Google Ads promotional credits disappear after advertisers meet promotional requirements

Advertisers are reporting cases in which Google Ads revokes promotional credits after businesses have already spent the required amount to qualify for them. As a result, companies may face higher advertising costs than they initially expected when launching their campaigns. Credits revoked after spending requirements are met According to PPC consultant David Melamed, he encountered similar situations twice within a short period. In one case, an advertiser expected to receive a $3,200 promotional credit after spending $3,200 on Google Ads. However, more than a month after the advertiser had met the spending requirement, the credit was marked as “Invalidated.” According to Melamed, the company likely would not have spent the initial $3,200 without the promotional offer. This creates a significant financial risk for businesses: the budget has already been spent, while the expected compensation in the form of an advertising credit is no longer available. Why advertisers cannot simply recover the money already spent The issue is that promotional credits can act as an incentive to increase advertising investment. A company may agree to spend a certain amount because it expects to receive additional advertising budget after meeting the required conditions. If the credit is revoked after the required spending threshold has already been reached, the advertiser cannot simply cancel the campaigns and recover the money that has already been spent. As a result, the actual cost of acquiring customers through Google Ads may be higher than planned, while the campaign budget may exceed the company's initial expectations. The reasons for revocation are not always clear In another case described by Melamed, a new advertiser's promotional credit was revoked because the payment profile from a manager account had initially been used to set up the advertising account. At the same time, the reason for the credit revocation in another case remained unclear. This can create additional challenges for companies managing multiple advertising accounts, manager accounts, and different payment configurations. Even technical or organizational details related to account structure may affect whether an advertiser meets the requirements of a promotional offer. No obvious appeal process Another issue concerns the ability to appeal a decision to revoke a promotional credit. Melamed said he was not aware of an obvious mechanism that advertisers could use to challenge the revocation. For companies with large advertising budgets, this can have significant financial consequences. If a business has spent thousands of dollars based on the expectation of receiving a promotional credit, having a clear explanation and an opportunity to dispute the decision becomes an important part of managing advertising costs. Promotional credits can influence advertiser behavior Promotional credits are used by Google as a way to attract new advertisers and encourage increased spending. The logic for businesses is straightforward: if a company receives additional advertising budget after spending a certain amount, the effective cost of acquiring traffic may decrease. This can influence decisions about launching new campaigns, scaling existing activities, and increasing bids. Melamed also suggested that such incentives could affect Google advertising auctions. If advertisers perceive part of their initial spending as effectively discounted, they may be more willing to compete aggressively for ad placements. However, this remains his assessment. There is no evidence in the reported cases that revoked promotional credits are materially affecting auction prices or increasing costs for other advertisers. Google has acknowledged the issue The situation received a response from a Google Ads representative. Google Ads Liaison Ginny Marvin responded to Melamed's LinkedIn post and said that she had passed the information along to the relevant team at Google. However, Google did not explain in the exchange why the advertising credits had been revoked. The company also did not indicate whether it plans to change how promotional credit disputes are handled or introduce a different appeal process. What marketers should consider For medium-sized and large businesses, promotional credits should not be treated as a guaranteed part of the advertising budget until the company has met all applicable requirements and confirmed its final eligibility for the offer. Before launching a campaign, marketers should carefully review: eligibility requirements for the promotional offer; the minimum advertising spend required; the period in which the spending requirement must be met; requirements for new or existing advertising accounts; payment profile requirements; restrictions related to manager accounts; conditions for receiving and using the promotional credit; possible reasons for credit revocation. For companies with large advertising budgets, it is also advisable to document the promotional offer's terms at the time the campaign is launched and monitor compliance with each requirement. Why this matters for businesses Promotional credits can have a significant impact on advertising budget forecasts. If a company plans to spend $3,200 and expects to receive an additional $3,200 promotional credit, its campaign funding model is different from a situation in which no additional budget is available. Revoking the credit after the required spending has already taken place changes that financial model retroactively. For marketing teams, this means that campaign planning should distinguish between guaranteed advertising budgets and potential incentives offered by advertising platforms. Promotional credits are better treated as an additional resource rather than funds that the business can rely on with certainty during financial planning. This is particularly important for large-scale campaigns, where decisions about increasing spend are based on projected customer acquisition costs, revenue, and return on marketing investment. Conclusion Reports of Google Ads promotional credits being revoked after advertisers have met the required spending thresholds raise questions about the predictability of Google's advertising offers. For advertisers, the main risk is not limited to losing the promotional credit itself. A company may have already spent a substantial budget based on the expectation of receiving the credit and have no way to recover that spending after the credit is revoked. Until Google provides more detailed explanations regarding the reasons behind these cases and the available appeal mechanisms, marketers should carefully review promotional offer terms and avoid treating advertising credits as guaranteed budget when planning campaign investments. Read this article in Ukrainian.