This document explains how to manage your payment methods for your self-serve,
online Cloud Billing account. Specifically, it explains how you can add,
remove, or update credit cards and bank accounts when your needs change or to
fix payment errors.

The payment methods described in this document apply only to
[self-serve, online Cloud Billing accounts](https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/concepts#billing_account_types). If your
Cloud Billing account is set up as an invoiced account and you want to
learn how to pay for your Google Cloud costs, visit
[Make a payment to an invoiced Cloud Billing account](https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/pay-invoice).

To remain in good standing, each self-serve, online Cloud Billing
account must have at least one valid form of payment attached to the linked
***Postpay** Google payments account* , even if your balance due every
billing cycle is $0.00. Without a valid form of payment, your
Cloud Billing account is suspended until you resolve the issue on your
linked *Postpay* payments account. If your
Cloud Billing account is suspended for any reason, all APIs, services,
and other resources are stopped in ***ALL*** of the
[projects that are linked to the Cloud Billing account](https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/view-linked),
including any services that are paid for using
[Prepay credits](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/billing#prepay).
Learn more about
[split charging cycles for self-serve (online) Cloud Billing accounts](https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/split-charging-cycle).

## About Cloud Billing accounts and Google payments accounts

A **Cloud Billing account** accrues and calculates costs for your
usage of resources and services in Google Cloud, Google Maps Platform,
Firebase, and Google AI Studio. The Cloud Billing account
is associated with a Google payments profile (the legal entity responsible
for paying the bills) and is linked to a Google payments account (which
contains information about when and how you pay, and includes the payment
instruments that costs are charged to).

![Illustrates how a Cloud Billing account is related to projects
and to your Google payments profile and payments
accounts. One side shows your Google Cloud resources
(a Cloud Billing account and its associated projects) and the
other side shows the Google payments center and how it's related to
the Cloud Billing account (with an associated Google payments
profile and linked payments accounts). Your projects' usage
costs are tracked in your Cloud Billing account. The linked
Google payments accounts manage payments-related information, including
invoices and statements, and the payment instruments used to pay your
bill.](https://docs.cloud.google.com/static/billing/docs/images/billing-project.png)

The Cloud Billing account is managed in the Google Cloud console. The
payments profile and payments account are
located in the
[Google payments center](https://support.google.com/paymentscenter/topic/9017382),
a Google-level resource accessed and managed outside of Google Cloud. You use
Identity and Access Management (IAM) roles to
[control access to a Cloud Billing account](https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/billing-access).
Your Google payments profile and payments account
require different
[permissions to access and manage](https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/modify-contacts).

> [!NOTE]
> **Note:** **About access permissions** : For ease of use, certain Cloud Billing permissions also grant the *equivalent* Google payments permissions needed to interact with your Google payments profile and payments accounts from within the Google Cloud console. Or, if you are assigned the necessary permissions on your Google payments profile, you can interact with and manage your Google payments profile and payments accounts directly in the Google payments center.

## Payment methods you can add to your Google payments account

Your Cloud Billing account is linked to a Google payments account
that contains the payment methods you use to pay for your charges. The
[payment methods available](https://support.google.com/paymentscenter/answer/9001356?ref_topic=9023854#allowed-methods)
for your self-serve (online) Cloud Billing account depend on your
[currency and country](https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/resources/currency).
In many countries, you can set up a credit card, debit card, or bank account
as a primary payment method.

You can also set up a backup credit or debit card to act as a safety net; if
your primary payment method fails, we'll charge your costs to your backup
payment method. This ensures that your Google APIs, services, and other
resources in your Google Cloud projects keep running. Note that you can't set up
a bank account as a backup payment method. For more information about adding
a backup payment method, see
[Add a payment method](https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/payment-methods#add_a_payment_method) on this page.

Bank account payments (also known as direct debit or ACH) let you specify a
bank account to use as the primary funding source for your Google payments
account. Your payments account isn't active until you verify
your bank account. The verification process for your bank account might take
up to 10 days. For information about instant bank verification, see
[Verify your bank account](https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/verify-bank).

Be aware of the following important points:

- By default, payments for a *Postpay* payments account are processed *automatically* , so you don't have to worry that your service will stop running if you forget to make a payment. If you prefer to make a payment in advance, you can do so at any time.
  - For more information about making advance payments to a *Postpay* payments account, see [Make a manual payment or pay early](https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/manual-payment).
  - For information about when you'll be billed, see [Find out your Cloud Billing account type and charging cycle](https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/billing-cycle).
- If you entered your Cloud Billing account information recently, it may take a few hours for your account to become active. If you have a problem finding the verification email or verifying your account, see [Verify your email address](https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/create-billing-account#verify-email-address).
- If your Google Cloud services are restricted, you can enable them by [making a manual payment or paying early](https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/manual-payment).

