(What it does, how to enable it, and pricing (as of 6 Sep 2025)
Why use Google for address capture?
- Best global coverage & accuracy for type-ahead addresses and reverse geocoding (“Ping my location”).
- Checkout-friendly pricing: with Autocomplete (New) sessions, keystroke lookups are no-charge after the first 12; you mainly pay when the shopper selects a suggestion (the final “Place Details”) or if you choose strict Address Validation. Google for Developers
What features you get
- Type-ahead suggestions (Autocomplete New): shoppers start typing and pick a precise result. We then fetch Place Details to fill street, city, state, and postcode. Google for Developers
- Ping my location (Reverse geocode): with the shopper’s permission, fills the form from GPS using Geocoding API. Google for Developers
- (Optional) Address Validation: standardizes and verifies addresses for mail/courier deliverability. Recommended for UK/US/EU where supported. Google for Developers
2-minute setup (store owner)
- Get your Google API key (you control usage & costs):
– Create a Google Cloud project, enable Places API (New) + Geocoding API (and Address Validation API if you want strict checks), then create an API key. Google for Developers+2Google for Developers+2Google Cloud - Restrict the key (highly recommended):
– Limit to your website domain (HTTP referrers) and restrict to Places, Geocoding, Address Validation only. Google Cloud - Paste the key into InstaConsole → Address Assist → Provider: Google and save.
Who pays? You add your key; Google bills you directly according to your usage. InstaConsole doesn’t see or charge for your Google usage.
Pricing (USD, per 1,000 events) — official Google list
(As of 6 Sep 2025. Google updates pricing periodically; see the linked price sheet for the latest figures.) Google for Developers
Places API (New) — Essentials tier
- Autocomplete Requests: 10,000 free/month → then $2.83 (10k–100k), $2.27 (100k–500k), etc. Google for Developers
- Place Details (Essentials): 10,000 free/month → then $5.00 (10k–100k), $4.00 (100k–500k), etc. Google for Developers
- Geocoding (for Ping): 10,000 free/month → then $5.00 (10k–100k), $4.00 (100k–500k), etc. Google for Developers
- Autocomplete Session Usage: no charge (used for in-session keystrokes; you’re billed on the terminating call). Google for Developers
Address Validation
- Enterprise SKU: 1,000 free/month → then $25.00 (1k–100k), $20.00 (100k–500k), etc. Google for Developers
- Pro SKU: 5,000 free/month → then $17.00 (5k–100k), $13.60 (100k–500k), etc. (Pro/Enterprise availability varies by needs.) Google for Developers
How sessions keep costs low at checkout
- In a typical flow (Autocomplete → Place Details (Essentials)), keystrokes are effectively free in the session; you pay mainly for the final Place Details when the shopper clicks a suggestion. Google for Developers
What most stores actually pay
- Up to ~10k orders/month using Place Details (Essentials) stay within free tiers for both Place Details and Autocomplete Requests. Geocoding for Ping also has a 10k free cap. Many stores pay $0. (Your real cost depends on traffic and how often customers use Ping or select suggestions.) Google for Developers
Best-practice checklist (to keep accuracy high & costs predictable)
- Use sessions with Autocomplete (New) and always terminate with Place Details (Essentials) or Address Validation. Google for Developers
- Country bias: nudge results toward the shopper’s country (e.g.,
GB,PK) without hard filtering when you ship internationally. Google for Developers - Key restrictions: lock your key to your domain and to the 2–3 APIs you use. Google Cloud
- Monitoring: set budgets/alerts in Google Cloud Billing. (Google aggregates usage monthly across your projects.) Google for Developers
Feature comparison (quick)
| Need | API to enable | When it’s billed |
|---|---|---|
| Type-ahead suggestions + fill address | Places: Autocomplete (New) + Place Details (Essentials) | Place Details on selection; Autocomplete keystrokes are no-charge in session beyond first 12 |
| “Ping my location” (GPS → address) | Geocoding | Per reverse-geocode request (10k free/month) |
| Postal standardization / deliverability verdict | Address Validation | Per validation request (1k free/month Enterprise; 5k free/month Pro) |
Sources: Google session pricing & SKU list. Google for Developers+1
How to get your API key (step-by-step)
- Open the Google Cloud Console, create/select a project, and Create credentials → API key. Google Cloud
- In APIs & Services → Library, enable Places API (New), Geocoding API, and (optional) Address Validation API. Google for Developers+2Google for Developers+2
- In your key’s settings, Application restrictions → HTTP referrers (your domain), and API restrictions → Places/Geocoding/Address Validation. Google Cloud
- Paste the key into InstaConsole → Address Assist → Provider: Google and save.
FAQs
Do I need a billing account?
Yes. All Google Maps Platform keys require a billing account, even if you stay within free caps. WP Social Ninja
Will InstaConsole charge me for Google usage?
No. You add your key and Google bills you directly. We never proxy your requests.
Can I use Address Validation everywhere?
Coverage varies by country—check Google’s coverage list before enabling strict validation. Google for Developers
What if I exceed free caps?
Google applies tiered pricing per 1,000 events by SKU, calculated monthly. You can see current prices in Google’s live price sheet. Google for Developers
Compliance & privacy notes
- We only send address text / lat-lon needed to return results; no order contents or payment data is shared.
- Your API key is stored securely in your site’s database; we recommend limiting it to your domain and the required APIs. Google Cloud
Official references
- Core services price list (global) — last updated 5 Sep 2025 UTC. Google for Developers
- Autocomplete (New) session pricing — how billing works in checkout flows; last updated 4 Sep 2025 UTC. Google for Developers
- Set up Places / Geocoding / Address Validation — enable APIs and create a key. Google for Developers+2Google for Developers+2
- API key restrictions & management. Google Cloud