If you are a first-time Google Maps Platform user and you have not yet set
up a billing account, you can take advantage of these incentives:

|   | Google Cloud first billing account | Google Maps Platform first billing account |
| What is it | Google Cloud offers a trial where you can use up to **$300 at no-charge** . The trial applies toward the first billing account you create. For more information, see [Google Cloud Trial Program](https://cloud.google.com/free/docs/gcp-free-tier). | If the first Cloud Billing account you create is used for a project with Google Maps Platform APIs or SDKs enabled, **both** the Google Cloud $300 trial **and** the Google Maps Platform free usage cap apply. |
| How it works | During the trial, your first Cloud Billing account has **no charges against your payment method**. The trial ends after the trial period elapses, or when the $300 is spent, whichever happens first. | During the trial, charges are first applied against the Google Maps Platform free usage cap for each SKU used. If usage exceeds the spending cap in a given month, charges against the exceeded usage are applied to the Google Cloud $300 trial, until all $300 is exhausted. |
| What's next? | On or before the trial ends, you must upgrade your first Cloud Billing account to a paid account to avoid any disruptions to your Google Maps Platform usage. See [Upgrading to a paid account](https://cloud.google.com/free/docs/gcp-free-tier#how-to-upgrade). | Again, on or before the trial ends, you must upgrade your first Cloud Billing account to a paid account. Once you have upgraded, the free usage caps continue to apply to your Cloud Billing account, even after the trial ends. |
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> [!IMPORTANT]
> **Key Point:** A **Google Maps-related billing account** is any Cloud Billing account that includes projects with Google Maps Platform APIs or SDKs enabled; or more specifically, projects with activity that results in charges for qualifying Google Maps Platform SKUs.

**Multiple billing accounts** Creating multiple Google Maps-related Cloud Billing accounts is a violation of the [Google Maps Platform Terms of Service](https://cloud.google.com/maps-platform/terms).