Did you know that Google Maps will be charging for using their maps?
From November 29, 2018, they will bill all usage for Elevation, Directions, Distance Matrix, Geocoding and Places, according to their new pricing plan.
Earlier this year Google launched their new Google Maps Platform, that included a new pricing structure for organisations making use of the Google Maps APIs to deliver customised Maps, Routes and Places experiences for their website users.
So if you have a commercial business website, are an individual with a hobby website, or non-profit you could be still be charged, whether you have a straight up map embedded on your website or integrated with a plugin.
The current rate of usage is covered by a $200 free monthly credit and eligible customers will receive 2 months transition credits.
So what does that mean for me and my website?
For most users, the $200 monthly credit is enough to support their needs. With this you will have up to 28,000 free loads of Dynamic Maps, or up to 100,000 free loads of Static Maps, or up to 40,000 free Directions calls, or up to 40,000 free Geolocation calls.
You can also set daily quotas to protect against unexpected increases.
If you are an eligible non-profit, a start-up, crisis response organisation or news media company, you may be able to apply for extra free Maps credits. See if you’re eligible for Google for Non-Profits.
However, if you have a large website with a lot of traffic, you may be charged as you’re more likely go over the limits above.
With these changes taking place, you may find that the map on your website may not function as it previous did and it may need to be updated to a new version of Google Maps in line with above. If this happens, OSD can assist you with changes, please contact info@osd.ie for further information specific to your website.
How can I find out more?
To find out what your usage is, you can login to your Google Cloud Platform using your Google Account login details.
Click here to view their Pricing Plans