### Supported payment methods

The types of payment instruments Google services let you add to
Google payments profiles and payments accounts vary by
your location and by the Google product you are using. See the
[payment options tool](https://payments.google.com/u/0/paymentsinfofinder)
for more information.

The following sections list the supported payment methods that you can use
with a Cloud Billing account.

#### Credit and debit cards

> [!WARNING]
> **Warning:** (For customers in India) Due to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) regulations, your bank might decline automatic card charges \>15,000 INR for recurring payments for your Google Cloud usage. To avoid interruptions in service, if your automatic payments are being declined, we recommend that you make a [manual payment for your usage](https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/manual-payment).

- American Express
- MasterCard
- Visa
- Debit cards with the Visa or MasterCard logo
- Discover (US only)
- JCB (Japan and US only)
- Visa Electron (Outside the US only)
- [Elo credit cards](https://www.elo.com.br/) (Brazil only; We don't allow you to add Elo debit cards)
- [Boleto bancário](https://support.google.com/paymentscenter/answer/9337328) (Brazil only) is available as a *backup* payment method for Google Cloud accounts. You can create up to three payments per day using boleto as the form of payment.
- [Pix](https://www.bcb.gov.br/en/financialstability/pix_en) (Brazil only) Only available for manual payments in Brazilian Reals. If you sign up for your Google Cloud subscription using Pix as your payment method, you get an email each month reminding you to [make a manual monthly payment](https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/manual-payment).
- [UPI](https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/resources/upi-payment-india) (India only) Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is available for qualified organizations in India who pay for Google Cloud subscription with Indian Rupees (INR).

The types of cards that Google services lets you add to payments
profiles and accounts vary by your location and which types of products and
services that you use.

> [!NOTE]
> **Note:** You might notice temporary authorizations on your card account when using a credit or debit card.

#### Bank account

[If supported in your country](https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/resources/currency),
you can add a bank account to your
[Google payments account](https://payments.google.com/) to pay your accrued
Cloud Billing account charges.

> [!NOTE]
> **Note:** To use a bank account as a primary payment method for self-serve (online) billing accounts, your account must have an established billing history with Google Cloud, including a minimum account age and a record of on-time payments. If your billing account does not meet the eligibility requirements, you must use a credit or debit card as your primary payment method instead.

Depending on your country, you might have to accept a direct debit mandate,
which gives Google permission to charge your bank account.

> [!NOTE]
> **Note:** It can take five to ten business days for your bank account payment to be processed successfully.

#### PayPal

[If supported in your country](https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/resources/currency),
you can add a PayPal account as a payment method for your Cloud Billing
account.

PayPal is supported in Spain, Italy, and Mexico, with the following
restrictions:

- PayPal is supported for Google Cloud services (1P services) in Spain, Italy, and Mexico.
- PayPal isn't supported for users who use Bring Your Own Identity (BYOID) authentication with the Gemini Enterprise - Business edition product.
- For Google Cloud Marketplace (3P marketplace), PayPal is supported in Spain and Italy, but isn't supported in Mexico.

### Unsupported payment methods

The following payment methods aren't accepted for payment for a
Cloud Billing account:

- Debit cards that [require two-factor authentication](https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/payment-methods#resolve-errors) aren't accepted for payment.
- Prepaid cards aren't accepted for payment.
- Bank accounts that only support disbursements aren't accepted for payment.
- Payments using wire transfer *aren't* supported for Prepay accounts, or Postpay [threshold billing or monthly charge accounts](https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/billing-cycle). You can pay with a bank account by adding it as a payment method, [if supported in your country](https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/resources/currency).
- Except for limited use in Spain, Italy, and Mexico, PayPal isn't supported to pay for Cloud Billing accounts.

For more payment options, consider working with a local reseller,
who might be able to accept more forms of payment, or help you switch to
[invoiced billing](https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/concepts#billing_account_types). Find a list of
resellers on the [Google partners page](https://cloud.google.com/find-a-partner/).

## Prepayment requirements for *Postpay* Google payments accounts

For some Cloud Billing accounts with a
[*Postpay* charging cycle](https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/billing-cycle#view-your-charging-cycle),
certain types of payment methods require a *one-time* prepayment to activate
the account. The prepayment differs by country and currency. Prepayments to a
*Postpay Google payments account* will be refunded if unused by the
time of account closure.

