The free tier is for 1 year, so technically, it's a limited time trial and does require your credit card up front (which is their main method of converting free

The free tier is for 1 year, so technically, it's a limited time trial and does require your credit card up front (which is their main method of converting free accounts -- upselling on that credit card). I think AWS is the type of free the GP supports: limited time, credit card up front, clear upsell channels for the limited service.