pay for itself

pay for itself (third-person singular simple present pays for itself, present participle paying for itself, simple past and past participle paid for itself)

1. To produce or result in revenue which will cover its costs.
   • 1950 July, “Long Welded Rails in America”, in Railway Magazine, page 434:

     Although welded rails cost considerably more to lay than ordinary track, there is a great saving in maintenance, and it is estimated that welding pays for itself in less than three years.

• break even
• wash its face

• “pay for itself” (US) / “pay for itself” (UK) in Macmillan English Dictionary.
• “pay for itself”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “pay for itself”, in Collins English Dictionary.