Google (Gemini): Usage tier qualification lowered for Tier 2 and re-based on first payment for Tier 3; billing tier caps listed.
Old Tier 2: total spend > $250 and 30 days since successful payment; Tier 3: total spend > $1,000 and 30 days
New Tier 1 cap $250; Tier 2: paid $100 + 3 days from first payment (cap $2,000); Tier 3: paid $1,000 + 30 days (cap $20,000 - $100,000+)
Why it matters: If you use Gemini API (usage tier qualification), this changes how much you can send before requests are limited. The source does not state a separate effective date.
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| Product | Gemini API (usage tier qualification) |
|---|---|
| Category | rate-limit |
| Announced / detected | between 2026-03-21 and 2026-03-29 Backfilled |
| Backfilled | Yes: added retroactively, detected between 2026-03-21 and 2026-03-29 |
| Quote verified against | https://web.archive.org/web/20260329194533/https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/rate-limits |
| Archive captures | https://web.archive.org/web/20260321192243/https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/rate-limits https://web.archive.org/web/20260329194533/https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/rate-limits |
| Effective | not stated in source |
| Before | Tier 2: total spend > $250 and 30 days since successful payment; Tier 3: total spend > $1,000 and 30 days |
| After | Tier 1 cap $250; Tier 2: paid $100 + 3 days from first payment (cap $2,000); Tier 3: paid $1,000 + 30 days (cap $20,000 - $100,000+) |
| Official source | https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/rate-limits |
| Source quote | Tier 2 Paid $100 + 3 days from first successful payment $2,000 Tier 3 Paid $1,000 + 30 days from first successful payment |
| Archive | No post-change Wayback capture found |
| Snapshot hash | sha256:829076e8d10df2497e3459ea8b05b038de27f13cf919ad93e3f4acc782b01539 |
| Status | verified |
All Google (Gemini) changes · Dispute or correct this entry
Previous changes from Google (Gemini)
- between 2026-06-23 and 2026-06-27 Backfilled: Spend-based rate limits per rolling 10-minute window added alongside RPM/TPM.
- between 2026-03-29 and 2026-04-03 Backfilled: Priority inference gets its own rate limits, defaulting to 0.3x the standard limit per model and tier.
- 2026-03-23 Backfilled: Prepay and Postpay billing plans rolled out in AI Studio; existing accounts may be affected.
- 2026-03-16 Backfilled: Gemini API usage tiers revamped and Billing Account spend caps introduced.
- 2026-03-12 Backfilled: Project-level spend caps added to billing in AI Studio.
- between 2026-02-02 and 2026-02-03 Backfilled: Grounding with Google Search billing beyond the free allowance moved from 'Coming soon' to active for models listed with 1,500 free requests per day (models not identified in capture text).