Prepay minimum is €30 "for security reasons" – does it apply only to the first purchase?

Gemini API
1

Hi everyone,

I’m setting up billing for a small personal project on the Gemini API (currently on the Free Tier, based in Italy). In the “Buy credits” dialog in AI Studio, the minimum prepayment is shown as €30, with a note saying the minimum is higher “for security reasons”. The documentation mentions a minimum of $5 (or equivalent).

I’d like to understand a few things before purchasing:

  1. Is this higher minimum applied only to the first purchase, or to all future top-ups as well?
  2. If it’s temporary, what makes it drop back to the standard minimum (e.g. after a first successful payment, after some time, or with a different payment method such as a credit card instead of PayPal)?
  3. Does the same higher minimum apply to auto-reload amounts?
2

Hello @andreata,

  • First purchase only: The €30 minimum is a one-time security prepayment requirement to activate your Cloud Billing account; future manual top-ups revert to the standard Prepay minimum.
  • How it clears: It drops back to the standard minimum only after you complete the initial €30 payment (waiting or switching payment methods will not remove it).
  • Auto-reload: No, it does not raise the minimum for auto-reload amounts.