If you're getting a Google Maps API error related to billing, you may have not enabled billing on your google maps account or perhaps billing info wasn't added.
Unlike our alternative map provider, Mapbox, the Google Maps API requires billing info to be added and enabled for the maps and search suggestions to work. Although Google Maps API does have a free usage tier, if you go above the free limits, Google Maps would charge for your usage. Even if you're within the free limits, billing info must be added for Google Maps to work.
How can I fix the issue?
- You can add billing info to your google account at: https://console.cloud.google.com/project/_/billing/enable
- Please note: When adding billing info and editing the following settings, please ensure you are in the same account / project where the google maps api key was initially setup. If you don't remember the account/project or if it was set up by someone else, you can try setting up a new google maps api project/key from scratch.
- Ensure your Google Maps API key is restricted so that it can only be used on your own website (and prevent others from taking up your usage). Please see the last step, Step 5 in our Google Maps - API Key Set Up Tutorial.
- Add a budget to your Google Cloud account to limit potential charges or ensure you stay within the free limit. After ensuring you're logged into and have switched into the same Google account in which you set up the Google Maps API key, you can create budgets here: https://console.cloud.google.com/billing/budgets. You can also see more tutorials about budgets from Google here: https://cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/budgets
Is there any alternative?
If you'd prefer not adding billing info, please check out our alternative map provider option, Mapbox in the Storepoint store locator map provider settings. Mapbox does not require adding billing info as long as you stay within the free limits, however, you will still need to pay for usage above the free limits if you do exceed them.