To pay your Cloud Billing prepayment amount, go to the Payment overview
page for your Cloud Billing account:

1. In the Google Cloud console, go to the **Payment overview** page.

   [Go to the Payment overview page](https://console.cloud.google.com/billing/payment)
2. At the prompt, choose the Cloud Billing account that requires the
   prepayment. The **Payment overview** page opens for the selected billing
   account.

3. On the **Prepayment pending** banner, click **Pay now**.

## Permissions required to manage payment methods

Payment methods are stored and managed on the Google payments profile that
is associated with your Cloud Billing account. With the appropriate
permissions, you can manage the payment methods while working in the
Cloud Billing console, or directly in the Google payments center.
The permissions required to manage payment methods depend on which interface
you are using to complete your updates, and which type of task you are
doing.

> [!NOTE]
> **Note:** If you're working directly in the [Google payments center](https://support.google.com/paymentscenter/topic/9017382?ref_topic=9037778) to [manage your payment methods](https://support.google.com/paymentscenter/topic/9023854?ref_topic=9017382), you must be a [payments user](https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/modify-contacts) with at least the [Edit payments profile](https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/modify-contacts#permissions) level of permissions on the Google payments profile.

### Permissions to add, edit, or fix a payment method

If you're working in the Cloud Billing console, to
***add, edit, or fix*** a form of payment that is used to pay for a
self-service, online Cloud Billing account, you need a role on your Cloud Billing account that includes the following
[permissions](https://docs.cloud.google.com/iam/docs/roles-permissions/billing):

- `billing.accounts.getPaymentInfo`
- `billing.accounts.updatePaymentInfo`

To gain these permissions using a
[predefined billing IAM role](https://docs.cloud.google.com/iam/docs/roles-permissions),
you must be a
[Billing Account Administrator](https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/billing-access)
on the Cloud Billing account.

### Permissions to remove a payment method

If you're working in the Cloud Billing console, to ***remove*** a
payment method from the Google payments profile and linked
payments account, you need permissions on *both* the Cloud Billing account and the Google payments profile.

- On the Cloud Billing account, you must be at least a
  [Billing Account Viewer](https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/billing-access#billing.viewer)
  or have a custom a role on your Cloud Billing account that grants the
  `billing.accounts.getPaymentInfo` permission.

- On the associated Google payments profile, you must be a payments user
  with at least the
  [Edit payments profile](https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/modify-contacts#permissions)
  level of permissions.

## Add a payment method

You can add additional payment methods to your Cloud Billing account at
any time. Each linked Google payments account stores a *primary* (required)
and *backup* (optional) payment method. You can assign different payment
methods to each of your Google payments accounts.

- **Postpay** payments accounts are managed from the Billing pages in the **Google Cloud console** . *Postpay* payments accounts require at least one valid payment method assigned as the *Primary* form of payment.
- **Prepay** payments accounts are managed from the Billing
  page in **Google AI Studio** . *Prepay* payments
  accounts with
  [*auto-reload* enabled](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/billing#auto-reload)
  require at least one valid payment method assigned as the *Primary*
  form of payment.

### Postpay account

Follow these steps to **access the Payment method page** for your
**Postpay** Google payments account:

1. In the **Google Cloud console** , go to the **Payment method** page.

   [Go to the Payment method page](https://console.cloud.google.com/billing/settings)
2. At the prompt, choose the Cloud Billing account you want to
   update.

   The **Payment method** page opens for the Postpay
   payments account.

### Prepay account

Follow these steps to **access the Payment method page** for your
[**Prepay** Google payments account](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/billing#prepay):

1. In the **Google AI Studio console** , go to the **Billing** page.

   [Go to the AI Studio Billing page](https://aistudio.google.com/billing)
2. Locate the **How you pay** card and click **Manage payment methods**.

   The **Payment method** page opens for the Prepay
   payments account.

On the **Payment method** page, do the following to add a new payment method:

1. Click **Add payment method**. The types of payment methods available to you are based on your business address and the currency of your Cloud Billing account.
2. Enter your payment information, and then click **Save**.
3. Optional: If you added an additional credit or debit card to use as a backup payment method, after you save the payment method, set that card as a backup. Bank accounts can't be used as a backup payment method.
   1. In the **payment method card** , you see a list in the bottom-left of the card (the list might display **None** by default).
   2. Expand the list, and then select **Backup**.

If your new payment method is a US bank account, you can instantly
verify your bank account rather than use the challenge deposit which takes 2-5
days. For information about challenge deposits and instant bank verification,
see
[Verify your bank account](https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/verify-bank).

