Jump To:

• pay-as-you-go
  pay-as-you-go

  noun

  the principle or practice of paying for goods and services at the time of purchase, rather than relying on credit.
• pay as you go
  pay as you go

  Pay for purchases immediately instead of deferring payment. For example, Ruth and Bob had no credit cards; they believed in paying as you go. [First half of 1800s]

pay-as-you-go

American  

[pay-uhz-yoo-goh] / ˈpeɪ əz jʊˈgoʊ /

noun

1. the principle or practice of paying for goods and services at the time of purchase, rather than relying on credit.

---

adjective

1. of, relating to, or based on such a principle or practice.

   a pay-as-you-go budget.

pay as you go Idioms  

1. Pay for purchases immediately instead of deferring payment. For example, Ruth and Bob had no credit cards; they believed in paying as you go. [First half of 1800s]

---

Etymology

Origin of pay-as-you-go

An Americanism dating back to 1830–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pay-as-you-go pay as you go

Bush and Clinton reached bipartisan deficit-reduction agreements that reined in spending and introduced pay-as-you-go rules to restore fiscal discipline.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

The pay-as-you-go scheme allows customers to use a tap-in and tap-out process using a contactless debit card or smartphone device without needing to buy tickets in advance for adult single journeys.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

The only complication for pay-as-you-go customers is they should not buy more than £112 of credit if they want to get the discount all in one go.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

Standard licensing models between large AI companies and individual news organizations include guaranteed fees and are generally tied to broad access to content, rather than a pay-as-you-go model.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

The dealers—led by Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs—came up with a clever solution: the pay-as-you-go credit default swap.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

"And they said, 'so why have you asked for a burner phone, why don't you ask for a pay as you go phone'."

From BBC ● Jan. 10, 2026

Like most "pay as you go" mobile games, there are several types of resources you need to progress.

From The Verge ● Aug. 4, 2014

The one angle I can see where a cheaper iPhone makes sense is on the growing contract-free, pay as you go market–the Crickets, and Boosts, and AIOs of the world.

From Forbes ● Aug. 13, 2013

Shane Devino March 19, 2012, 12:30 PM it's time we implement pay as you go at public schools for arts programs.

From New York Times ● May 31, 2012

It is the rare exception now to "own what you have" and to "pay as you go."

From Usury A Scriptural, Ethical and Economic View by Calvin Elliott