This is old but in case it helps anyone else I can still get to the following URLs without having to enter billing info

https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/dashboard?project=your-project-name

If you don't know your project name try variations of the above link (shorten it a section at a time) until you see the blue banner along the top with the pull-down name of projects. If you click the pull-down you'll see a popup with all your project names which you can use to put into the above URL.

https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/library?project=your-project-name (you can get to that URL from the 'Library' menu on the left)

From here you can find and enable the API you want, e.g. https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/library/maps-backend.googleapis.com?project=your-project-name (you should see a blue 'Enable' button)

You'll probably get redirected to the billing page after enabling it but ignore that - your selected API should now be enabled and if you go back to the first URL you should see it listed at the bottom of the page (but if you click on it here you'll likely get booted to the billing page again).

https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/credentials?project=your-project-name (you can get here from the 'Credentials' menu on left)

This is where you can set up and manage your API key - there's a link at the top to 'Add credentials'. When done they will appear listed on the page and can be edited by clicking on the name of the API key in the list or the 'Actions' > 'Edit API key' triple dot on the right of the list, plus other actions you might need.

So it's possible to enable an API and create a key for it, but I don't know if it still needs billing info as I can't get it working... but that might be my limited coding skills ;)

Answer from kiden on Stack Overflow
Top answer
1 of 4
42

This is old but in case it helps anyone else I can still get to the following URLs without having to enter billing info

https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/dashboard?project=your-project-name

If you don't know your project name try variations of the above link (shorten it a section at a time) until you see the blue banner along the top with the pull-down name of projects. If you click the pull-down you'll see a popup with all your project names which you can use to put into the above URL.

https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/library?project=your-project-name (you can get to that URL from the 'Library' menu on the left)

From here you can find and enable the API you want, e.g. https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/library/maps-backend.googleapis.com?project=your-project-name (you should see a blue 'Enable' button)

You'll probably get redirected to the billing page after enabling it but ignore that - your selected API should now be enabled and if you go back to the first URL you should see it listed at the bottom of the page (but if you click on it here you'll likely get booted to the billing page again).

https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/credentials?project=your-project-name (you can get here from the 'Credentials' menu on left)

This is where you can set up and manage your API key - there's a link at the top to 'Add credentials'. When done they will appear listed on the page and can be edited by clicking on the name of the API key in the list or the 'Actions' > 'Edit API key' triple dot on the right of the list, plus other actions you might need.

So it's possible to enable an API and create a key for it, but I don't know if it still needs billing info as I can't get it working... but that might be my limited coding skills ;)

2 of 4
37

Yes you need to setup a billing account, there is no way around it these days. As long as you keep under the free tier it doesn't really matter.

Also their pricing examples are counted monthly so the things that have 5 000 hits in their pricing is per month not per year.

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/rprogramming › how to get google maps api without credit card?
r/rprogramming on Reddit: How to get Google Maps API without credit card?
March 25, 2024 -

I am from Nepal and have no access to payoneer's mastercard or international visa card(I would say I can't afford it). I want to try google maps for trying and for personal project. It seems like Google made mandatory to add card to get API?

What I did?

  • Tried some youtube tutorials to workaround - not working.

  • Tried to get virtual visa card for free. Non of them work for me?

Is there any workaround to try it without card?

