I don't think that's completely fair. They do provide the 300USD credit, valid for 12 months after sign-up. And in response to another commenter below, in many countries I believe they allow sign-up for this trial with a bank account (they deposit a small sum and you verify receipt with the amount deposited). I have not tried this.
I provided my credit card for the trial. I was notified of the impending end of the trial, and was billed no further.
I do agree that the inability to set hard limits on usage is frustrating and somewhat concerning, however. Especially as they're apparently able to do so through the aforementioned trial termination mechanism.
And I further agree that, outside of this trial period, this policy does discourage experimentation. And that it is somewhat un-Google-like; somewhat surprising as I believe they're considered an underdog relative to AWS; and a bit disappointing.
I provided my credit card for the trial. I was notified of the impending end of the trial, and was billed no further.
I do agree that the inability to set hard limits on usage is frustrating and somewhat concerning, however. Especially as they're apparently able to do so through the aforementioned trial termination mechanism.
And I further agree that, outside of this trial period, this policy does discourage experimentation. And that it is somewhat un-Google-like; somewhat surprising as I believe they're considered an underdog relative to AWS; and a bit disappointing.