If your new payment method is a non-US bank account, you might need to accept
a direct debit mandate, which authorizes Google to charge your bank account.
You can download a copy of your mandate by returning to the **Payment method**
page and clicking **Download mandate** next to your bank account.

If you receive an error message when you attempt
to set up or change a payment method, see
[A billing account change wasn't allowed](https://support.google.com/paymentscenter/answer/9791006?ref_topic=9023854)
for more information.

## Update a payment method

You might want to update your payment information or set a credit or debit
card as a backup payment method.

A backup payment method is a credit card or debit card that you designate to be
used if your primary payment method fails. With a backup payment method, if your
primary payment method is declined when processing a payment, we'll
automatically try to charge the payment to your backup method instead. This
helps ensure that your service runs uninterrupted. A backup credit card will be
charged only if your primary form of payment doesn't work.

> [!NOTE]
> **Note:** A bank account can't be used as a backup payment method.

Before updating your payment method, consider the following:

- You can edit all the details for your payment method, except for the credit card or bank account number.
- Your Cloud Billing account always needs at least one payment method on file. If you want to remove a payment method, add a new payment method first.
- If your credit card has expired and you receive a new credit card with the same account number and an updated expiration date and CVV number, just update your card details. You don't need to add it as a new payment method.
- If the number of your credit card or bank account has changed, we consider it a new credit card or bank account. You'll need to add it as a new payment method. After you add the new payment method, you can remove the outdated payment method.

### How to update a payment method

Each linked Google payments account stores a *primary* (required)
and *backup* (optional) payment method. You can assign different payment
methods to each of your Google payments accounts.

- **Postpay** payments accounts are managed from the Billing pages in the **Google Cloud console** . *Postpay* payments accounts require at least one valid payment method assigned as the *Primary* form of payment.
- **Prepay** payments accounts are managed from the Billing
  page in **Google AI Studio** . *Prepay* payments
  accounts with
  [*auto-reload* enabled](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/billing#auto-reload)
  require at least one valid payment method assigned as the *Primary*
  form of payment.

### Postpay account

Follow these steps to **access the Payment method page** for your
**Postpay** Google payments account:

1. In the **Google Cloud console** , go to the **Payment method** page.

   [Go to the Payment method page](https://console.cloud.google.com/billing/settings)
2. At the prompt, choose the Cloud Billing account you want to
   manage.

   The **Payment method** page opens for the Postpay
   payments account.

### Prepay account

Follow these steps to **access the Payment method page** for your
[**Prepay** Google payments account](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/billing#prepay):

1. In the **Google AI Studio console** , go to the **Billing** page.

   [Go to the AI Studio Billing page](https://aistudio.google.com/billing)
2. Locate the **How you pay** card and click **Manage payment methods**.

   The **Payment method** page opens for the Prepay
   payments account.

On the **Payment method** page do any of the following to update the payment
method on your Google payments account:

- To update your credit or debit card information, such as the
  expiration date or the billing address, do the following:

  1. Locate the payment method you want to update, click **Edit** or **Fix**, and then make the updates.
  2. When you are finished, click **Update**.
- To change which payment method is the primary payment method:

  1. First, before you can change your primary payment method, ensure that you have at least two payment methods on your account. If needed, add a second payment method.
  2. In the **payment method info card** for the **non-primary payment
     method** , you see a list in the bottom-left of the card (it might display **Other** or **Backup**).
  3. Expand the list, and then select **Primary** . The payment method previously marked as **Primary** will be marked as **Other** , and the payment method info cards will shuffle on the page, so that the **Primary** payment method is displayed first.
  4. Optionally, you might want to set a secondary form of payment
     to be a **Backup** payment method.

     > [!NOTE]
     > **Note:** A bank account can't be used as a backup payment method.

## Remove a payment method

Before you try to remove a payment method, keep in mind the following
requirements:

- Your Cloud Billing account's linked Postpay payments account always needs at least one valid payment method assigned. If you have only one payment method on the Postpay Google payments account, you can't remove it. If you want to remove a payment method, you need to add another payment method first.
- You can't remove a payment method marked as the **Primary** method of payment. If the payment method you want to remove is the **Primary** method of payment, first [select a different payment method to be the **Primary** method](https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/payment-methods#primary-payment-method), and then you can remove the non-primary payment method.
- Your Cloud Billing account must have a valid payment method at all times. If you have an invalid payment method and you can't replace a failing payment method with a different, valid payment method, you can [disable Cloud Billing on your project](https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/modify-project#disable_billing_for_a_project). Be aware that even when Cloud Billing is disabled, your credit card information is retained on your account and Google Cloud can't remove it. Credit card information is retained for reporting and auditing purposes only.

