Google Ads promotional credits are being marked "Invalidated" after advertisers have already spent the required amount to qualify for them, leaving businesses with advertising costs they did not expect to bear. PPC consultant David Melamed disclosed the issue in a LinkedIn post, citing two separate client accounts where credits were revoked well after the qualifying spend had occurred.
Credits Voided More Than a Month After Qualifying Spend
In one case, an advertiser expected to receive a $3,200 promotional credit after spending $3,200 on Google Ads, but the credit was later marked "Invalidated" more than a month after the spend had occurred. Melamed stated that the advertiser likely would not have spent the initial $3,200 without the promotional offer in place.
In a second case, a new advertiser's credit was invalidated because the billing profile from Melamed's manager account had been used to set up the client's account initially. Melamed said he was not certain what triggered the invalidation in the other case.
No Formal Path to Challenge a Revocation
Melamed said he was not aware of a way for advertisers to appeal an invalidated credit. Promotional offers can influence how much businesses are willing to spend when launching or expanding Google Ads campaigns, and if a credit is invalidated after that money has already been spent, advertisers cannot simply reverse the campaign spend that helped them qualify.
Google's own documentation does not describe a formal dispute or appeal mechanism for invalidated credits. According to Google's Help Center, when an advertiser meets the requirements of an offer, an eligibility check is triggered for up to 35 days, and if eligible, the promotional credit is applied to the account to cover future advertising costs. The Help Center states that criteria for promotions vary and that advertisers must meet all qualifying requirements of the promotion to receive the credit. Google's documentation does not specify what happens when a credit is initially displayed as pending and then subsequently voided after the spend requirement has been met.
Agency Billing Setup as a Disqualifying Factor
The MCC-related invalidation points to a specific risk in agency-managed accounts. According to Google's documentation on Partners promotional offers, new customer verification shifts from before the offer is applied to after the client reaches the required spend value. If a client meets the spend requirement but is not confirmed as a new advertiser to Google, the credit will not be applied.
A Google Partner agency can manage an account and its associated credit, but the underlying business must be new to Google Ads, and the billing relationship must be established correctly. When an agency's own billing profile is attached to a new client account during setup, that account may fail the post-spend eligibility verification, even if the client itself has never previously advertised with Google.
Google Acknowledges the Complaint Without Explanation
Google Ads Liaison Ginny Marvin responded to Melamed's LinkedIn post. Marvin's response, as reported in the exchange, was: "Thank you for bringing this to our attention, David. I've passed this along to the team." 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.
Practical Implications for Advertisers and Agencies
Advertisers treating a promotional credit as confirmed campaign budget before the post-spend eligibility check is complete carry a financial risk that Google's current processes do not appear to mitigate. New advertiser promotions typically require spend to be completed within 60 days to be eligible for the credit, and after completing the required spend, there is an up to 35-day verification period that confirms an advertiser is new to Google before the earned credit is released. Agencies setting up new client accounts through a manager account should ensure the client's own billing profile, not the agency's, is associated with the account before any spend begins, as the billing configuration at setup appears to be a factor in post-spend eligibility verification.
Google's Help Center states that advertisers must meet all qualifying requirements of the promotion to receive the credit, but does not publicly define all conditions that can trigger an invalidation after initial spend has been recorded. As of publication, Google has not announced any changes to its promotional credit dispute process.
