabled if billing isn’t set up after the $200 credit limit. This answer conflicts with Google’s statement that in order to receive the credit you need to first set up billing. So which is it? This new platform and tier structure takes effect on June 11th. We won’t have long to find out!