Google Cloud’s Nov 16 Update: How to Keep Your $300 Trial Credits for Vertex AI & Gemini

Starting November 16, 2026, Google Cloud is updating its Free Trial terms. The standard $300 welcome credit will no longer cover Gemini platform (Vertex AI) services for new or newly upgraded accounts. According to the official Google Cloud documentation: "The $300 credit can't pay for Gemini platform (formerly known as Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform, Vertex AI) services if you sign up for a free trial or upgrade to a paid account on or after November 16, 2026." 1. The Critical Step: "Sign Up" vs. "Upgrade to Paid" Notice the wording: "sign up for a free trial OR upgrade to a paid account." Adding a credit card during initial registration only places your account in a restricted Free Trial state. If you register before November 16, but click "Upgrade to a Paid Account" on or after November 16, you will lose the ability to use your remaining $300 credit on Vertex AI. How to lock in the $300 credit for 90 days (Before Nov 16): Claim the $300 Free Trial on a clean Google Payments Profile. Go to Billing -> Account Management and immediately click Upgrade (or Activate) to switch to a Paid Billing Account before Monday, November 16. Upgrading does not remove your $300 credit—it stays active for 90 days and is spent first before your card is charged. 2. AI Studio vs. Vertex AI Billing Google’s AI billing is split into two separate tracks: Google AI Studio (Direct API Keys): Cannot use the $300 GCP trial credit. Can use the $10/month credit from the Google Developer Program (or Google One AI Premium). Activation: New accounts require a one-time Prepay deposit (e.g., €5 / $5) to clear the Prepay required lock. Once active, Google spends your free $10/month Developer credits first. Keep Auto-reload: Off to prevent automatic charges. Vertex AI / Gemini Platform (Production & Agents): Covered by the $300 trial credit for 90 days (if upgraded to Paid before Nov 16). Use case: Best for running Gemini 3.1 Pro, Vertex AI Agent Builder, Vector Search, and Cloud Storage when building business assistants and RAG systems. Published by TechLift Solutions — IT engineering and systems architecture studio (in the industry since 2005), building custom web solutions, business automation, and open-source AI agents. Read our notes on Substack and Hashnode.