This article explains what promotional offers are and how they work with the various payment settings.
Google Ads promotional offers, also known as promotions, are offers that can be added to your account when you meet the criteria. They’re occasionally offered by Google and our partners, not by request. Promotions are applied automatically and can't be added by our support team.
On this page
- How Google Ads promotional offers work
- Requirements and limitations
- How Google Ads promotional offers work with different payment settings
How Google Ads promotional offers work
Promotional offers are distributed through marketing communications or the promotions page for existing advertisers. Criteria for promotions varies, so review your offer for the details on the spend requirement and the credit amount. You must meet all the qualifying requirements of the promotion to receive the credit. Check the specific terms and conditions when enrolling in your offer.
- To use most promotional offers, your account needs to meet certain criteria. The terms and conditions for each offer vary by promotion, so ensure to check the details in the promotion terms and conditions.
- You can monitor your progress towards earning the promotional credit on your Google Ads homepage or within the Promotions section.
- Advertisers normally have 60 days to spend their earned promotional credit after it has been added to their account.
- Existing advertiser promotions need to be applied within the timeframe outlined in the promotion terms and conditions.
Learn more about the Google Ads Policy for Promotional offers.
Example
We have an introductory offer of "Spend $500 USD, get $500 USD”.
To get the $500 USD credit, redeem the introductory offer which will be auto-applied to your account after sign up. Then, spend at least $500 USD within the communicated time period after redeeming the offer. After spending $500 USD, the $500 USD credit will appear in your account within 35 days, provided all eligibility requirements are met. If your credit hasn't appeared after 35 days, contact Google Ads support.
Learn more about Different types of Google Ads promotional offers.
Requirements and limitations
- We only count the amount you spend after redeeming the promotional offer. If you spent $500 USD before redeeming the offer, that amount won't count towards your offer.
- Promotional credit can only be applied to advertising costs. If you cancel your account before spending the entire credit or don't spend the full amount before the credit expires, the remaining balance can’t be refunded.
How Google Ads promotional offers work with different payment settings
Your payment setting affects how your promotional offers are applied to your account. Check below for more information about how promotions work with your payment setting.
Automatic payments
For automatic payments, redeem the promotion before its expiration date and start advertising. After your account meets the requirements found in the promotional material, the portion of the promotion spent will appear as a sub-line under the "Active promotions" section in the current month’s card on the "Billing Summary" page within about 35 days.
Promotional credits can only be applied to future advertising costs. Costs you accrue before you get a credit, and costs you accrue after you use up all of your credit, will be charged to the payment method in your account.
Your ads will continue to run and accrue costs after your promotional credit has been used up. You can stop advertising at any time by pausing your campaigns. Paused campaigns won't accrue any extra costs.
Manual payments
For manual payments, redeem the promotion by its expiration date and then meet the requirements mentioned in the promotional offer terms. After spending the required amount, the portion of the promotion spent will appear as a sub-line under the "Active promotions" section in the current month’s card on the "Billing Summary" page within 35 days.
It's a good idea to make an initial payment that's a little more than the requirement, because Google Ads may stop serving your ads before the whole amount is spent. For example, if the offer requires $500 USD spend and you pay exactly $500 USD, your account may never fully spend it. This happens if your cost-per-click (CPC) is larger than your remaining credit. Let's say your average CPC is $0.30 USD. If you spend everything but $0.20 USD, that $0.20 USD may never get used up since your CPC is larger than your remaining credit.
The information about any active promotions will be displayed under the “Active promotions” section of the month card in the "Billing Summary" page.
To check spend from promotions for a certain month, check the “Promotions” section in the relevant month card.
Monthly invoicing
Before you apply for a promotional offer, make sure that your account has been set up for invoicing. Changing your billing setup after you’ve entered a promotional offer will invalidate the promotional offer.
For monthly invoicing, make sure that your account meets the requirements specified in the offer terms. When the promotion has been applied, the portion spent for the month will appear on the “Transactions” page within 35 days. Any unused promotional credit from the current month will roll over to the next month until the promotional credit is spent.
Account budgets
Promotional credits provide additional advertising funding without affecting your account budget. For example, if you set a budget of $1000 USD and receive a promotion for $500 USD, your ads will serve until you reach $1500 USD spend. You’ll be charged the original $1000 USD account budget amount and the additional $500 USD is covered by the credit.
If your budget ends before you use the entire credit, the remaining credit will carry over to the next budget you activate.
