Billing is not transparent

[david-bai00]

Dear Gemini API Support Team,

I am writing to express my extreme concern and frustration regarding an unexpected and substantial charge to my credit card for Gemini API usage through gemini-cli. I have been using gemini-cli, which, according to its GitHub page, offers a generous free tier of 100 requests per day.

For the past a month, I have been using gemini-cli for simple personal projects, well within what I believed to be the free usage limits. I never received any notifications or warnings about exceeding these limits, nor was there any indication of usage beyond what was considered free.

However, on September 1st, I received a charge notification for 4384 JPY. Upon reviewing my billing statement, I was utterly shocked to discover a total outstanding balance of approximately 4300 RMB for just one month's usage. This is absolutely outrageous and far beyond anything I ever anticipated, especially for a tool that was advertised as having a robust free tier.

I have been an early adopter and long-time user of gemini-cli. Initially, the tool was quite difficult to use, often freezing for several minutes, or even tens of minutes, at a time. While it has improved recently, it still presents challenges. I feel like I've been a beta tester for you all this time, and now I'm being hit with exorbitant fees.

If I had been charged from day one, I would have immediately stopped using the service and switched to alternatives like Cursor, which offers a much smoother experience. The most critical issue here is not just the high cost itself, but the complete lack of transparency regarding usage and billing. There were no warnings when I approached or exceeded the free tier, and no clear indications of the accruing charges. This lack of notification is the biggest problem.

I urge anyone using Gemini API to log in and use gemini-cli to meticulously check their billing statements daily!

I kindly request a thorough investigation into this matter and a clear explanation for these charges. I believe there has been a serious miscommunication or technical issue regarding the free tier and usage notifications.

Thank you for your time and attention to this urgent matter.

[markplusgood]

Had the same issue on Sept 1st. Seemingly, Gemini CLI burned a ton of API tokens instead or on top of free tier requests without requesting permission or even notifying me about using paid requests. Got a ridiculous bill and tardy spending notifications.
Google Cloud billing support said it's not their concern, and I don't know who to address :/

[david-bai00]

I completely understand your situation; the biggest problem is that there are no hints. I also don't know where to report it. I've seen many people here to provide feedback, so I'm also expressing my opinions and feedback here.