Google Cloud’s Nov 16 Update: How to Keep Your $300 Trial Credits for Vertex AI & Gemini

Google Cloud will change its Free Trial terms on November 16, 2026, so that the standard $300 welcome credit no longer covers Gemini platform (Vertex AI) services for accounts that sign up for a free trial or upgrade to a paid account on or after that date. TechLift Solutions notes that accounts registered before the cutoff but upgraded afterward will also lose the ability to apply remaining credit to Vertex AI, and advises users to lock in the credit before the deadline.

Starting November 16, 2026 , Google Cloud is updating its Free Trial terms. The standard $300 welcome credit will no longer cover Gemini platform Vertex AI services for new or newly upgraded accounts. According to the official Google Cloud documentation https://cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-features : "The $300 credit can't pay for Gemini platform formerly known as Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform, Vertex AI services if you sign up for a free trial or upgrade to a paid account on or after November 16, 2026." Notice the wording: "sign up for a free trial OR upgrade to a paid account." Adding a credit card during initial registration only places your account in a restricted Free Trial state. If you register before November 16, but click "Upgrade to a Paid Account" on or after November 16, you will lose the ability to use your remaining $300 credit on Vertex AI. How to lock in the $300 credit for 90 days Before Nov 16 : Google’s AI billing is split into two separate tracks: Google AI Studio Direct API Keys : Prepay required lock. Once active, Google spends your free $10/month Developer credits first. Keep Auto-reload: Off to prevent automatic charges. Vertex AI / Gemini Platform Production & Agents : Published by TechLift Solutions https://techlift.solutions — IT engineering and systems architecture studio in the industry since 2005 , building custom web solutions, business automation, and open-source AI agents. Read our notes on Substack https://techliftsolutions.substack.com/p/google-clouds-300-trial-credit-for and Hashnode https://techliftsolutions.hashnode.dev/try-gemini-on-vertex-ai-with-google-cloud-s-300-trial-credit .