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Google
developers.google.com › google maps platform › web › maps embed api › set up the maps embed api
Set up the Maps Embed API | Google for Developers
[[["Easy to understand","easyT...er","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-12-18 UTC."],[],["API keys are crucial for securing Google Maps Platform products, linking API calls to your billing account....
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freeCodeCamp
forum.freecodecamp.org › javascript
Is there a way to add a google api map without needing to go through billing etc
Hi all. I don’t really want to have to add a billing account just to experiment around with google maps. Adding a google map If you scroll to the bottom , the ‘Get an API key’ part is what I would like to avoid. Gett…
Published   October 31, 2022
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Quora
quora.com › How-can-I-get-Google-Maps-API-keys-without-paying
How to get Google Maps API keys without paying - Quora
Answer (1 of 2): Google Maps API is kinda free since it has a free limit of usage which is 2500 searches per day, decent usage limit enough for a small business. Even the subscription is not that expensive.
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Google
developers.google.com › google maps platform › web › maps javascript api › set up the maps javascript api
Set up the Maps JavaScript API | Google for Developers
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-12-18 UTC."],[],["Google Maps Platform requires API keys for authentication and billing.
Find elsewhere
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YouTube
youtube.com › twp - helping creators with tech
How to Get Google Maps API Key for Free (in 5 easy steps) - YouTube
I’ll show you how to get a Google Maps API Key for free in five easy steps. This will fix “This Page Can't Load Google Maps Correctly” error. I’ll be using a...
Published   October 12, 2020
Views   93K
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Storemapper
storemapper.com › blog › how-to-use-google-maps-api-for-free
Storemapper - How to Use Google Maps API for Free: A Step-by-Step Guide for Small Businesses
March 26, 2025 - Here’s how: ... You can also ... Google requires you to set up billing to use the Maps API, the free tier is usually more than enough for small businesses....
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Google Groups
groups.google.com › g › flutter-dev › c › 6qKWN27LfZ0
Google map without api key or billing account?
Is it possible? and do you know such example ? ... Either email addresses are anonymous for this group or you need the view member email addresses permission to view the original message ... Only if you get hold of someone else's api key linked to a billing account.
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Google Support
support.google.com › maps › thread › 259254737 › issue-with-verifying-billing-address-for-maps-api-key
Issue with Verifying Billing Address for Maps API Key - Google Maps Community
Skip to main content · Google Maps Help · Sign in · Google Help · Help Center · Community · Google Maps · Terms of Service · Submit feedback · Send feedback on
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Stack Overflow
stackoverflow.com › questions › 63515217 › do-i-have-to-have-a-billing-account-to-use-google-maps-api-keys
android - Do i have to have a billing account to use Google Maps Api keys? - Stack Overflow
and is there a way to test API keys outside of the android studio to know for sure? ... My original answer was wrong. You do need a billing account setup to use the google maps platform.
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Site Builder Report
sitebuilderreport.com › tutorials › how to get a google maps api key
How to Get a Google Maps API Key | Step-by-Step
Google also offers $200 in monthly free usage, which is sufficient for most small projects. Once you’ve filled out the required details, you’ll receive your API key! Wahoo — we've received our API key!
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Yoast
yoast.com › home › help center › wordpress › yoast local seo › how to generate and set a google maps api key
How to generate and set a Google Maps API key • Yoast
February 17, 2025 - In this article, we’ll explain ... to the Yoast Local SEO plugin. Please note that you must have a Google account with billing enabled to generate a key for Google Maps API....
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Elfsight
elfsight.com › blog › how-to-get-google-maps-api-key-guide
How to get Google Maps Api Key in 1 minute (Tutorial)
March 15, 2024 - BONUS: Create your Google Maps widget in a couple of minutes! Google also offers other types of APIs, which can be used, for example, to embed Google reviews. Getting an API key is not complicated and just requires a couple of minutes of your time. In the process, you will need to create a billing account or use credentials of already existing one, which will be used for payment, in case you exceed your limits.
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Google
developers.google.com › google maps platform › google maps platform faq
Google Maps Platform FAQ | Google for Developers
This behavior typically indicates issues with either an API key or billing. To use Google Maps Platform products, you must have a billing account and all requests must include a valid API key.
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Google Maps Platform
mapsplatform.google.com › pricing
Google Maps Platform Pricing - Subscriptions and Pay as you go
Offering subscription plans of our most popular APIs or Pay as you go where you can mix and match across 3 API and SDK product categories.
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Elfsight Community
community.elfsight.com › wishlist › google maps
Map without using API Key - Google Maps - Elfsight Community
September 29, 2023 - I would love to see an alternative option for a maps widget that we can use without having to pay Google for an API. For example, the Salient theme uses Leaflet as an alternative to Google(Leaflet Map – WordPress plugin | WordPress.org). It may not be quite as pretty as Google maps, but the option to use this for smaller clients with smaller budgets would be a huge win for me.
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WPVibes
wpbuilderaddons.com › home › tutorial › how to generate google map api key?
How to Generate an Google Maps API Key in 2025
2 weeks ago - A Google Maps API key is required for authentication, usage tracking, customization, and to ensure secure access to Google’s map services. Yes, Google requires billing setup even if you only use the free tier.