Major Payment Issues Hit Google Ads in Ukraine

Advertisers in Ukraine are facing a widespread problem with Google Ads: bank transfer payments used to top up advertising accounts are not being credited on time.

According to advertisers, the difficulties began on August 22, yet Google Ukraine has not issued any official statement. Initially, the issue went unnoticed, since Google’s policy allows up to five business days for payments to be processed and reflected in ad accounts after the bank transfer is received. In practice, however, funds were usually credited much faster—often within 3 to 10 working hours.

As a result, during the first few days, most advertisers assumed the delays were temporary. Only now is it becoming clear that the issue is widespread and systemic.

Google Support’s responses have so far been limited to the standard advice to “please wait,” without any clear assessment of the scale of the problem or an estimated timeline for resolution.

Based on our sources, many businesses relying on non-cash payments have been affected. The timing is particularly painful: some advertisers are wrapping up back-to-school campaigns, while others are launching their autumn seasonal promotions. For e-commerce companies, even a single day of downtime can mean lost sales and undermined campaign results.

The lack of transparency and delays in addressing the problem have left many Ukrainian advertisers uncertain about their budgets and campaign continuity at a critical moment of the marketing calendar.

Read this article in Ukrainian.