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How to check your Google Maps API usage

Monitor your Google Maps API usage to stay within the free tier and avoid unexpected charges.

Updated over 3 weeks ago

You can check how much of your Google Maps free tier you're using at any time through the Google Cloud Console.

Checking your usage

  1. Make sure the right project is selected at the top

  2. You'll see a dashboard with usage charts for each enabled API

  3. Click on any API to see detailed usage over time

What to look for

Each API has its own free tier of 10,000 requests per month:

  • Maps JavaScript API: Each time someone views your store locator = 1 request

  • Geocoding API: Each address lookup = 1 request (only when adding locations, not per visitor)

  • Places API: Each address autocomplete session = 1 request

  • Geolocation API: Each "near me" detection = 1 request

If any API is close to 10,000, you might start paying for that specific API next month.

Setting up billing alerts

To avoid surprise charges, set up budget alerts:

  1. Click Budgets and alerts

  2. Create a new budget

  3. Set an amount based on your expected usage

  4. Add alert thresholds at 50%, 90%, and 100%

Google will email you when you hit each threshold. These alerts don't stop usage, they just notify you.

Setting hard limits

If you want to cap usage so you never go over:

  1. Click on an API

  2. Go to Quotas

  3. Set a daily request limit

When the limit is reached, the API stops responding for the rest of the day. Your map might stop working temporarily, but you won't get charged.

For detailed pricing information

See our complete guide: How to add a Google Maps API key

Questions? Reach out on live chat.

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