I have set up billing for my Google Cloud project and it shows “Tier 1” status in Google AI Studio. My billing account was upgraded on January 4, 2026.
However, when I call the Gemini API, I still get 429 errors with the message:
- “generate_content_free_tier_requests, limit: 0”
- “generate_content_free_tier_input_token_count, limit: 0”
Even though the dashboard shows:
- RPD: Unlimited
- RPM: 2000
It appears the API is still using free tier quotas instead of paid tier quotas.
Project: matsu-reflexion0107
Models tested: gemini-2.0-flash, gemini-2.0-flash-lite, gemini-2.5-flash, gemini-2.5-pro
All return the same free tier quota error despite billing being enabled.
How can I resolve this issue?
Hi @user4279
Thank you for the report. To assist with debugging, please DM me your Project ID and a screenshot of your API keys page: https://aistudio.google.com/api-keys
Thanks!
@Shivam_Singh2
Thank you for your quick response!
Project ID: matsu-reflexion
Situation:
- Tier 1 billing enabled (upgraded 2026-01-04)
- Dashboard shows unlimited RPD, 2000 RPM
- All models return error: “free_tier_requests, limit: 0”
I cannot share API keys publicly for security reasons.
If you need to verify the API key details, please let me know how to share them securely.
Thank you!
Hello,
To help us troubleshoot the issue, please provide the complete 429 error message.
@Shivam_Singh2 hello, I have the same issue of 429 error with billing enabled tier1 account, please help to check how can I resolve it
error message:
Tier1 created on Jan21,2026
exact same issue. please help
jke
February 8, 2026, 10:05am
11
im having the exact same issue. Please assist.
