Last updated 9 October 2026.
What you get
- A monthly Google Cloud credit. Google lists $10 a month for Google AI Pro and $40 or $100 a month for Google AI Ultra, depending on the plan. Your own amount is shown on the My Benefits page (step 2 below).
- It expires a year after each monthly grant and does not roll over beyond that.
- It can pay for Gemini API use in AI Studio and Vertex AI. The subscription itself does not include an API key — a key is billed separately, and the credit is what pays that bill.
What you need first
- The Google AI Pro or Ultra subscription on your own Google Account. Only the subscription owner can claim the credit, not a family member.
- A Google Cloud Billing account, which is set up with a payment method. If you do not have one, you create it in step 3.
- Permission to apply a credit to that billing account (billing.accounts.redeemPromotion). On your own billing account you already have it.
- A first top-up of at least $5. New Gemini API billing accounts are prepaid, and Google's billing page says the minimum purchase is $5 and that promotional Cloud credits cannot be used before you have added funds.
Step by step
- Join the free Google Developer Program with the Google Account that holds the subscription.
- Open My Benefits in the Developer Program. Under the Premium tab you see one card per month with the credit and its expiry date.
- On the card, choose a Google Cloud Billing account. If you have none, create one first. You can tick "Always use this billing account" so every future monthly credit lands there by itself.
- Open aistudio.google.com, go to the API keys page and create a key in a project that is linked to that same billing account.
- Add the first $5 or more of prepaid credit on the AI Studio billing page. From then on Google uses the monthly credit first and your prepaid money afterwards.
- In AskWatch, open the AI tab, choose Google and paste the key. On Mac it is Settings, Providers, Google.
What it really costs
The monthly credit is not free from the first request: you pay at least $5 up front, and that money stays yours as a balance. The credit is spent before it. If the prepaid balance reaches $0, Google stops serving requests until you add funds, and AskWatch shows the error the key returns.
What we have not checked
- Whether the credit is offered in every country. Google's pages do not say.
- Google can change amounts, rules and the billing model. Read your own My Benefits page and the billing page before you rely on this. This page was written on 9 October 2026 from Google's documentation, not from a test with a live account.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Google AI Pro credit enough to use Gemini in AskWatch for free?
Not from the first request. The credit needs a Google Cloud Billing account and a first top-up of at least $5. After that Google spends the monthly credit before your prepaid money.
Does Google AI Pro or Ultra include a Gemini API key?
No. The subscription does not include an API key. You create a key in AI Studio, in a project linked to your billing account, and the monthly credit pays that key's usage.
How much is the monthly credit?
Google lists $10 a month for Google AI Pro and $40 or $100 a month for Google AI Ultra, depending on the plan. Each monthly credit expires a year after it is granted. Your My Benefits page shows your own amount.
Who can claim the credit?
Only the owner of the Google AI Pro or Ultra subscription, using that Google Account. A family member cannot claim it.
What happens when the balance reaches zero?
If the prepaid balance reaches $0, Google stops serving Gemini API requests until you add funds, and the monthly credit is not used meanwhile.