u/adonnan

I’ve been running a side personal project using the Gemini API through Google AI Studio/Google Cloud. Because I'm a solo dev on a budget, I was responsible and set a Monthly Spend Cap of $120.00.

I woke up to my bank account being hit for $1,800 in multiple charges ($200, $500, and $1,000 back-to-back) on April 22nd.

Spend Cap set: $120
Actual Spend: ~$1,800+
Google’s Excuse: According to support, there is a 32-hour propagation period for the spend cap to actually trigger.

LOL: Google’s billing system is fast enough to charge my credit card in real-time for $1,000 when I hit a threshold, but it’s "too slow" to realize I passed my $120 limit and shut off the API.

I spent an hour on chat with support (transcript below). They essentially admitted the system didn't throttle the usage because of the delay. They've opened a "one-time courtesy request" for a refund, but they wouldn't guarantee anything.

Let this be a warning!

Do NOT trust the "Monthly Spend Cap" in Google AI Studio or GCP Billing. You can be thousands of dollars in debt before their "32-hour" window closes.
Threshold Billing is dangerous. Google will keep hitting your card as you reach spending tiers, regardless of your cap.
Kill switches: If you're using Gemini, build your own usage monitoring into your app's middleware. Do not rely on Google's dashboard to save you.

Has anyone else successfully fought this and won? I’m a solo dev and an unexpected $1,800 hit is a massive financial blow for a project that was supposed to cost me $120.

The support case details:

Case #: 70488782
The "Propagation" excuse: "It might take 32hours propagation period to calculate the exact value on the account."
API Cap Proof 1
API Cap Proof 2

RIP mini #4

RIP mini #4