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• 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  

[pey-uhz-yoo-goh] / ˈpeɪ əz yʊˈgoʊ /

noun

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

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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]

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Etymology

Origin of pay-as-you-go

An Americanism dating back to 1830–40

Example Sentences

Companies sometimes opt for pay-as-you-go plans, while others might buy enterprise plans that include a certain amount of use per worker.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

The main critique of the Social Security program, however, is that it operates on a pay-as-you-go basis, which makes it very vulnerable to demographic shifts.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 8, 2026

A social media post during last week said that season ticket holders affected by the strikes will receive one day of pay-as-you-go credit on their smartcard per affected day.

From BBC • Jul. 1, 2025

Indeed, Furchtgott-Roth tries to blur the definition of "public transit" to mean something entirely different, which sounds more like the pay-as-you-go private-sector options that already exist.

From Salon • Dec. 19, 2024

I bought myself a pay-as-you-go flip phone and we started texting each other sarcastic things about people in our lives.

From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King