Advertisers report Google Ads credits being revoked after spending
Advertisers report Google Ads promotional credits being invalidated after they’ve already spent budget to qualify for them.
Some Google Ads promotional credits are reportedly being invalidated after advertisers have already spent the amount required to qualify, potentially leaving businesses with higher advertising costs than they expected.
Report of lost credits after spending. PPC consultant David Melamed said he has encountered the issue twice in a short period.
In one case, an advertiser expected to receive a $3,200 promotional credit after spending $3,200 on Google Ads, according to Melamed. The credit was later marked “Invalidated,” he said, more than a month after the advertiser had spent the money.
Melamed said the advertiser likely wouldn’t have spent the first $3,200 without the promotional offer.
No obvious appeal path. Melamed said he wasn’t aware of a way for advertisers to appeal an invalidated credit.
That becomes particularly problematic when the advertiser has already met the spending requirement, because the underlying ad spend can’t be clawed back.
In another case, Melamed said a new advertiser’s credit was invalidated because his billing profile from his manager account had initially been used to set up the account.
He said he wasn’t sure what triggered the invalidation in the other case.
More than loss of credit. Melamed said promotional credits can encourage advertisers to bid and spend more aggressively because they effectively view part of their initial advertising spend as discounted.
His argument is that those additional dollars also enter Google Ads auctions, potentially increasing competition for other advertisers bidding for the same impressions.
That’s Melamed’s assessment, however, and no evidence was provided establishing that revoked promotional credits are materially increasing auction prices.
Why we care. Revoked credits can blow up advertiser budgets. Promotional offers can influence how much businesses are willing to spend when launching or expanding Google Ads campaigns. If a credit is invalidated after that money has already been spent, advertisers can’t simply reverse the campaign spend that helped them qualify.
Google has acknowledged the complaint. Google Ads Liaison Ginny Marvin responded to Melamed’s LinkedIn post.
“Thank you for bringing this to our attention, David. I’ve passed this along to the team,” Marvin said.
Google did not provide an explanation in the exchange for why the credits were invalidated or indicate whether it plans to change how promotional credit disputes are handled.
What advertisers should watch. The incidents highlight the importance of checking the eligibility conditions attached to Google Ads promotional offers rather than treating a credit as guaranteed campaign budget.
The bigger question is whether Google provides advertisers with greater clarity about why credits are invalidated and a way to challenge those decisions when substantial campaign spend has already occurred.
Bottom line. Google Ads promotional credits can encourage advertisers to spend thousands of dollars to qualify. Reports of those credits being invalidated after the required spend has already happened raise questions about how predictable those offers are and what recourse advertisers have when something goes wrong.
First spotted. Full report from Melamed on LinkedIn
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