Wiktionary
n. 1 (context economics English) A financial policy by which capital projects are financed from current revenue in the operating budget rather than through borrowing. 2 (context British English) a payment method where credit is purchased in advance, used in small amounts and topped up when required. Used especially of mobile phones and transport ticketing. 3 (context British English) a mobile phone on such a tariff
Usage examples of "pay-as-you-go".
Whitney planned to sell parcels of the land to settlers and farmers, using the proceeds to push a railroad farther and farther West in pay-as-you-go fashion.
The tenants would have gotten together and bought the building and yanked out the laundry to make room for storage and save on water and maintenance and put the window cleaning on a pay-as-you-go basis, and no one would use the pool anymore or skim the top and the water would have seeped down and the green scum have dried on the bottom and cracks would have appeared and the tenants would have had it filled in so that the courtyard resembled nothing so much as a giant air shaft with balconies all around for no better reason now than to look down and see how the concrete was doing.
These days any protection or obedience the humans got from boppers was strictly on a pay-as-you-go basis.
She had a long-standing pay-as-you-go deal with the hotel for health club privileges.