### How to remove a payment method

Each linked Google payments account stores a *primary* (required)
and *backup* (optional) payment method. You can assign different payment
methods to each of your Google payments accounts.

- **Postpay** payments accounts are managed from the Billing pages in the **Google Cloud console** . *Postpay* payments accounts require at least one valid payment method assigned as the *Primary* form of payment.
- **Prepay** payments accounts are managed from the Billing
  page in **Google AI Studio** . *Prepay* payments
  accounts with
  [*auto-reload* enabled](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/billing#auto-reload)
  require at least one valid payment method assigned as the *Primary*
  form of payment.

### Postpay account

Follow these steps to **access the Payment method page** for your
**Postpay** Google payments account:

1. In the **Google Cloud console** , go to the **Payment method** page.

   [Go to the Payment method page](https://console.cloud.google.com/billing/settings)
2. At the prompt, choose the Cloud Billing account you want to
   manage.

   The **Payment method** page opens for the Postpay
   payments account.

### Prepay account

Follow these steps to **access the Payment method page** for your
[**Prepay** Google payments account](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/billing#prepay):

1. In the **Google AI Studio console** , go to the **Billing** page.

   [Go to the AI Studio Billing page](https://aistudio.google.com/billing)
2. Locate the **How you pay** card and click **Manage payment methods**.

   The **Payment method** page opens for the Prepay
   payments account.

On the **Payment method** page, to remove a payment method, do the following:

1. Locate the payment method info card displaying the payment method that you want to remove.
2. Click **Remove**.
3. On the **Remove payment method** dialog, follow the prompts. You might be required to choose a new payment method before you can remove a payment method.
4. When finished, click **Save and remove**.

> [!NOTE]
> **Note:** If you want to remove your form of payment from potentially being used on other Google services, such as the Play store, access the Google payments center help documentation to learn how to [Add, edit, or remove business payment methods on Google payments](https://support.google.com/paymentscenter/answer/9001356). As is the case with Google Cloud, this doesn't remove your payment information from your Cloud Billing account as it's kept for auditing purposes.

## Add a new payment method after your account has been suspended

If your account was suspended because of an invalid payment method, you need to
add a valid payment method before your account can be reactivated.

To add a payment method:

1. In the Google Cloud console, go to the **Manage billing accounts** page.

   [Manage billing accounts page](https://console.cloud.google.com/billing).

   By default, when you first access the list of Cloud Billing
   accounts, the account list is filtered to display **Active** accounts.
2. In the
   **Filter** row, clear the **Status: Active** filter.

   All Cloud Billing accounts are displayed.
3. Click the **name** of the suspended billing account to access all of the
   account information for the Cloud Billing account.

4. In the **Billing** menu, in the **Payments** section, click
   **Payment method**.

5. On the **Payment method** page, click **Add payment method**. The types of
   payment methods available to you are based on your business address and
   your account's currency.

6. Enter your payment information, and then click **Save**.

7. After you save the new payment method, set that payment method as **Primary**:

   1. In the payment method card, you see a list in the bottom-left of the card (it might display **Other** by default).
   2. Expand the list, and then select **Primary**.
8. To remove the invalid payment method, locate the info card displaying the
   payment method you want to remove, and then click **Remove**.

If your new payment method is a US bank account, you can instantly
verify your bank account rather than use the challenge deposit which takes 2-5
days. For information about challenge deposits and instant bank verification,
see [Verify your bank account](https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/verify-bank).

## Resolve errors when adding or updating a payment method

When you're adding a form of payment, you might receive an error such as:

- Your card does not support automatic recurring payments.   
  or
- General decline of the card. No other information was provided by the issuing bank.

You might encounter these errors if you're using a debit card that requires
2-step verification to complete an online transaction (for example, entry
of a one-time password sent by your bank directly to you using SMS).

2-step verification requires you to be in-session at the time of the
transaction. Cards that require you to be in-session can't be used for
subscriptions or similar recurring automatic transactions.

When you enter a debit card as your form of payment, Google checks
whether your issuing bank approves subscriptions or recurring payments using
that card. If your bank doesn't approve, this card won't work for automatic
recurring payments.

If you receive an error such as *Your card does not support automatic
recurring payments* or *General decline of the card* , select a different
form of payment or consider working with a local reseller who might be able to
accept more forms of payment, or help you switch to
[invoiced billing](https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/concepts#billing_account_types).
Find a list of resellers on the
[Google partners page](https://cloud.google.com/find-a-partner/).

You can also contact
[Cloud Billing Support](https://docs.cloud.google.com/support/billing)
for help.