If you add your credit card to Google Gemini and receive the $300 in free tokens (Google Cloud credits), there are still rate limits on your usage, even during the free trial period.
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API Rate Limits: Google enforces rate limits on the Gemini API to ensure fair usage and system stability. These limits are measured in several ways:
- Requests per minute (RPM)
- Requests per day (RPD)
- Tokens per minute (TPM)
- Tokens per day (TPD)
The specific limits you have depend on your usage tier. When you add a billing account (such as by adding your credit card and activating the $300 credits), you typically move from the Free tier to Tier 1, which increases your rate limits compared to the free, no-credit tier[3].
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Example Tier 1 Limits: (with billing account, i.e., after adding your credit card)
- For Gemini 2.5 Flash Preview 05-20: 1,000 RPM, 4,000,000 TPM[3].
- For Gemini 2.0 Flash: 3,000 RPM, 12,000,000 TPM[3].
- These are significantly higher than the free tier, which might only allow 10-15 RPM and 250,000-1,000,000 TPM, depending on the model[3].
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App Usage Limits: If you use Gemini through Google’s web or mobile apps, there are also prompt and conversation caps that depend on the complexity and length of your queries. You’ll get notified when you approach these limits, and they refresh periodically (e.g., daily or hourly)[2].
- If you hit a rate limit, you must wait for the quota to refresh (usually after a set period), or you can request an upgrade to a higher tier by increasing your spend or contacting Google support[3].
- The $300 free credit does not remove these rate limits—it simply allows you to use paid-tier quotas without being billed until the credits are exhausted[3][5].
| Usage Type | With $300 Free Credits (Billing Added) | Without Billing (Free Tier) |
|---|---|---|
| API Rate Limits | Much higher (Tier 1) | Lower (Free Tier) |
| App Prompt Limits | Higher, but still capped | Lower, and capped |
| Can Remove All Limits | No | No |
| Notified of Limits | Yes | Yes |
- You will get higher rate limits after adding your credit card and activating the $300 free credits, but you are still subject to usage caps[2][3][5].
- The credits allow you to use more powerful models and higher quotas, but do not grant unlimited or unrestricted access.
- Rate limits are enforced to protect system stability for all users and are tied to your account’s tier and usage[3].
You can check your current rate limits and usage in the Google Cloud Console or the Gemini app interface, where you’ll also receive notifications as you approach your quota[2][3].
[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/cursor/comments/1kgydur/are_you_getting_rate_limited_on_gemini_now_google/ [2] https://support.google.com/gemini/answer/16275805 [3] https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/rate-limits [4] https://cloud.google.com/gemini/docs/quotas [5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMIZ4T2dkAM [6] https://www.googlecloudcommunity.com/gc/Community-Hub/Rate-Limited-for-Gemini-Pro-models/m-p/900380 [7] https://cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-features [8] https://support.google.com/cloud/answer/7006543 [9] https://www.creditcards.com/credit-cards/the-gemini-credit-card/ [10] https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/credit-cards/gemini-credit-card-crypto-rewards-no-annual-fee