How can I actually get Google Cloud Credits? (Too much is never enough)
I’m growing a small SaaS. And cloud costs are starting to hurt. I keep hearing about founders stacking $100-300k in Google Cloud credits, but all the advice feels vague or locked behind big-name accelerators.
Where did you actually get credits?
Any creative hacks or things to avoid?
If you’ve cracked this, I’d love to hear what worked.
And if you’re still figuring it out too, just drop a comment. If I’ve gathered some useful stuff, I'll be happy to share.
Replies
I’ve seen Google offer credits through certain events or programs , but it’s still tough to know how to access them consistently. How do you guys usually snag them?
there is actually an old technique, I don't know if it is legal... I heard that since Google assign a balance to each new account, they constantly open new accounts and provide an API to their main product through that account and use it for free for a looooong time. Is this any different from theft? I don't know about that, I think everyone is mature enough to make their own decisions. For me, there are no differences.
@omer_faruk_bulut2 obviously this approach would be unstable for a production-ready app.
While I’ve never secured the $200k, or $300k credits for AI startups, I knew the process: https://startup.google.com/cloud/#next-step.
Typically, you need to be in between Seed & Series A, or pre-Seed backing from prominent investors. These investors are the proof of your business use cases—Google verification process is only checking media coverage. It’s their "safety net," where the investment itself acts as validation for your product, regardless of revenue, cloud usage or number of clients.
There are also [paid] programs or memberships that promise access to such credits, but with Google’s verification processes, none guarantee success.
All these credits often expire within 12 months and are limited to one per account & billing profile, making them a little tricky to use, applying too early is wasted resource, applying too late the it's a short-term band-aid.
Another route is billing through GCP reseller. These vendors receive bulk credits from Google and can allocate smaller amounts anytime (usually $5k - $8k - $10k) to an account. So, lower upfront value for recurring support.
When we started scaling, cloud bills felt like a second rent. Tbh, Spendbase helped a ton, they actually secured us with a $100k credits, provided CUD analysis and cut cloud expenses by -5%. (plus solid -20% on Workspace and other saas perks too). It didn’t take us long and made scaling sooo much easier.
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I just went the self host route. For cloud credits, it easy to get if you're part of some incubator/accelerator programme. If you absolutely need to use GCP, only put critical things on there, the rest, you can self host.
I once applied for Google Cloud credits through Google for Startups. They have programs that offer credits to eligible startups. You need to submit detailed information about your SaaS business, like your product features, target market, and growth plans. Another option could be to participate in relevant tech competitions hosted by Google. Some of these competitions offer Google Cloud credits as prizes. Avoid providing inaccurate or incomplete information in your application, as it may lead to rejection. Also, don't rely solely on credits. Try to optimize your cloud usage to reduce costs, like turning off unused resources. I hope these suggestions are helpful.