Google Maps charges per request after you exceed the free tier (10,000 requests per month per API). Here's how to make sure you never get an unexpected bill.
Set up budget alerts
Budget alerts email you when your spending hits certain thresholds. They don't stop charges, but they warn you before things add up.
Go to Google Cloud Billing
Click Budgets and alerts
Click Create Budget
Name it (e.g. "Maps API Budget")
Set an amount (e.g. $50)
Add alert thresholds at 50%, 90%, and 100%
Save
You'll get an email when you hit each threshold.
Set hard usage caps (recommended)
If you want to guarantee you'll never pay more than a certain amount, set per-API quotas:
Click on Maps JavaScript API
Click Quotas
Set a daily request limit
Repeat for Geocoding API, Places API, and Geolocation API.
When the daily limit is reached, the API stops responding until the next day. Your store locator might temporarily stop working, but you won't be charged for those blocked requests.
How much will I actually pay?
Most StoreRocket customers pay $0 to Google. Each API gets 10,000 free requests per month. If your store locator page gets fewer than 10,000 visits per month, you're within the free tier.
If you do go over:
Map loads: $7 per 1,000
Geocoding: $5 per 1,000
Autocomplete: $2.83 per 1,000
For a detailed pricing breakdown, see How to add a Google Maps API key.
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