I registered my Google US account myself using a native US node — there’s no need to keep the account warm for a day.
I borrowed the email from a colleague who graduated from USTC, so we agreed to both get these perks for free.
The card I used is an ICBC student constellation Visa card.
So, everyone, if you have an email ending with .edu, can you still use grok for free? Are there other things you can get for free?
Reference the following guide:
>1. Account: A US account that’s made payments is the simplest; Play address is in the US, Google account is in the US.
> Check your account region: https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=en-US
2. US node: open this link in incognito mode, https://one.google.com/about/ai-premium/. If you see “Gemini Advanced is free for students through finals 2026” at the bottom, click “See if you’re eligible for the student discount”; don’t click on the one-month trial!
> PS: If you get “This account isn’t eligible for Google One AI Premium plan,” something’s not right with the account — just try another one. UK/SG accounts actually work too.
3. After clicking, a window pops up to enter your EDU address. Most US schools are accepted. Then enter the verification code; this assumes you have a bunch of “expired” EDU emails lying around.
> >4. Enter the card number and billing address. Using a virtual card is recommended. Free access granted.