What address autocomplete really costs: session vs per-request pricing

19 July 2026 · 5 min read

Address autocomplete looks cheap per call and then surprises you on the invoice, because a single “find one address” interaction isn’t one call — it’s a dozen. The billing model, not the headline rate, is what actually decides your cost.

The keystroke problem

When someone types “12 Bourke Street Melbourne”, the field fires an autocomplete request every few characters — easily 10–15 requests for one address. Multiply that across a busy checkout and a naïve per-request price becomes a large, unpredictable number.

Session-based billing

The fairer model, and the one Google Places popularised, is the session token. You generate a token when the user starts typing, send it with every keystroke, and send it again on the final retrieve. The whole session counts as one billable lookup, no matter how many keystrokes it took.

WattleAddr works exactly this way. Autocomplete is never billed on its own; the one retrieve (or verify) that completes the session is the single lookup you pay for. Forget the token and each retrieve bills on its own — so always send one.

What that means for the bill

• Free: 5,000 lookups a month, no card.
• Starter: $49/mo for 50,000 lookups, then $2.50 per 1,000.
• Growth: $149/mo for 250,000 lookups, then $1.50 per 1,000.

A “lookup” is a completed session — one finished address — not a keystroke and not a raw request. At Growth volumes that works out under a dollar per thousand completed addresses, all served from Australian infrastructure. Prices are in AUD and include GST.

The question to ask any provider

Before comparing headline rates, ask what a “request” or “lookup” means. If it’s per raw request, mentally multiply by ten. If it’s per session, you’re comparing like with like.