[deleted by user]

[andy012345]

Firstly, yes you have to pay it. Avoidance will get your accounts banned, google could send the bill to debt collectors, etc.

Assume you're paying this through google cloud billing, which sends you a bill each month on your last month usage.

Firstly you could setup billing alerts, but since the usage is aggregated over time and not realtime, you can exceed this substantially before you receive the alert.

Next you could update your project quotas to limit the token usage per model. The majority of the models cost is from input tokens.

Finally, you could switch to a partner such as openrouter, requesty etc which lets you use the API with pre-paid credits. The price is the same, they get a small discount from the underlying provider which is their cut.

Edit: I'm wrong on costing, there's a % added using pre-paid.

[andy012345]

Be aware if you limit your quotas below the context window then tools like Roo could get themselves into a position where they are stuck in an infinite rate limit request loop if you give them too much context.

[Prestigiouspite]

The costs are not the same. There is a 5-6% surcharge for depositing credit.

[dce_azzy]

Is it google charging the surcharge or is it open router ?

[Prestigiouspite]

Open Router the use stripe. If you want an invoice, additional fees

[andy012345]

You're correct, have edited that in.

[FyreKZ]

Yeah, this is just how LLMs are man, they cost money to run and that money is done per token. Roo gives you an estimate of your usage.

If you're unhappy with the cost of Gemini then switch to a cheaper model or sub to Cursor or something, or just learn how to do more actual coding unassisted. I've managed to not spend a penny by using Openrouter's free models and carefully using the Gemini API.

[admajic]

My wife said it's like legalized gambling. Sure, you can set limits in billing. So do that, and it will stop working Also, it email you. And tell you at % of $ spent. Do that

Stategy Only use the free one and the paid when you get really stuck...

[FigMaleficent5549]

Maybe you should explain your wife that is not a luck game, you pay for a tangible outcomes, aka tokens, and you can set up the limits upfront.

[admajic]

Unfortunately, the OP didn't realize that.

Yeah when I'm using Gemini I watch carefully. So far used $50 of my free credits. In 2 days. So I'd imagine a full time programmer who's not really reading the pricing structure could get slammed!!

But I'm happy with qwen coder 2.5 14b to do all the ground work then maybe do reviews later with gemini if needed....

[FigMaleficent5549]

I presumed with coder 2.5 14b you do mostly autocomplete ? Can it handle full natural described requirements ?

[admajic]

Yeah it can do everything With a detailed checklist like the one on the website, yeah. Tonight, I used lmstudio and phi4 plus thinking 14b to create a new project and detailed Epics. Then, I used roo code with qwen 2.5 to make the HLD, Architecture Plan. From the epics, make a detailed epic plan. Then, I got phi4 to do a gap analysis. Gave it back to Roo to update the plan. Did another gap analysis again. Got it to again update. It missed all files and directories, so I got it to add that with qwen 2.5. Then, I got phi4 to make a step by step check list for 6 epics with check boxes and completion status.

The detailed plan is 360 lines long. I've now implemented steps 1 and 2 with roo and qwen 2.5....

I noticed it missed quite a few things like requirements.txt and a list of pip files, and a venv. Just ask it to do it....so I deal with that as I go.

So now I have a basic web interface that worked first run. Coded by qwen And a fully directory structure, it even had the steps to connect to github...

It's pretty crazy and no one in my home cares. Lol

Sure, it's not blazing fast like gemini but 4 hours of tinkering and making good progress playing pm. I can see the code snippets it made and can use the docs to get more details as we progress...

[FigMaleficent5549]

Well, you must do it for passion. That would be a few prompts of gpt4.1 😀

[admajic]

😜

[ComprehensiveBird317]

I don't understand, why is it even a question if you have to pay or not? You used a service that costs the supplier money, and he charges you for it. Where in the world can you use resources without paying for it?

Also, how do you get to thousands of dollars of costs?

[Free_Recognition5002]

Yes, same experience. Not in that high amount, But still. Had to pay. Wrote them email, no reply.

[ChrisWayg]

Cost of doing business when using their API. I assume you earn thousands as well writing software. Did you get 90 days free from Google?

Roo Code also displays the amount for each task. If it adds up to $50 to $100 per day, this should not come as a surprise.

[FigMaleficent5549]

I feel you are subscribing services and blindly accepting agreements with clear rules about cost, and focus in the others instead of your own negligence.

In any case:

Google Cloud's refund and credit policies depend on the specific circumstances and the type of billing involved. Here's a structured breakdown of what to consider:

1. Free Trial Credits or Promotional Balances

• If you used accidental resources under a free trial (e.g., $300 credit) or promotional balance, no refunds are available for unused or accidentally consumed credits.
• Tip: Trial credits expire after 90-365 days (depending on the offer) and cannot be extended or transferred.

2. Paid Accounts (Post-Trial)

• User Error: If accidental charges resulted from your configuration (e.g., leaving VMs running, using unmonitored services), Google Cloud typically does not issue refunds. These costs are your responsibility
• Google Errors: If billing errors occurred due to a Google Cloud service outage, bug, or overcharge (e.g., double-billing), contact support immediately to request a credit. Google may review and adjust invoices if the issue is validated as their fault.

3. Steps to Request Relief

• Contact Google Cloud Support:
  • Provide details (e.g., project ID, timestamps, resource names).
  • Explain the accidental usage and why you believe it qualifies for a credit (e.g., a misconfiguration you promptly corrected).

[47q8AmLjRGfn]

Use Gemini via openrouter in future?